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What do you expect from teachers?
Ok, so I'm in school to become an elementary teacher. But I'm not sure what to expect parent-wise. I've done work as a camp counsellor before, but that was in an affluent part of town (lots of the kids that went there, their daddys were pro sports players.) What am I getting myself into? What do you expect from your kids' teachers?
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09-06-2005 03:53 PM
# ADS
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do you have a job lined up yet? if so, is your school be public or independent? catholic? what is the demographic of your school? is your school a magnet school?
one thing that pops into my mind straight away is accommodations. all children are different... and parents are going to want to know how YOU will help THEIR child. whether their child be an artist, a reader, a student with ADD/ADHD, a child with an autism spectrum disorder, a student with learning disabilities... you get the idea.
one thing i like to remember is that im not there to solve everyone's problems, im there to be a guide. im there to HELP children... to educate them. i may be a teacher, but teaching isnt my main concern. i am most concerned with my students' learning.
show parents that you know the difference between teaching and learning. true, they have a symbiotic relationship, but the latter should be your priority.
-- eli.xoxo
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I'm still in school, actually...I just kinda wanted advice from actual parents. I'm too young to have friends that have kids. It seems like parents today are a little different from my parents when I was growing up. Maybe I'm wrong.
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I've got two children -- a 10 year old going into 5th grade and a 13 year old going into 8th grade. Speaking as a parent, the most important thing you can do is communicate. Nothing pisses me off more than one of my kids bringing home a report card with poor grades and comments like "has missed homework assignments" or "is disruptive in class." I want to know when there's a problem so it can be addressed immediately. And return phone calls and email messages as soon as you can, preferably within a day. Most parents won't call or email you unless there's something important going on. Of course, you will always have one or two sets of parents who will drive you nuts, but most of us are pretty normal and trying to do the best we can for our kids.
One other thing, and you may not have much control over this -- make your first-day-of-school supply lists easy. Don't specify colors or brands of folders or binders or pencils or markers. And don't ask students to supply more than you need. I dropped $150 this year on school supplies alone... pretty ridiculous, I think.
Good luck!
P
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Originally Posted by
cosmosgrrl
I've got two children -- a 10 year old going into 5th grade and a 13 year old going into 8th grade. Speaking as a parent, the most important thing you can do is communicate.
A co-worker of mine was very impressed when at the beginning of the school year, her son's teacher created a Powerpoint type presentation for parents. She went over it, explaining what was going to happen that year, what the goals of the year were, what type of work was going to be assigned and what was expected.
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Maybe it's weird to answer this, because I don't have kids. But as a student, I can tell you that it's nice to have a teacher that isn't caught up in showing the world how much THEY know by flying through subjects. I think it's nice when teachers take the time to help kids out if they need the extra help, in a non demeaning way. Recognize that some kids are just naturally bright, and are bored with your normal teaching pace. Challenge them! Give them the next step up in math if they can fly through it. Encourage them, instead of expecting them to behave when they're super bored and waiting for something else to learn. We had a buddy system when I was in the 6th grade. We would go to the 1st grade classroom, where we were paired up with a buddy. We helped them do projects, and it was lots of fun. I think it's a nice thing to have your classroom involved in.
I would make a form for parents to read over and sign, basically stating that yes, you are a teacher, but you are not a replacement parent and they need to realize that. I think some parents get a little too caught up in expecting the school to train thier kids about everything. I dunno.
Don't fall into the trap of just feeding your class answers. If you ask a question, wait two seconds, no one answers, and you give it to them, they expect that, and won't bother answering you because they know they don't have to. It's a very very common thing that teachers do that is super annoying, and creates a very poor learning environment. Make the kids come up to the board and answer things. Call on people until someone says something. Don't let them be passive "learners!"
Also I would avoid powerpoint. It basically makes the most boring presentations known to man, and is really awful to have to sit through. I hate when people use that program, because they usually revert to reading monotone off the slides verbatim. Really really hard to pay attention to.
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The teachers I always enjoyed the most, and the type of teacher I like to see my kids learning from (we homeschool, but have taken piano, geology, art classes, etc.) can be summed up in one word:
ENTHUSIASM!!
I really like a teacher who is interested and involved with their subject. I've seen several different teaching styles/personalities, but if they are thouroughly engaged with the subject, many times the students are every bit as engaged. (I know it may be a bit difficult in an elementary classroom where you have to be a 'Jill of all trades' to love everything but since you are going into education, I assume you already have an ingrained love of learning!:))
Also, this sounds very Pollyanna, but keep a positive outlook, assume the best about both students and parents, and give people the benefit of the doubt. I teach dance and acting classes, and while I know some teachers dread dealing with parents, I have had wonderful experiences with them.
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My oldest went to kindergarten this year and we are still adjusting.
I appreciate communication to the utmost. I would even like to know what the kid's schedules are for the day, week and month. I like to know what times are recess, lunch, the curriculum etc.
Maybe it's just because I've been home with him for 6 years and then I just send him somewhere without me for 7 hours. He is a boy that is not into details so I ask but don't get much unless he feel like talking about school.
What I'm trying to say is I would like the teacher to give me as much detailed communication as possible. I know what you will be facing and independant attention is slim, but I would love to know.
His teacher is kind and caring with each child and I like that a lot.
But she is sure to be fair and does not tolerate cruelty to others.
It is true that this generation has different parents, because this generation is different. My child is different for being home with me all of his life as oppose to being in someone elses care from the time he was born. The teachers do have a hard job ahead of them with a minimal paycheck.
Us as parents may demand things, but you should be getting great respect and appreciation in return, without taken advantage of.
Best of Luck to you in the future.
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Hey, there are a lot of collections nowadays. I am using HiSlide.io usually. It's cheap (if you have subscribed), and there are many good free templates. You should use a few sources, but choose only big collections, they are better. Sometimes I am just taking the background and create my own templates for all slides.
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I am looking for a good online school with a focus on biology, chemistry and physics
Last edited by Andrew4ik; 01-28-2021 at 07:15 AM.