Prep teacher - a child's perspective

Do you remember your prep teacher? To a prep child, the teacher is such a powerful image in their mind. Parents often bemoan the fact that the prep teacher seems to be first in the mind of the child before the parents!

What this means is that the teacher will have a most impressive impact on the life of the child for that first year. This is why the child needs to hear and see that their family equally values the presence of that teacher in the child's life. What I am saying here is that in order for the child to feel secure in that first year, they need the reassurance from their parents that they are in a strong and trusting relationship also with the teacher.

If at any point, you feel some discussion is necessary with the teacher regarding a matter, ensure that the child still feels reassured that everyone is on the same page. When children feel less secure they will often shut down and not talk as much about their school day if the the overall trust between school and home is not strong.

The good news is that prep teachers are chosen for the very specialised ways they handle children's emotions. Prep teachers are wonderful nurturers and passionate early educators, skilled in working closely with young families.

Starting School

There is so much to say about starting school for the very first time. Where to begin?

The earliest experiences are crucial for a positive start. Think about your own images of starting school and I am certain that how people operated around you was an important factor in feeling good about yourself. Children will look for reinforcement from parents that school is a good place to be. Talk to your child about your own experiences. Tell them how proud they make you, now that they are going to school. Ensure that the early transition experiences are happy occasions.

Celebrate as a family when they come home from school and listen well to what they tell you about their day. Put their art work etc. boldly displayed around the house and make certain that they see you in a happy and relaxed relationship with your teacher. This reassures them that school is a good extension of home and a happy place in which mum is feeling satisfied.

This is all about building early trust between home and school.

Try not to talk about the long haul of school life. Young children are only concerned about the present. I always remember a little prep boy appeared at my office in early March, school bag on his back, crying quietly and saying to me, "thank you Mrs Smith I can go home now cause I can read”.

I didn't have the heart to tell him that this was the beginning of a long journey at school over many years! I am pleased to report that this young man is a qualified engineer now and we worked through the problem.

Getting back to school after a great holiday.

Holidays are fun and take families away from routine which enables families to rest, talk more and engage in fun activities. It's all about the importance of slowing down, gathering around the family table and just being family.

Still the patterns of school return and for some children this can be unsettling. Consider having a family meeting and talk about what the school week will look like. Perhaps put a chart on the fridge outlining the plan for the next few weeks and ask your child to be part of this plan. If there will be variations to the weekly routine ensure you let the child know well in advance as they can be part of all family movements.

Chat about what will be happening at school and ask your child if they know of any major events coming up. Reestablishing friendships for children can be a big issue for some. Perhaps talk about their friends in a general way.

It's all about getting the routines slowly up and running. Enabling the child to be part of that plan and celebrating that routine as a way of life in your family for the school term is important. A good term's start sets the scene for a successful term.