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The teacher may need to know about this:
1. Sleepless: whatever the reason for a child not getting enough sleep, it can have an impact the following day at school. Teachers need to know!
2. Missed a meal: getting children to eat first thing in the morning can be a real challenge. Going to school hungry, though, will impact the day. Do your best to give them a healthy breakfast (not all sugar – include some kind of protein.) At the times that they have not eaten, let the teacher know. Be SURE to send an extra snack, if that is the case.
4. Family Woes: financial stress, unemployment, sick family members, marital disagreements, broken down car…the list of possibilities goes on. It may not show in the child’s behavior but children certainly pick up on the vibes.
5. Loss: big changes like the death of a loved one or the family pet can have a significant impact. Moving from one house to another is another disruption, even if the move is a step up. Divorce, separation…there can be losses of many kinds.
6. Pain: headaches, bumps and bruises, allergic reactions, loose baby teeth.
7. Fear: anxiety over school itself. We’ve all heard of “test anxiety” but there are other kinds of apprehension, as well. When I was a little girl I had a bad experience in the cafeteria when I dropped a tray full of food. That did it for me. I was so fearful that I would never buy lunch again!
8. Peer Pressure: children can be very sensitive about who is nice to them, whether they feel acceptance or rejection…you know the drill. If there are some hurts there (especially if your child is very young) and they don’t seem to being going away, it may be something that should be discussed with the teacher.
I love this list! I didn’t do it this year but last year made an “All About Me” sheet for my kids with information about this kind of stuff and about them having siblings etc. It helped a lot!
PS I’m so thankful I’ve gotten to meet you online and be part of Wonderful Wednesday blog hop for over 2 years now. 🙂
I have learned a lot, Cindy, since becoming a teacher. You discover all sorts of stuff that can really help make the school day go better for everybody! …. so glad you are on our team, too! Two years? WOW! It goes fast, doesn’t it 🙂