Before Open House...

School Night Open House is less than a week away.  Open House is scheduled for Tuesday (August 14) from 6:00-7:15.  I am always amazed how excited elementary students are to show parents their classroom and their teacher.  Children, in the elementary school years of development, consider the new teacher to be a found prize, a pearl beyond value. 

I encourage parents to enjoy the elementary years while you can.  Your child's development will not stand still.  Adolescent development is just around the corner.  And, when adolescence takes hold, the excitement of showing you classrooms and teachers becomes more subdued.  Teenagers will show you their classrooms and their several teachers, but they do not run down the hall intoxicated by excitement and joy.  Enjoy this time, the elementary years, the journey is the prize.

I have a suggestion before Open House.  I hope you have been asking your child what two or three good things happened at school today.  By now, you have heard several good things about school and most likely about the teacher.  Here's the suggestion, send a short positive note to your child's teacher.  List a couple of the good things your child has said.  Make your note as specific as possible.  Your words will make a tremendous impact on the teacher.

Teachers have a mission to help each child.  Teachers want to know when they are making progress on their mission.  If you send a short positive note to the teacher before Open House, I guarantee you will impact the teacher.  In a world of negative news and conflict, you have the power to brighten a teacher's life.  Do it.

Your positive note is (as Dr. Covey writes) a deposit into the teacher's emotional bank account.  The more deposits (positive actions) we give to a person, the more trust and community is built between us.  Who wins when the teacher and the parent have trust, relationship, and community?  Your child does!  Send a note on Friday or Monday and see your child's teacher light-up when you meet him or her at Open House.

A side note to my teacher friends and colleagues:
You know every thing written in this blog post is true.  So, you do it too!  Make sure every student has a positive note or call from you before Open House.  If you do, the child will run even faster down the hallway to your classroom and Open House will be the best thing ever!  I promise.

Dr. Robert, Education Pirate