This year I begin my 18th year of teaching preschool. And while much has changed in the past 18 years, as the adage goes, the more things change, the more they remain the same!
I took a year off last year to be with my own children as their school did not return to in-person learning until April. I was confident that when I returned to teaching this fall, things would be back to “normal.” Sadly, with the new Delta variant and breakthrough vaccination cases, many of the protocols and safeguards we created last year are still in place this school year. One of those safeguards was not having parents drop off their children in the classroom. Schools implemented this safeguard differently, in our school children are dropped off in front of the school office. Because of this, as teachers, we are only able to briefly communicate with parents and the parents cannot see the classroom daily. This presents a problem. How do you communicate with and stay connected to parents that you don’t get a chance to see regularly?
I have always been a teacher that enjoys communicating with parents. I like talking to parents at drop-off and pick-up. This practice allowed me to have a meaningful conversation with each parent at least once a week.
This year I will have to be more creative. Emails home will have to be more frequent, more detailed, and filled with more pictures. Instead of checking in with each parent face-to-face, individual emails will be written once a week. Even though the method of communication has to change, the reason for it has not.
As early childhood educators, we know that we are partners with parents to help their children learn and grow. We also know that the stronger the relationship between the school and the parents, the better the outcome is for the child. So, although many things may look different this year, the relationships and connections we create remain just as important.
Lynn Thedell, Teacher
Congregation Beth Israel, San Diego, CA
