A Teachers View: The 1st day of School!!

I am blessed to live next to a elementary school teacher who loves my kids and we love her!! She has multiple education degrees and is the first person I run to when I am worried about speech, development or anything learning related!! She has agreed to write a weekly post for me on some common concerns involving little ones and just great tips! If you have a topic that you would like to see addressed, please e-mail me at everythingmom@live.com

1st Day of School

Whether your baby is having their first first day of school or their last first day of school, the first day is always a big one. At my elementary school, the first day is full of shiny scrubbed faces, new clothes, and sometimes, a bit of chaos. Here are a couple of things to remember about this magical day!

· Get a good night’s sleep and have a good breakfast. The older our students get, the later they eat lunch. It comes as a surprise to many of our 4th and 5th graders that they don’t eat until almost 1 and after one and that they are starving at 10:30.

· Pack a great lunch or make sure your student has lunch money. It’s especially helpful if younger students have their lunch money in an envelope marked with their name and teacher. Also make sure your child’s name is on their lunch box. If your school uses an automated payment system, start practicing the PIN and put a piece of paper with it written down in their pocket.

· Be at the bus stop at least five minutes early the first week of school. My friend Janelle works at our local school district’s department of transportation and tells me that bus schedules can fluctuate as drivers figure out who needs picked up where and make changes to routes.

· Take pictures! Arrive at school or the bus stop a few minutes and capture that smiling face!

· Be aware that some schools do not let parents escort students to their classrooms. At my school, only the parents of our preschool students are allowed past the front door. There is a long chain of teachers to walk younger students to class and to help older ones find their way. And yes, we’ll be happy to walk them down, even if tears are involved J Call your school office if you have questions about your child getting to class.

· Look through your child’s bookbag for papers that might have come home. There are usually papers to fill out.

· Be ready to celebrate! The first day of school is exciting! And usually homework-free. It might be a great night for one of the last trips of the season to the pool or ice cream shop.