What to Ask a Kindergarten Teacher at a Conference

Kindergarten is traditionally the first exposure of a child to a formal educational setting. Its purposes include introduction to socialization skills, basic math and reading skills and to prepare them for the first grade. It has been deemed so important to child development that California has passed a law, the Kindergarten Readiness Act of 2010, to ensure that all children are properly prepared for first grade. Despite the more than 50,000 book titles on Amazon, parents need to know how to interact with their child's teacher. Asking the right questions is key.

  1. Rules

    • First among the important questions, according to Terry Sardisco a 14-year veteran of the kindergarten classroom, is asking about the classroom rules. Each teacher has her own style and emphasis so you should understand her expectations and limits in order to maintain consistency with your child's behavior. Inconsistent attitudes about discipline will confuse your child. It is okay to differentiate between home and school, but the school rules must be enforced to prevent chaos.

    Rewards

    • Next on the list is the classroom reward and punishment system. Kindergarten is the place where consequences for actions are consistently applied. You will gain important insight to your child's environment by understanding how and when the teacher recognizes accomplishments and metes out punishment. Disagreements in philosophy should be discussed outside the presence of children and may have to be escalated to management.

    Visitation

    • She presents a question that most parents forget until the first day they are embarrassed: when can I visit the classroom or lunchroom? Visiting their kindergarten child is not often allowed because it tends to exacerbate the separation anxiety, particularly for the first or only child. Ask the teacher how you can get involved in the process through Parent Teacher Association, Classroom Mother or just plain volunteering.

    Moving On

    • The question that seems to elude most parents is "What are the requirements for graduation?" The California law provides for a second year of kindergarten if the child is not ready. Educators have discovered that without the foundation established at the beginning, children struggle at all levels of school. As a parent, you have the opportunity to emphasize and reinforce the concepts necessary to progress to elementary school.

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