Communicate with teachers

Although a retired educator (1969-2004), I have stayed connected through part-time employment at CSUF, volunteering in classrooms, guest presentations and conversations with current teachers and future teachers.

Parents and caretakers have very important roles in supporting their children. If your child demonstrates stress in some way and you can link it to the school then politely bring it to the attention of your child’s teacher. It often takes awhile for a teacher to become aware of all the things that impact a child’s well-being.

Sometimes the solution may be easy and yet sometimes a bit more complicated. Classrooms often face rigor even beyond the teacher’s control. If your child needs to take a spelling test each week and spelling is difficult, it is important that you inform the teacher and sometimes an administrator that you expect and appreciate a reduced list and that you are willing to give the modified test yourself.

Standardized testing is changing and is creating stress in many children. Please remember it is your right to opt your child out of this kind of testing.

This story was originally published August 15, 2015 at 8:29 AM with the headline "Communicate with teachers."