For Parents of Highschoolers: 6 Things the Teachers Really Want you to Know

Throughout a child’s education, parents are provided with tips and suggestions for making each school year better than the last.

Here, I provide parents with 6 honest requests from an experienced high school teacher (me).

1. When the teacher calls you or emails you, we do actually want to hear back from you. And it’s not necessarily bad news. We like to have a working relationship with the parents of our students. We know it’s not elementary school anymore, but parents are important here, too. In fact, you’re probably more important here.
   
2. Your child may have always been an A student, but he may not be in my class. I know that’s hard to hear, and you should definitely always advocate for your child if he is being treated unfairly. But, until you’ve taught your child and seen the way he interacts with his peers or doesn’t do his homework, please leave the grading to me.
3. Open House is offered for a reason. Please make an effort to be there.
4. Pay attention to the calendars on the school system website. Most of the time, they list the dates your child’s progress report or report card will be coming home. Then, if you don’t get one, please don’t assume the teacher didn’t hand them out. Feel free to email us and check. In fact, we appreciate parents who check in and pay attention to their children’s progress (or lack thereof).
5. Please plan your vacations AROUND your child’s school calendar. I know that you’re assuming that you can take a 5 day cruise around Christmas and that the last few days before the holiday break are “pointless.” That’s not the case in every classroom. In fact, I’ve been known to require some serious projects to be due the day before the break begins.
6. This is the last phase of education before the real world and/or college. Please begin to let go of your child’s hand. I know this sounds contradictory to the other things I’ve said; by all means, be involved and stay in communication with the teachers. But your child does need to learn at some point to speak for himself. Let him start now while he’s still in an institution where he is loved. Work or college may not provide that atmosphere. You won’t be able to sit next to him in Composition 101, so start letting him fumble and learn as soon as you can.

Bottom line, parents: In high school, your child needs a supporter and an advocate, not someone who will interfere with the many (life) lessons he’s going to learn. Please find a happy medium between supporter and enabler.

Student Silhouette: http://openclipart.org/detail/77245/studen-2-by-shokunin