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Secrets That Teachers Wish Every Mom Knew
- Gabrielle Fischer Posted On Mar 15, 2017
Ever wonder what your child’s teacher is really thinking? What would they say if they had an anonymous forum to speak up, speak out, and speak the truth about what’s on their minds?
Now, they do.
We reached out to educators all across the country and offered them a chance to spill their secrets. Want to know what they decided to share? Keep reading…
What happens at home, doesn’t stay at home…
“Children are listening even when you don't think that they are. It is amazing what children pick up on and often repeat. They come to school and share their parent's little secrets.”
- Carrie, preschool teacher
“Don't believe everything your child says about school and I won't believe everything they say about home.”
- Tara, 1st grade teacher
“What happens at home often becomes a topic of discussion with your child’s peers.”
- Tracy, 4th grade teacher
There are things we’re just not allowed to say…
“I wish I could talk to parents candidly about their children's difficulties. I have had parents ask me if I thought their kids were dyslexic or on the autism spectrum. I would love to be able to give my opinion. Since I am not in the position to make a diagnosis, I cannot directly answer their questions, but I will then suggest a professional who can give them the answers they are looking for. I see the frustration in the parents' faces and I know that they value my opinion.”
- Sandie, 2nd grade teacher
Yes we do like teacher gifts, but…
“Expensive gifts are really not necessary. Gift cards are always appropriate. The simple act of showing appreciation goes a long, long way.”
- Naomi, pre-school director
“Avoid anything that claims its "perfect for teachers!" Some of her favorite gifts have been handmade creations by the children, a Christmas ornament, or simply a thoughtful card from the family. If you would like to bless a teacher with a gift, consider asking what they could use for their classroom!”
- Sarah, kindergarten teacher
Respect goes both ways!
“Showing respect to teachers is one of the most important lessons a parent can teach a child. If you show respect, your child will too. It’s incredibly difficult when you tell your child they don't have to listen to teachers. Sometimes sending a thank you note or small gift is a great way to show appreciation. Teachers didn't go into it for the money, but a little thank you goes a long way.”
- Amy, retired teacher
“Our jobs are not 8-4 or the first bell to the last bell. Unlike most jobs, we cannot show up to work to do our jobs; we have to do our jobs before we get to work so that we can continue our jobs at work. A lot of planning, prep work, time, and energy go into a school day. I am not complaining because I knew this before I decided to become a teacher. I am sharing this so that you can understand when teachers are asking for help, they really need it. Even if teachers don't ask for help, we appreciate it when parents ask if and how they can help; a little cutting and tracing goes a long way!”
- Sarah, kindergarten teacher
“We truly are a team and both want what is best for your child. It is important that we are on the same page and are able to collaborate to provide the best learning experience possible.”
- Carrie, preschool teacher
Education is always changing…
“Education is not the same as when you went through school. If you don't realize it, make arrangements to visit your student's classroom. Students are more engaged and learning in completely different ways than when their parents attended.”
- Kristina, music teacher
“Parents should come together and speak to school boards about the number of tests children are taking. They are not really being educated the way we were… many schools are simply teaching to the test. Many of my kids were completely overwhelmed.”
- Lynne, retired health care teacher
“The opposite of a growth mindset is a fixed mindset. No one wants this. It's demoralizing, heartbreaking to watch, very easy to obtain, difficult to quit, and it robs kids of confidence. This is something I fight to change every day, and it's a root cause of performance anxiety in kids. Sorry for the rant.”
- Jack, 3rd Grade Teacher
Grades really aren’t the only thing that matters…
"Let your child know that it is ok to lose or fail. When that happens, there are lessons to learn. Children learn compassion and how to lose gracefully. When they fail, they have the best opportunity to learn and grow!"
- Jill, 4th grade teacher
“Emphasize effort and not performance. The work that gets put into learning something, as well as the perseverance and confidence that is built, far outweighs the letter grade given. The development and cultivation of a growth mindset is something that needs to be started early. Letter grades come and go, but good habits can last forever.”
- Jack, 3rd Grade Teacher
"I wish I didn't HAVE to give tests, or grades in general...but I do."
- Kristina, music Teacher
And a few more things…
"No…beer cans should not be allowed to be used in a recycling project for school!"
- Tracy, 4th grade teacher
"Please read with your child (or to them) every night."
- Amy, retired teacher
"I lose sleep over your child and their education. It is THAT important to me."
- Kristina, music teacher
Want to share a few secrets of your own? If you’re an educator and would like to be anonymously featured in the next Teacher Secrets post, drop us a line at blog@learningresources.com.
Proper Hand Washing Glitter Experiment for Kids!
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Let's LEAP into February 29!
The 2020 calendar gives us an extra day to par-tay! On February 29, we all will be celebrating Leap Day, an extra day at the end of month that only happens every four years.
