I am so excited to be teaching in a new Classroom at a new School with a whole new outlook for this school year. As a Parent and a Teacher I totally understand the idea that the First Day of school would have Jitters! Guest what...? Teachers have first day jitters to.....lol.
Tips for Parents:
Everyone's been talking about it and preparing for it for months - the build-up is intense! And now the big day is here. Like any good parent, you want to know how to help your kindergartner navigate through the first few days and weeks of school. Here are a few tips that will help you and your child during this exciting time.
Tip 1: Recognize and manage your own emotions:
A lot of the first day jitters usually belong to my Parents, especially if this is their first dropping their child of to a 9-5 school day. What I ask my Parent to do is to avoid projecting their anxiety on to their child. Just because you would be shy and nervous in a room full of strangers doesn't necessarily mean your child will.
Tip 2: Establish a partnership with the teacher.
Determine right now that you will do your part to work together with your child's teacher on behalf of your child. leave your cell phone number and feel free to let the teacher know you would be more at ease if you received and updated text message during those first days of school so as you may be able to gradually get a sense of security and comfort when observing what is transpiring in class throughout the day. parents and teachers - talking, getting along and interacting in positive ways sends the message to your child that the teacher is someone to trust and talk to, too.
Tip 3: Encourage your child to ask for help.
New situations lose most of their scariness when we find an ally that we can trust to help us navigate and answer our questions. Some children have already had enough experience in new situations, or have a confident enough temperament, that they will assume the teacher is a trustworthy helper and will confidently ask where to hang their jacket or where the bathroom is, but other children may need to hear that message directly from you.
If you have a child with a more cautious temperament, it might even be helpful to practice asking the teacher for help by acting out the process using puppets, dolls or action figures. Think of some likely scenarios, like needing to go to the bathroom or not knowing where to throw away garbage. Then ask your child to be the teacher while you portray the new child with a question. Be sure to throw in lines about feeling shy, embarrassed or afraid so that your child can respond with words of comfort and reassurance as the teacher.
Although there are many other tips and tactics for managing this important transition in the life of your child and family, as an Educator I find these three are especially important for supporting your child emotionally and laying the ground work for a terrific kindergarten experience for everyone!
Thanks for Reading
No comments:
Post a Comment