On this second day of the US Teacher Appreciation Week, I have another suggestion: Let your children’s teachers know that you know that they are real people. Inquire about their lives. They likely live in the same geophysical area you do (“Did that big hail storm hurt your fruit trees?). They have families: parents, perhaps thier own childen, perhaps siblings (“how is your mother’s hip doing?”). Send them birthday cards (and not just for you child’s teacher this year, but for previous years, too). Share your children’s successes and their growth.

This is not to say that you have to become best buddies with your children’s teachers. This is not to say that you should innundate your children’s teachers with minutiae (contrived or actual) that will require you or them lots of valuable time. This is not to say that you shouldn’t bring up real concerns. It is to encourage parents to ensure that their children’s teachers have evidence that teachers are more than just child care worker who are frequently a punching bag in news stories.

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