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The first day of school can be a mixture of excitement, fear and curiosity at any stage of life.
Children might be excited to see their friends but might not be looking forward to the homework that awaits. Parents may find saying goodbye to their kid -- even if for a few hours -- harder than they thought. And teachers want to make a great first impression and start the year on a good note.
Today, Los Angeles Unified School District kicks off its 2019-20 school year, meaning thousands of students, parents and teachers will spend the day powering through first-day jitters.
In anticipation of the start of the academic year, we reached out to teachers to find out the things they wished parents knew ahead of time, as well as their first-day-of-school horror stories.
We've compiled some of the most insightful, humorous and handy tips below:
"Dear Parents,
"If you cry or show anxiety or hover until I have to kick you out of the room on the first day of kindergarten, your child will cry or be anxious too. Please wait until you're in the car!
"Sincerely, your child's Kindergarten teacher"
"Truthfully, I wish more parents knew their power. I work in a community that has been historically disempowered, where some of our parents don't realize the power of their voices and advocacy. They have the power to hold schools and teachers accountable -- I've seen it done."
"I pronounced the name of one boy, Joel, as 'Jowll'. My Hispanic students laughed at me, as his name was pronounced 'Jo-el'. Later, I always made sure to ask students how they pronounced their names before taking attendance.
"It's a matter of respect for the students and developing relationships so they will learn in a supportive environment."
"Teachers do not have power over class size, class placement, school start time, curricula, lunch time, or lunch selection. Literally, we just work here."
"In this digital age, it would help if parents actually used all the online tools we give them to monitor their student's progress. Education is truly a team effort; parent participation is so essential to students' progress."
"Let your child carry their own stuff on the first day of school. If they are little, have them walk in on their own two feet, carrying their own backpack. Let them own their first day."
"A student was so nervous (first grade) that he threw up all over the desk within the first 20 minutes of the first day of school."
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