Back to School/Meet the Teacher Day

Many schools have a special time to come meet the teacher a few days before school starts.  There may be other purposes to this time, as well.  The bottom line is that it is a connection time that helps many families.  It also can be an extremely stressful experience. 

For the best experience, develop a plan before you go to this event.  Here are a few ideas.

1.Purchase all school supplies and take them at this time.  It will simplify the first day of school hopefully lowering everyone’s stress level.

2.If you have more than one child that is in the school, decide ahead of time the order of visiting classrooms.  A schedule of what the evening/day will look like will decrease confusion and arguing.

3.Be at the front doors when it opens for the event. You may beat the rush.  Stick to your schedule. 

4.Quickly meet the teacher and put your school supplies away.  Keep the visit to each classroom to about 5 minutes. Use the timer on your phone if that helps your child transition.

5.Stay on schedule moving from class to class.

Remember less is more.  The less time you take, the more positive the experience will be.  A long time gives more room for things to go awry.  A short positive experience will lessen a child’s anxiety about the first day of school.