things I would like to tell my students’ parents (but won’t)

1. Could you please check your child’s backpack weekly, if you can’t manage daily?  Do you remember back in October when we met at your parent conference and I asked you politely to keep checking your child’s backpack?  It makes me sad when I see your child’s carefully created work getting ripped and wrecked because it’s still in his backpack.  It makes me feel frustrated when I go through your child’s backpack and find notes in there from March.  And it makes me feel like you don’t care what is happening here when you never read my reminders or newsletter or calendar, and you’ve got no clue that we have a field trip or party coming up.
2. I sent home the bus form for next year four times.  Once it was even pinned to your child’s backpack.  So please, don’t tell me you never saw it.  (But could you please send it in tomorrow, for Pete’s sake?!)
3. If your child has asthma, would you please send unexpired medication to school?  September would be a good time to do this.  It makes me sad when your child starts wheezing and there is NOTHING I can do about it because we have no meds here, even though I have reminded you several times.
4. Would you please find out what the weather is going to be before your send your preschooler to school?  You can find out on tv, online, by phone, on the radio, or in the newspaper.  It would prevent your child from coming to school in just shorts and a t-shirt on very cold days, or from coming to school with a wool coat plus hat and mittens on very warm days.
5. Before you pull your child out of school, could you please mention it to me?  We want to be able to say goodbye to your child, and it would be nice to send his journal, art work, memory book, and assessment portfolio along with him.

That is all.  Thank you.

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