Author: Pete Koutoulas • First Posted: Monday, August 31, 2009

Like this mom at Northern Elementary, families filled out paperwork and sometimes comforted their little ones during Kindergarten Kickoff. (Photo: File photo / Tammy L. Lane)

Teacher Wisdom: This week, we'll share advice for students at milestone steps in their education: kindergarten, sixth grade, ninth grade and senior year.

By Julie Hawkins, FCPS elementary schools director and a kindergarten mom

All my life, I’ve been in school – first as a student, then as a teacher and now as an administrator. You would think I’d be more than prepared to send my 5-year-old daughter, Anna Beth, to kindergarten. However, the moment we dropped hands and she turned to go into her classroom, a huge knot welled up in my throat. It was at this moment I realized she was beginning a new phase in her life and so was I.

Like all parents, my goal is for Anna Beth to be a well-adjusted, happy student. Research tells us kindergarten is critical and sets the tone for a child’s educational career. Wow! That’s a lot of pressure on both the parents and the teachers. (Teachers can’t do it without parents, and parents can’t do it without teachers.) It’s a team effort.

Through the years, I’ve gathered helpful hints to share with parents of incoming kindergarten students. For the first time, I’ll be trying them out to see how they really work!

• Partner with your child’s teacher. Begin the year by sending a short note to let the teacher know you are supportive. (As a way of teaching Anna Beth to appreciate her teacher, we picked flowers after the first three days of school, and she couldn’t wait to give them to her teacher.)
• Communicate with your child’s teacher on a regular basis. Don’t wait for the teacher to check in with you; be proactive and give him or her a call, or send an e-mail or a short note via your child’s backpack.
• Talk with your child about his day. As you are emptying out her backpack, talk with your child about her work. (The other day, I found a list of the students in Anna Beth’s backpack. I read off each child’s name, and she told me something special about each child.)
• Volunteer at school or eat lunch with your child as often as possible. This will allow you to get to know your child’s friends as well as get a feel for the culture of the school.
• Read with your child 15 to 20 minutes each evening. It will exponentially increase your child’s vocabulary and will improve their listening comprehension skills. (Don’t beat yourself up if you can’t do this every evening. As a working mom, I can tell you that it doesn’t always happen at my house.)
• Speak positively about your child’s school even in difficult circumstances. Never let your child hear you criticize the teacher, principal, etc. It’s important for children to love their school, so set the example by being a positive role model.

I’m not sure where the first five years of Anna Beth’s life went, but they are gone and kindergarten is here! Let’s join forces with our children’s teachers, and let the learning begin.