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While everyone is talking about the new school year, no one yet knows exactly what to expect. Most people are talking about whether schools are reopening or not, what to expect if they do, and the stress these decisions are putting on students and parents, and rightfully so.
However, let’s not forget about our teachers who have had to step up and learn to teach from Zoom and may have a whole new set of requirements placed upon them when the school year does start. Not to mention the fact that they are putting their own health and safety at risk in order to be in the classroom for your kids.
Show appreciation for your child’s teachers
There’s a lot you can do to help support your teachers as schools reopen. First and foremost, show appreciation and understanding for your child’s teachers, and empathize with the uncertain situation they’re in. Be patient and kind, and thank them for coming back into the classrooms for your kids.
Ask your child’s teacher what you can do to support them, work with your school’s parent organization to see what is needed, what is being done, and how you can contribute. Here are some other ways you can support your teacher.
Now more than ever, teachers are in need of school supplies
This is so basic and something that is needed every year, but this year more than ever! Your teachers need school supplies. Why? Because the CDC is recommending that kids don’t share items. This means your teachers need a lot of supplies for every student. In fact, make a pack of supplies for your own child and offer to make a pack for other students. Your teacher will soon, if they don’t already, have a supply list for you to make sure that not only your child is prepared, but all students have what is necessary to learn.
Common school supplies needed for most classrooms:
- #2 Pencils
- Pens
- Crayons
- Glue
- Notebooks
- Loose-leaf paper
- Erasers
- Two-pocket folders
- Construction paper
Check with your teacher for the exact list your classroom requires.
Help keep kids and classrooms safe by donating cleaning supplies
If there is one word even the smallest of kids has learned to spell over the past six months, it’s COVID. And COVID will still be a presenting issue when school goes back in session. This means your teacher will be fighting a constant battle to clean and disinfect the classroom and keep kids’ hygiene in top shape. Go beyond buying a couple of boxes of tissue paper and calling it a day. Arm your teacher with what they need to keep the kids and themselves safe.
Nevada mom Jennifer Pruit tells us that she is stocking up for the start of school and the rest of the year. “With social distancing, there may be even less storage space in classrooms,” she told Mom.com. “I’m buying supplies while they are in stock and on sale and keeping them at home so I can help replenish the teacher’s supply during the school year.”
Help teachers with a COVID-fighting supply of stuff:
- Disinfecting wipes
- Hand sanitizer
- Extra face masks
- Disinfecting soap
- Wet Ones
- Paper towels
- Multipurpose spray
- Tissues
- Swiffer mop (or refills)
- Magic Eraser
- Protective gloves
Don’t just rely on what the teacher’s list says she needs. Coordinate with the classroom parent to make sure the teacher doesn’t get 10 Swiffers but instead gets one Swiffer and 10 refill packages. Remember, when your teacher doesn’t feel she needs to ration her cleaning supplies, she will be more likely to liberally clean and have students use sanitizer and wet ones. This is our best defense against COVID when schools reopen.
Prepare your kids for wearing masks and social distancing
One of the biggest things you can do to support your teacher is to practice little things at home that will help your kids follow the rules at school. Remember that most of us don’t wear masks in the house or social distance at home. Washing hands may be a priority over hand sanitizer. There won’t be options in the classroom so practice with your children.
Body language expert, Alison Henderson said parents modeling behavior can help kids get used to wearing masks and functioning while wearing them. “I think parents need to wear masks with their kids at home to help normalize the masks,” she told Mom.com. “I am very concerned about the social-emotional learning aspect of everyone in masks and not being able to read facial expressions. Kids need to learn to speak more clearly and loudly in a mask and to gesture more. They will also need to become used to reading the body language clues from their teacher since they won’t be able to read expressions.”
As Alison explained, it isn’t just about wearing the mask the whole day, it’s about learning to be an effective communicator while wearing one and learning from a teacher who must also wear one. The more you can practice this, the easier you will make it for your teacher to effectively teach your child.
You can also help teachers by explaining social distancing to your children, and teaching them ways to stay safe when around their classmates. KinderCare.com suggests starting off by having a discussion about germs and how they are passed from one person to another, and then using a measuring tape or yardstick to show them what a distance of six feet looks like.
Remember that teachers are learning how to teach in this COVID situation too. It might just be nice to get them a nice teacher’s gift like a coffee gift card. It’s going to be the little things that help everyone get through the first months of the new school year under new learning conditions.
