Summer birthdays: do you expect the teacher to do anything?

[Anonymous]

I am an elementary school teacher, and a mother to young kids, one of whom has a summer birthday. I took nine years off to be a stay at home mom and now I’m back in the classroom and it seems like everything has changed.

Last year, it didn’t occur to me to do anything for summer birthdays at all. I don’t expect the teacher to do anything for my own child who has a summer birthday… It seems a bit strange to celebrate two months early and add even more cupcakes to the crazy situation of the classroom.

I had one summer parent message me and ask what I had planned… I had nothing planned.
So then I messaged my other birthday parents with what they wanted to do and they responded with “oh Geeze, I didn’t even think of of it!”

I’m moving towards saying, and doing nothing, unless the parent specifically reaches out.

Where do you stand?

[Anonymous]

Whatever you do for birthdays during the year. Just pick a day and do all of the summer birthdays together.

My kids school recognizes all the summer birthdays on a fews near the end of the year by grade.

[Anonymous]

My dc has a summer birthday and his school would celebrate half birthdays for the summer kids. This was still a problem since DCs half birthday is always during winter break. We opted to celebrate towards the end of the school year since it was closer to actual birthday. Was glad when they stopped celebrating individual student birthdays. Older grades celebrate all birthdays once a month for a particular month combining June/July and August/September.

[Anonymous]

I have a summer birthday and celebrated at day camp. My child has a school year birthday but often coincides with spring break. We never did anything after 3rd grade when it did.

[Anonymous]

It depends what the school does as a whole.

The school I used to teach at did one birthday celebration for all the kids who have birthdays that month. Summer kids celebrated with their "half" birthday month, so July with January, and August with February.

The school my kids, who are both born in July, had each parent bring a snack for their kids' birthday, and parents of summer birthdays could pick a day when they wanted to bring something in. I picked their half birthdays, but if we'd done September or June they would have been fine with that too.

[Anonymous]

I never would have asked parents. It sets up expectations and potential hard feelings where obviously almost no one had expectations.

[Anonymous]

No, I do not. That's insane.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, I do not. That's insane.

+1

[Anonymous]

What a nice idea! Yes, do something, even if it’s just one combined celebration for all summer birthdays.

[Anonymous]

Never heard of that. We celebrate teacher birthdays. If teacher has summer birthday, we don’t get her a cake 2 months prior either.

I have been invited to birthday parties a month early or after of kids thrown by parents. This also happens for kids whose birthdays fall around the holidays. They may have a birthday a few weeks early or in January. Have no idea if the teacher celebrates the kids’ birthday before winter break. I don’t it.

[Anonymous]

Ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Why would you have to plan anything? The parents should. I can’t even imagine asking a teacher to do more.

[Anonymous]

My child doesn't expect anything. One nice thing you could do is just have a list of birthdays in a prominent place in the classroom that includes summer birthdays.

[Anonymous]

When my kids were in ES (both with summers bdays), the school policy was 1 party a month and the moms with those kids organized whatever for the 10 mins allocated. July was added to June and August was added to September...aside from one year when the room parent decided they should be included in February as it was a low month. That was nuts imo. My kid did not want to be sung to in February. Aside from that I thought it was nice as a summer bday kid myself that was never recognized.

[Anonymous]

As a teacher? Nothing. There is something wrong with that parent.