LONG ISLAND _ With a new school year kicking off, teachers share 10 things they wish parents knew as the journey begins. Here's how teachers completed the prompt: "I wish parents knew...."
_ How critical it is for kids to arrive at school on time. Teachers plan the school day to "entice, captivate, intrigue and motivate students," says Linda Grace, a kindergarten teacher at Centre Avenue Elementary School in East Rockaway. She likens the classroom to the stage. "When the bell rings, my Broadway show begins," she says. Imagine the lights suddenly come on five minutes into the performance. "Wait! We have a new audience member. We have to catch that audience member up on what's happened so far," she says. "I feel bad for the child. We're settled, and we've started our day, and the kid walks in with their backpack and everyone is staring at them. It's a lot of negative attention when they walk in."
_ That test grades may not be the best measure of success. "I wish parents would de-emphasize the identification of success with test grades. To put that on a 12- or 13-year-old leads to anxiety," says Christopher Regini, a seventh-grade science teacher at West Hollow Middle School in Melville. Instead, parents ought to give just as much weight to soft skills their child is learning, such as cooperation, collaboration and empathy, Regini says. Did they learn anything in class? Are they excited about learning? "Not just, 'Hey, what did you get on your science quiz?" Regini says.
