My daughter starts kindergarten in a little more than three weeks and I’m already feeling those stomach butterflies when you’re on the verge of something huge.
She’s still four and won’t be five until the end of November, so I’m a little concerned about her not getting lost in the shuffle and feeling comfortable in this new setting. I’ve deemed August “Kindergarten Boot Camp Month” because everything has been about the transition. I feel good.
See, education is of utmost importance to me. Being able to think critically, to analyze, to process information and make your own way in the world””that is crucial. And it is my hope that everyone at my daughter’s school knows this as well.
Her teacher is doing home visits this week, to get to know the students so they see a familiar face on the first day of school. I’m not sure if this is the norm for a lot of schools, but I know I never had a teacher in my house growing up. I’ve been preparing. I plan on using this home visit (it’s tomorrow!) to set the tone for my daughter’s academic career. Please believe – Mama Jefferson is serious about the schoolin’ and I plan on being very involved every step of the way.
I asked my veteran mamas for advice on what to ask the teacher, to make sure we were all on the same page once school starts. Here were some of the best questions I got:
- Why do you teach? What’s your motivation?
- What has been your most challenging child and how did you handle the situation and the parent?
- What are your expectations of me as a parent?
- What’s the expectation around recess and snack time? What kind of snacks will the kids be eating? Will learning experiences be connected to the food?
- How much is my baby expected to know when she enters? What are the consequences if she doesn’t know the basics?
- What do you do if the child is FAR BEYOND the basic requirements of an entering kindergartner? Do you change your approach””assign more challenging work? If there is a gifted program, what does it take to get your kid in it? How do you discipline? (Do you punish the whole class for one person’s indiscretion? Is recess taken away? Is the kid put in the corner?)
- How much access is given to the parents? Can I sit in a class and observe? Are parents invited to help in-class? How will you communicate with parents? Weekly newsletters? Email?
- If there are concerns with learning, when will you inform me?
- What can I do with my child at home to supplement what you’re teaching? How much downtime will my child have in class?
- What will my child’s day look like from half hour to half hour?
- What activities/efforts do you make to improve the girl’s social skills?
What can I say””these questions are awesome! I have all these questions ready to pepper the teacher and let her know that we have high expectations for our daughter. Whatever they’re doing in the class, we’re going to supplementing at home. If there’s any problems, I want to know immediately. As much as possible, I’d like to volunteer at the school, to make my presence known so when they see me they say, “Oh, that’s Ayanna’s mom,” not “Who are you here to see?”
My baby’s going to school…I can’t believe it.
Were you nervous when your kid entered kindergarten? What did you do to make sure they started off on the right foot?