What to do When You Don’t Like Your Child’s Teacher

It’s bound to happen at least once during your child’s school career. Simply looking back at the list of teachers I had iit became clear that this is something I should prepare myself for. BusyMomsOnline.com has put together a list of suggestions for coping with or getting rid of a dead-beat teacher. Follow these tips to try and mediate the situation between the teacher and your child before turning to the last resort of removing your child from the situation.

* Be positive. Don’t belittle your child’s teacher in front of your child. No matter how you feel about the teacher, only speak positively about them.
* Meet with the teacher often. If you have concerns, go directly to the teacher. Stay focused on your child and their relationship with their teacher while you’re talking. This will help you avoid accusing the teacher of doing wrong and help them maintain a good relationship with your child.
* Remember they want whats best for your child just like you do. They do have a vested interest in your child’s educational success, even if you don’t care for them.
* Do you dislike your child’s teacher because of personal experience or because of something you’ve heard? Listen to what others have to say about the teacher to a certain degree. If you haven’t had the same situation that has caused their concerns, give the teacher the benefit of the doubt. There may be a personality conflict or the situation may have been blown totally out of proportion.

Refresh your School Routine

With Spring Break just around the corner, it’s the perfect time to take stock of those school routines which may have become just a little sloppy. The Moms’ Buzz has 6 tips to getting your household back on track.

Create Calendar & File Central — Set up an area with a large calendar so everyone in your family can see everyone else’s plans for that month. For added organization, color-code each family member and keep colored markers nearby so everyone can easily mark plans. Nearby, set up file bins marked “To be Signed,” “From School,” and “To School,” so your child can deposit papers you need to see in a regular place right after school and pick up things to go “To School” each morning.

How To Form A Mommy Co-op

Imagine how wonderful it would be if a group of trustworthy Mommies got together and decided to help each other. One could watch the others’ kids while the rest did some shopping. They would return the favor by picking up her groceries while they were out. Or they could come up with a carpool schedule so everyone wouldn’t have to drive to school every single day. Sound good to you? Here’s how to set up a Mommy co-op:

1. Bounce the idea off of some of your closest friends or neighbors. Have those interested commit to the co-op and set up an e-mail account or group chat room to communicate with each other.

2. Come up with a list of chores or favors you’d like your co-op to help each other with. Choose a leader and use a voting system to make decisions.

3. Have a common calendar with everyone’s availability each month. Have each person express how they would like to contribute to the group. (Example: I’ll take the kids to school every day if someone runs errands for me, etc.)

4. Try to have a monthly meeting to make sure everyone is getting what she wants out of the co-op. Adjust accordingly.

5. Keep the co-op rather small so it can be managed successfully. Consider charging a small monthly due to cover gas expenses for Moms who contribute car-related favors.

No need to go it alone…let a Mommy co-op make your life easier!

The New Mom at School

Teri Cettina with Parenting.com takes a good look at issues an outsider faces when taking her kid to a new school.  Answering questions about all the other mom’s knowing each other to being intimidated by the new teacher, Teri does a great job of walking through this process.  Check out her q&a here…