How will you spend your extra day? With an assist from the Learning Resources’ Magnetic Learning Calendar and Froggy Feeding Fun™ Fine Motor Skills Game, we plan to LEAP into what makes this day on the calendar so unique!
What day is Leap Day?
In 2020, Leap Day falls on Saturday, February 29. Soak up that extra 24 hours…it won’t happen again until 2024. And Leap Day only occurs in the month of February.
Why do we have Leap Day/Year?
Every four years, an extra day is added on to our calendar. Our modern calendar consists of 365 days, but the actual time it takes for the Earth to get around the sun (orbit), is just a bit longer. To make up for that time, an extra 24 hours are built into the calendar every fourth year. 
But why do we call it “leap” year?
The typical year is 365 days, referred to as common years. There are fixed dates for every holiday. For instance, New Year’s Day in 2020 was on a Wednesday. After February 29, 2020, has come and gone, an extra day will be added, making New Year’s Day “jump” one day ahead to a Friday. What a leap! 
Let’s celebrate first by looking at our calendar. The Learning Resources’ Magnetic Learning Calendar gives us a great visual. This year, February starts on a Saturday. 
This calendar serves as a helpful tool for learning about days and months, and is an easy way to include kids on the schedule for the family. Chances are good they have a classroom calendar, so with their own chart at home, they can be the “calendar helper” every day. It is magnetic, has a wipe-down surface, and even features a way to discuss the daily weather!
Next, discuss things that can leap. Kids can leap, and we just learned that days can leap. What about frogs? Yes, frog can leap! In fact, we can’t think of a creature that doesn’t love to LEAP more than frogs! 
But before they do all that leaping, a frog has got to eat. The Froggy Feeding Fun™ Activity Set is an award-winning game that has lots of options to play. It comes with two adorable frog and lots of spongy flies. 
From a sensory standpoint, this activity has lots. The feel of the flies with their soft yet formed shapes make them easy to grasp. They create lots of color in a play space. The first skill to try is opening the frog’s mouth by squeezing the corners.
Once your child gets it down, they might not stop feeding the frog! How many can it fit in its mouth? 
This game focuses on strengthen fine motor skills, but also reinforces math skills. A roll of the two soft dice reveals the color and number that the frog can pick up. Number recognition, color recognition, and counting skills are challenged!
With the frog firmly in hand, you can also work on sorting the flies. Set up a pattern for kids to match. 
Rainbow order is always popular. What color comes after yellow? 
Because there are two frogs, lots can play this game. Let’s try picking up more flies!
Squeezing the frog’s mouth open again and again will improve muscle grip for handwriting down the road. These frogs sure ate a lot. Time to leap back to the pond for a nap. 
What great fun you are, Leap Day! See you again in four years! 
Save it for later!
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Scissor Skills for Tiny Tots!
Grasp/Release:
Activities that promote opening and closing of the hands and fingers such as using tongs, tweezers, clips, squeezing, etc.Two-handed Coordination:
Activities that promote the use of both hands together such as tearing paper and peeling and sticking stickers.Hand and Finger Strengthening:
Dough, putty, tweezers, tongs, spray bottles, stress ball squeezes, etc.Visual Skills:
Activities that promote active and intentional use of the visual system such as eye-spy, hidden pictures, following targets with eyes (rolling a ball and following eyes, marble tower, etc)
25-26 months
We like to see kiddos snipping with scissors in one place37-38 months
Cut a piece of paper in half41-42 months
Cut out a 5” line within ½” of the target49-50 months
Cut a 3” circle within ¼” of the target for 3/4th of the circle53-54 months
Cut out a 3” square within ¼” of the line
While development isn’t always linear, we often see a general progression as outlined and the underlying skills are very important in achieving these skills.
- Start with “snipping”. practicing small snips will help promote practice, as well as success! We want our kiddo’s to feel like they are successfully cutting and expecting them to open/close and move forward can be tricky at first.
- Using a more restrictive paper such as cardstock or thicker paper can help with control (much easier to hold the paper steady than flimsy paper or thin material). You can also steady the paper for them to reduce the amount of work and coordination.
- Along with restrictive paper, you can also use restrictive materials such as dough, putty, straws, paper plates, index cards, etc.
- Teaching “thumbs up” when holding the scissors by placing a small sticker or Washi tape to remind them which side is up – tell them to make sure they can see their sticker.
- When teaching the forward motion aspect, make it fun! Pretend like the scissors are alligators, trains, cars, etc and have them cut across a path or road.
Trace Ace Scissors has been a great addition to my therapy toolbox. With my little preschool students, we had fun learning to use a stencil. Mini crayons help reinforce proper pencil grasp as they color, stencils help incorporate the use of the two hands together, and we used cardstock paper so that it would provide more resistance and help stabilize the paper as they cut with the spring loaded scissors.
Save it for later!
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