Remind Them We Are Nervous Too

In the next few days, your child is going to vacillate between two extremes of emotions - from excited to tenuous.  They will start thinking about the upcoming year and having questions. What will my teacher be like? Will she like me? Who will be in my class? Will they like me?

They will use prior experiences to already predict how their year will be.

Guess what? We don't outgrow those emotions and questions surrounding the first day of school. Teachers (ok I) have those same feelings and thoughts.

Tell them this for me:

Your teacher will absolutely love you. He/She will try and get to know you, challenge you, help you, appreciate you, and won't give up on you. He/She will cry with you when you make yourself vulnerable, wipe your tears, and bear through the tough times. He/She will laugh with you, cheer for your every effort, and brag on your every success. Your teacher will treat you with kindness, compassion, and respect. He/She knows you are coming into a new situation and will try and make you comfortable. Don't take boundaries as a way to keep you from doing things, but rather, a way to steer your energies in a positive direction. He/She will make mistakes from time to time, but be gentle -- it may be hard for them to admit they are wrong. He/She will never stop trying to help you become a better person...and remember that you, as part of their lives, are making them a better person too.

Remind them teachers are people too...