https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Thu, 23 Apr 2026 09:12:14 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-a-normal-amount-of-communication-in-first-grade#post-2919551 Wed, 14 Oct 2020 12:26:26 +0000 Anagram 2919551@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I’ll post my response to “how’s it going”: curious to see how other parents view these tasks, how you all handle them. </p> <p>In between the last thread and now, My kids started back to school in person. They are in K and 2nd now. They both have daily homework, and a daily reading log. Here is a summary of the parental involvement required for the kids to get to school with everything they need:</p> <p>-they need a mask and a backup mask(I individually pack 5 masks in snack-sized ziplocks, and ask the kids to put dirt ones in a ziplock).<br /> -They need their lunches packed and snacks (2 snacks for k; 1 snack for 2nd).<br /> -each day, the lunch bowls have to be unpacked, cleaned, dried, and repacked with the next days’ food.<br /> -every morning, before 7:30am, we have to log into a school app and fill out a Covid Symptoms form for each kid, and digitally sign it. They can’t go into the building if that’s not done.<br /> -both kids have a reading log where a parent has to write the book(s) read, the minutes read, and sign it.<br /> -both kids have homework. K homework is fairly simple, but takes about 10 min, 4 nights a week (M-Th). 2nd grade homework is math, reading, and language arts every night. Approx 20-30 min total. The reading does not count toward the reading log (that was specified by the teacher).<br /> -all quizzes for 2nd grader come<br /> Home and have to be signed and returned next day.<br /> -we get a note home in the folder if students’ “private supplies” (no sharing because of Covid) need a refill. Private supplies are their own bottles of hand sanitizers, hand wipes, extra water bottles (no water fountain usage anymore). </p> <p>My kids also take dance, piano, and Girl Scouts, so there are various activities related to that, namely both girls have piano practice each night for 10-15 min each.</p> <p>So it feels like a lot, from a parental perspective. And I definitely have my days where I struggle with the “2nd shift”. My husband and I both work full time. But at the same time, since I’m a middle school teacher, I know what’s coming in the next few years, and I know this 20 minutes of homework is going to change to 1-2 hours of homework. So I think of this stuff as training my husband and I, as the parents, to check on this stuff daily and keep tabs on their schoolwork and progress. And it’s training the kids in best practices—having a routine, following the routine. It would be so much easier for me to just lie and write their reading log for a whole week at once, but doing it every day as part of their homework routine teaches them how to check their folder daily, how do do each item and check it off the list, etc. </p> <p>I don’t actually know a fool-proof plan for getting kids to be successful in school as they get older, but basically, from the teacher perspective, by middle school a chasm has been created—and it is just SO CLEAR which students are on top of their daily work and which students aren’t. And I rarely see the strugglers suddenly morph into the organized kid who always turns their work in on time. It does happen sometimes! But usually with Herculean efforts from parents, who hire tutors, check homework daily, email teachers daily, etc. And I have to think a 6th grader doesn’t wake up on their 11th birthday suddenly willing and able to organize and complete 1.5 hours of homework on their own—so I tell myself that putting the building blocks (the scaffolding) in place now when they are young is part of the key. I’ve read all the homework/no homework wars stuff. Like, all of it. So I know the studies and the studies that say the opposite of the other studies, and I know there’s a big “no homework” movement. But I also have a husband from another country, and my kids have made friends with parents from other countries who now reside in the US, and overwhelmingly I hear from all of them that US schools are not rigorous enough. Even our nieces/nephews in Canada have more rigorous work (with better results when compared to the US on global tests). </p> <p>That’s my philosophical take and what’s been working for my own mindset. Do I like supervising homework, doing bedtime stories, and then coming back to their folder to write in their reading logs what we just read? No, I dislike it fairly intensely. But I do it, because I don’t think this stuff is going away. </p> <p>It may evolve...I’m only In year 3 of this public school parent thing. But I’m on year 18 of the public school teacher thing, so seeing both sides gives me the push to add these tasks to my own nighttime routine (along with my husband, of course, he partners with these tasks, too), in hopes that by the time they reach the more intense years of school, our kids will be well-prepared. </p> <p>From a parenting perspective (now I’m just musing), I take a lot of cues from my husband, whose parents really emphasized education, but managed to do it on a healthy, non toxic way. My parents were extremely, extremely hands off with my school. Probably because I’m one of 6 and they both worked and they just didn’t have the bandwidth. But if I didn’t do my homework, from grade k-12, they would not have even known, they were so uninvolved. They frequently forgot to sign field trip forms. And test grades. As a result, I didn’t ever do my homework. I missed a field trip once because I had no signed form. My grades weren’t that great as a result.