Meet the Teach Night In KISD | Central Texas Info, Advice, & Review by Norman Photography, Killeen, Ft. Hood Harker Heights Family Photographer

August is an exciting time of year in a special way.  It's a solemn end of summer spent with friends and family that provided a break to recompose for a new year of learning.  I really feel this applies to teachers, students, and parents.  There are so many different sides of preparation to returning to school that I think sometimes we all get lost in our own side.  It's easy to do, especially if you've not had all 3 experiences of being a student lately, sending your baby to kindergarten or college, or preparing and welcoming 22+ exciting yet terrified students and parents into your life.  Here are some tips on back to school from a teacher (with a little mom mixed in) and will apply mainly to lower grades and KISD.  I'm not returning to teach this year but I've had 5 Augusts in KISD and NISD (San Antonio) teaching K/1 from which to pass knowledge along.  Here goes...

Attending

All schools have them, even my kids' MDO.  Go to them.  We expect you to be there.  If you absolutely cannot make it, find out who your kid's teacher is, email or call him or her, and ask if you can come up and drop school supplies off and that if he or she has 5 minutes, you'd love to say hello!  We are crazy busy this week but it can't hurt to ask.  She said no, she has meetings?  Don't panic.  Email and introduce yourself.  Just avoid waiting until 7:25am the morning school starts to introduce yourself.  It's the absolute worst time possible.  Kids (and moms, some dads, possibly granparents) will be crying, the secretary is bringing a new student to our room who just registered late, we have to verify how all the students will be getting home, what they are eating, if they brought food for snack, ect.  In a nutshell, find a way to let you teacher know about all the fears and concerns you have about your baby being in school other than the morning of the first day.

When You Get There

So what will "Meet the Teacher" be like?  You'll enter the school and hopefully be greeted by an admin of some kind helping you find who your child's teacher is and where he or she is located.  There will be a PTA table (enroll and buy your kid a shirt or we'll hound you with requests later on due to contests our class can win).   You'll walk in to your child's room after wandering down the hallway comparing bulletin boards (don't, it doesn't reflect the quality of the teacher) while your child is either sprinting ahead of you or lingering terrified behind you.  You'll find the room and scan for the teacher.  He or she will be the one all the parents are watching and waiting for.  It can be a major competition between you and other parents to get those couple of minutes you've been aching for all summer.  Be patient.  Sign in.  Check and see if there is paperwork on your kid's desk and start filling it out.  Take a tour around the room.  Don't panic if every square inch of the walls isn't covered in posters and decorations.  The empty spaces are where your child's artwork and learning tools will go as we progress through the year.  We'll be trying to remember who came in when and trying to be polite enough to tell those behind you to wait.  It's difficult.  We truly want to hear you, remember your name, which child belongs to you, and the specifics.

What NOT to do

You've been waiting for this all summer.  Maybe since last school year if you didn't have that great of experience and have been dying for another chance at a new teacher.  Number 1 rule:  All teachers are different.  Do not assume we are going to be the same as last year or treat your child the same way.  I personally don't want to know if you or your child had a bad experience last year.  Not yet anyway.  Is that too blunt? Start fresh!  Get to know each other and develop a relationship. There is nothing worse than this following conversation as a first impression, "Hi!  I'm J's mom.  I hope you haven't heard how much he was in trouble last year.  Has his teacher talked to you already? She and I didn't get along and she never liked him.  Let me just tell you now that I work full time and will not be taking calls about his behavior during work hours."  Ouch.  Yeah, definitely a way to get yourself remembered.  You sure don't want to hear, "Hi!  I'm Mrs. M and I can't wait to have a new class.  I had monsters last year and the parents were dreadful!"  Everyone deserves a second chance and a fresh start.  Is your child gifted and you are sure he or she will be moving to another class soon?  You might be right!  Remember there is a process to this that is usually out of the teacher's control.  Mention it but don't expect him or her to request a class change for you.  Ask about the process and go from there.  I hope I haven't scared or offended anyone yet, but the above occurs every year.

What TO do

Plan ahead.  Try your best to be there as close to start time as possible.  You don't need to stalk the front door and sprint as soon as it opens but if you come in 5 minutes before the event ends, you're going to meet a very tired teacher with a full memory card.  When it's your turn to speak to the teacher, introduce yourself and your child (who needs to be with you, not destroying the classroom with his or her siblings).  Tell the teacher positive things.  How early did your child make you shop for school supplies? How many workbooks did you buy from Walmart to help prepare for school (please don't bring them with you, we believe you)?  Is there a volunteer sheet you can sign up on?  If you have vital questions or concerns, try asking.  Don't be offended if the teacher asks you to simply write it on your child's info sheet for a reminder.  Having it in writing is much better for us when we sit down the next day to organize all the info.  This is why we have you fill out packets at this time.  Medical issues or medication?  Write them down ahead of time to give to your teacher and inform the nurse!  You more than likely provided this info at registration.  Just remember, there's about a 5 minute max per parent before we run out of time.

School Supplies

Bring them.  Your teacher will adore you for not making her go through them the first morning of school.  There will be designated spots for supplies for you to distribute all of them.  Even if you can't make Meet the Teacher night, drop them off.  Ask if he or she can use any help sorting through them to next day.  Stick to the supply list.   I know it's tempting to buy the iCarly and Star Wars products, but if the list says "red folder" it means red folder, not red folder with Elmo on it.  Why?  Kids are kids and they will get jealous and "borrow" the cool items.  It's easier for everyone if everything is the same.  They fight enough over the sharp pencils with the best erasers and least dried out markers.  Save the Lisa Frank and Dora apparel for backpacks, lunch boxes, and clothing (if you aren't at a uniform school).  Should you label everything?  Maybe.  Did the supply list ask you to?  If not, wait.  All teachers do supplies differently.  Some have the kids share all supplies while others do personal supplies.  Talk to the teacher before you distribute supplies and ask about labeling.  Bring a black permanent marker in case you need to label a few things.  Please label lunch boxes, backpacks (at least a dozen other kids will have your kid's backpack), jackets, hats, ect.  Schools donate mountains of clothes in the lost and found every year.  

Lastly

Teachers are here for your child.  I know it's clique but we don't work for the money or summer vacation and our first priority is our students.  We truly love your children.  They are not just a reflection of their home anymore, but the people they encounter daily at school as well.  Teachers are as human as the next person and do have bad days.  We also understand kids and parents have bad days too.  If you see consistent negativity, talk to your teacher.  We do miss things and sometimes kids are afraid for various reasons to let us know things.  On the other side, if you have a fabulous teacher, let him or her know!  Little notes of appreciation go a long way!  We wish you a great Meet the Teacher night!  And please don't forget to visit your music, PE, library, ect teachers while you show you child around school!  They love your kids too!

My Disclaimers

No teacher is the same as no mom or dad is the same.  We all have different styles, personalities, and opinions.  This article only reflects my style, personality, and opinion.  Please don't expect your child's teacher to feel the same.  Your experience with KISD's Meet the Teacher night will depend on your school and we in no way are speaking on behalf of the district.  I tend to be very direct with info, so I apologize if I scared or offended anyone.   If everyone was the same, it'd be a boring world.  Questions and comments are welcome.  Perhaps we'll address more school issues as we go this year!

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