Ever wonder what the teachers really want to say to parents on Parent Information Night? The Fifth Grade Teachers are Mariemont Elementary School near Cincinnati, Ohio, presented one of our own with this letter, telling us what they really wanted to say on their Parent Information Night. We thought it would be worth sharing as it rings true for teachers all over this country, and the world. And we hope that it gives you, as a parent, teacher, or student, some inspiration to make this school year the best that it can be!
What We Really Want to Say on Parent Information Night
By Kristy Bruck, Jill Colaw, St Miller, Jeremy Prater, and Jen Testerman
The Fifth Grade Teachers at Mariemont Elementary School in Cincinnati, Ohio
Dear Parents,
We gather tonight to discuss various aspects of your child's education - learning standards, assessments, homework, etc. All of these things are important and we definitely part of your child's school experience. But what we REALLY want to talk about, what’s REALLY important to us, is discussing with you how we will team up to make each one of these amazing humans who enters our classrooms each day become more than they realize they can be. How we are going to help them believe and become the person he/she dreams to be. And, if they are afraid to dream, then how we will work together to liberate them to dream big.
We need you to know that we love your child already. Even before he/she walked into our classrooms, we knew we would love them and everything they bring through our door each day.
We know, that you know, life is messy. Please remember this still holds true in the classroom – learning and living together seven hours a day, five days a week is a beautiful mess. We all come together with amazing gifts and dreams and fears and misunderstandings and uncertainties. All of us. Including teachers. Including you.
We can’t promise you that we will be perfect this year, and we won’t ever expect that from you or your child. But here is what we can promise you:
We promise to love your child fiercely. We promise to see your child each day. To see ALL of him’/her – not just what he or she says or does each day, but also what he/she does NOT say or do. We promise to see your child as more than a student because we are all so much more than just one role we play.
We promise to celebrate successes ANS hard-fought failures. We promise we will do everything in our power to never let them give up. We will never give up on them, therefore, we will not allow them to give up on themselves.
We promise we will not ignore or overlook bad choices made – and they will be made by all of us. But we also promise to use those choices to help them, and us, grow, empathize, and see themselves as more than the mistakes they make.
We promise to laugh with your child. We promise to have fun and remind them that we can’t always take ourselves too seriously. We promise to be silly with them. We can probably all agree that kids today are pressured to grow up too fast. We promise to let them be kids, and we promise to allow ourselves time to be kids with them.
And parents, we promise to be here for you. We promise to listen to you. We promise to celebrate with you. We promise to empathize with you, and we promise to laugh with you. We promise to receive your feedback. We promise to ask for your forgiveness when we mess up, and we promise to offer grace when you mess up.
We promise to give the best of ourselves to you and your children each and every day we are together.
We promise.
Thank you for the gifts of your children. It’s going to be the best year ever!
Sincerely,
The Fifth Grade Team