For many parents, back-to-school season starts in August. But Frederick County teachers start preparing for the next school year almost as soon as school is out for the summer.
And this is doubly true for teachers whose children are students themselves—they have to pull double duty, preparing for both their incoming class and their own kids.
Casey Jeffers, a mother who teaches first grade at Frederick’s Butterfly Ridge Elementary School and runs a blog called Fair Winds Teaching, says back-to-school prep is a balancing act of sorts, as this year she has to take care of a summer job and classroom prep while making sure her daughter has proper care—and prepare for a new baby.
“Most teachers take on some sort of summer job, so today, I was at the high school all morning working on summer curriculum writing, which is me writing resources for science curricula,” she explained when reached back in June. “I’m actually creating resources for all of the first grade teachers in the county to use during their science blocks.”
Ashly Figgatt, an inclusive Pre-K teacher and mother to a son with special needs in the Frederick County Public Schools system, gives herself a week to relax and decompress before starting to prepare for the new school year, but she has to allow enough time to study students’ Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and familiarize herself with their specific needs and accommodations before classes actually start.
“It takes a long time, because it can be over 30 pages per student, but it’s important to read them in their entirety and know what I’m responsible for providing for that student in the classroom,” she says.
The actual process of teachers preparing for the beginning of the school year can be variable, as things are always changing at schools. Teachers might have to move classrooms, teach a different grade or use an all-new curriculum.
But both Jeffers and Figgatt say teacher prep has helped inform their back-to-school process at home. Here are a few of their suggestions for parents who want to prepare their children for school while making things easier on each child’s teachers:
Label Your Child’s Belongings.
“It’s not totally necessary for your child to come in with sparkly, fun folders … the important thing is to label their school supplies,” Jeffers says. “There’s nothing worse than when five or six first graders come in with the same Minecraft water bottle.”
Labeling belongings also helps prevent the spread of germs caused by children mixing up their school supplies with each other. If new students have not been around other children very often, they can be hit especially hard by common sicknesses.
Start Back-to-School Shopping as Early as You Can.
“It makes it less stressful when you don’t have to pick through what everyone else has already picked through during their own shopping,” Figgatt says.
Keep Things Up-to-Date.
When returning to school, Jeffers notes, parents should make sure that their emergency contact information is up to date. They should also be turning forms in on time so teachers can update them on classroom developments, field trips and more.
“There are a lot of times when I’ll have a phone number [for a parent], and I’ll call it to tell
them about something, but it’ll be out of service,” she adds. “Make sure you have that up-to-date information in case I need to get a hold of you.”
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Check Donation Sections on School Supply Lists.
Due to budget cuts or lack of funding, teachers often have to pay for school supplies or classroom resources out of their own pockets. Some teachers will include a list of items to be donated to the classroom on their school supply lists, and these can help out not only your child but their classmates and teacher as well.
“I always buy everything in the donation section, even if it’s not required,” Figgatt says. “I know what it’s like to not get any donations and have to pay out of my own pocket for things.”
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