What teachers wish they could say … Imagine if teachers could say anything to parents without any consequences. Five brave teachers shared their unfiltered thoughts:
- "You should have read your kids a bedtime story." Bedtime stories are crucial for developing reading skills and empathy. “You should have read your kid bedtime stories and shouldn’t have stopped once the books had chapters," one English teacher wrote.
- "Tell your kids no." Setting boundaries at home helps kids behave better in school. "Tell your kids no. Tell them no, often," a teacher advised. "It will not traumatize them."
- "You’re the parent. You have to make the hard decisions." Teachers want to teach, not parent. As one teacher said, "You decide bedtime. You decide screen time. Children cannot make these choices yet because they are children. So many parents seem to think 'gentle parenting' means letting them make all the choices, and it just isn’t. Grown-ups have to be grown-ups and do the hard things so kids can be healthy, safe kids."
- "You are raising a future adult." "Stop babying your kids!” a teacher implored. "Teach them how to tie their shoes, say 'please and thank you,' and that they aren’t always right and/or in charge!"
- "Laziness is learned at home." Many students pick up “lazy” habits, attitudes, and mindsets. "We have exciting plans that keep us busy for 90-minute blocks [at school]," one teacher wrote. "What does 90 minutes spent at home with your child look like?"
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