S/O teachers
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Anonymous
| My child will have a teacher with about 1-2 years experience. Any tips or suggestions on how I can best help a new teacher and manage my expectations? |
Anonymous
| Treat them like any other teacher? Volunteer in the classroom if they are looking for it, but otherwise, take the level of experience out of the equation. She might be new to it, but she is still a trained professional and might even have more energy than more seasoned teachers. |
Anonymous
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OP, you may not think this, but the idea that you need to "help" a newer teacher is rather condescending. Newer teachers can get great advice/mentoring from experienced teachers in their school. You have knowledge about your kid, but you do not possess knowledge about teaching.
As far as managing your expectation, you should expect/hope that you child has a good teacher. Many people have posted threads in the past expressing fears about their kids getting stuck with a new teacher, and many people have responded that some of their kids' best teachers ended up being "newbies" while some of their worst experiences were with "veterans" who were burnt out or too old-fashioned in their approach. This is not to say I'm saying new teachers=good, long-time teacher=bad. I'm saying you just don't know. If you have very specific concerns regarding your child, send an email introducing yourself and explaining your concern. Otherwise, be an engaged parent, attend open house and conferences, and communicate if you have a specific concern about your child. |
Anonymous
| As a student, from kindergarten through high school, my best teacher was a 2nd year teacher (5th grade) while my worst teacher, hands down, was probably in his 25th-30th year. |
Anonymous
Do you have a degree in education? |
Anonymous
Back off. Period. |
Anonymous
Agree. I taught school for years. What he/she lacks in experience, he will make up with enthusiasm. Sometimes, that is more valuable. |
Anonymous
| You sound like a real pita. I would just back off. I imagine that your child's teacher will see you coming from a mile away. Treat him/her like any other teacher should be treated-with kindness and respect. She will treat you the same. |
Anonymous
| Everyone is new at some point. At least s/he has a year or two of experience since that can make a big difference. I agree that volunteering in the classroom or organizing room parties or photocopying, etc. can be useful to any teacher. |
Anonymous
Volunteer to be "Room Mom". Keep a close eye on things. Go with your gut -- if something doesn't feel right, please speak up. Its your kid after all. |
Anonymous
Sounds like you are the kind of parent who causes more problems than help. |
Anonymous
New teachers have had less time to build up things like classroom libraries and things like that--they may really appreciate things like new books donated to the class (or an amazon gift certificate) or target/container store gift cards for organizing and decorating items. And they may be spending more time developing lesson plans, and might appreciate help with the more busywork parts of the job (like copying worksheets, etc.) if you have time to help with that. |
Anonymous
| OP here. The teacher does not have a degree in teaching. |
Anonymous
Keep a close eye? Go with your gut? Do you think the lack of teaching experience will translate to endangering the students? |
Anonymous
Huh? Private school I'm assuming? |