To Families:

It's almost fall and it is my favourite time of the year. School will start soon and although my children are now adults I still remember the relief, the excitement and the nervousness I felt when summer was coming to an end. Relieved because quite frankly, I was looking forward to having help filling my children's insatiable need to test the world. Excited to buy new clothes and school supplies and I was nervous worrying about who the classroom teacher would be. Trusting a stranger to care for my children was not easy.

My children are now adults and I can reflect on their time at school. There have been a lot of bumps over the years. When I went to school we did not use calculators and had lots of mental drills so I often butted heads with my kids (and the teacher) when it came to solving math problems and I did not want to admit that sometimes I didn't know what to do. I now know it doesn't have to be such a challenge. Really, you don't have to go through the whole year frustrated.

It may seem ridiculously obvious but when I simply talked to the classroom teacher and started the conversation early in the school year it gave us a chance to get to know each other's strengths and weaknesses. As I look back, the interesting thing was each other's perceptions of what they might be. While I thought volunteering at school all the time was helpful others might have seen it as interference. Likewise, if I was frustrated with untimely notes home, others might have been trying to teach my children how to be responsible for communicating effectively. Regardless, knowing how best to connect to clarify any issues was a bonus.

I have heard it said that when parents and teachers are on the same page children do better in school. It is true. If the teacher let me know when my kids were struggling I could get advice on how to help. I know the teacher appreciated it when I did the same. I am sure that you will agree that the classroom teacher may be an expert in schoolwork but you are an expert in your child.

I have just become a grandmother and I can only imagine what school will be like for my granddaughter. I didn't have the challenges that you have in raising children in a global society but in some ways you have it better. The latest technologies are giving you a window into the classroom that was not possible for me. I wish I had had a smartphone to keep track of messages, due dates and events, or the chance to attend school meetings virtually. Watching a teacher on YouTube explaining how to do an assignment makes so much sense to me and I could have used that support for helping understand how the teacher was teaching math to my child.

Please take advantage of all of these tools. Be mindful of each other's limitations. Share your expertise. Develop a partnership. Together you can make a difference in the life of your child.

Affectionately,

Lorna