(Not terrible, but As and Bs, when I could have made all As.) I didn’t study or prep at all for the SATs, and no one in my rural HS did. Lots of kids didn’t even bother taking them. My choices in college were limited because of my mediocre grades, and I’d like my own kids to have more choices. I know some parents are the opposite and veer into really toxic grade-grubbing, perfectionist territory, and I don’t think that’s the right angle either. So for now, we try to emphasize effort and doing what’s asked over final result—Hoping to make homework a regular part of our family nighttime routine. We used to let them watch shows or have screentime, and now we’ve cut it all out on week nights unless miraculously all of their stuff is done and it’s not bed time. Eliminating the screen time has given us enough time for homework, signing stuff, reading logs, piano practice, after school Activities, and free play time, and they are still in bed by 8. I guess the next few years will show if my parenting is failing miserably, haha. :grin: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-a-normal-amount-of-communication-in-first-grade#post-2919548 Wed, 14 Oct 2020 12:17:02 +0000 Anagram 2919548@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Bumping this thread: how’s it going several weeks later? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-a-normal-amount-of-communication-in-first-grade#post-2919013 Mon, 14 Sep 2020 15:40:03 +0000 Grace 2919013@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@ShootingStar: i think that’s a great idea! Part of learning to read is the comprehension aspect, so recording his thoughts totally has value. Last year, during virtual grade 1, my daughter got to respond to lots of things via video recording. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-a-normal-amount-of-communication-in-first-grade#post-2919007 Mon, 14 Sep 2020 13:50:58 +0000 ShootingStar 2919007@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Grace: It is absolutely crazy here. And we're in a new state and it's a LOT different than where we were. My 4 year old is in pre-k and we started receiving a homework folder for her and I flat out told the teacher no, we're not doing any homework.</p> <p>DH also got kind of fed up with the homework. A couple days ago he had homework again to read a story and write about it. DS started talking for about 5-10 straight minutes about all the things he wanted to say. Now, this is a kid who can only barely read and barely write and needs every letter of every word dictated and it takes half an hour to write a few sentences. DH had him go get his tablet and voice record what he wanted to say and then print it out. I was dying laughing because I'm pretty sure he completely missed the point to be practice writing. But 🤷🏻‍♀️. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-a-normal-amount-of-communication-in-first-grade#post-2918969 Fri, 11 Sep 2020 23:44:11 +0000 Grace 2918969@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@ShootingStar: lol, the pre-initialing made me laugh. In Grade 1, we got a note in my kid’s agenda every day (usually written by the kids). It was usually a reminder that it was library day or something like that. Reading (where she read) didn’t start until Oct and probably was so that families didn’t feel overwhelmed at the beginning. Homework was only 15-20 min over the weekend. Nothing on weekdays, but I’m in Canada and we don’t do crazy amounts of homework like they do in the US. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-a-normal-amount-of-communication-in-first-grade#post-2918930 Fri, 11 Sep 2020 11:00:53 +0000 ElbieKay 2918930@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@ShootingStar: "I also pre-initialed all of the entries from now through December." Haha good job! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-a-normal-amount-of-communication-in-first-grade#post-2918893 Thu, 10 Sep 2020 08:53:49 +0000 ShootingStar 2918893@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Thanks everyone for all the input. The fact is, I am overwhelmed. Having to account for homework and behavior sign off and reading in an already packed and stressful day is just a lot for me.</p> <p>I also am extremely opposed to homework at this age. As @am110613 mentioned, it's not so much homework for him as it is for us. Until he can read the instructions and follow them, homework is just something else on our full plates.</p> <p>I decided I'm going to set some boundaries. Last night DH suggested we go to the playground after dinner because the weather was beautiful. DS later told us he had homework to read for 15 minutes and then write about it. I read with him after dinner while DH cleaned up and then I wrote the teacher a note saying we read but decided to go to the playground instead of writing, and that I felt it was a better use of our time. I also pre-initialed all of the entries from now through December. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-a-normal-amount-of-communication-in-first-grade#post-2918871 Wed, 09 Sep 2020 11:35:45 +0000 ElbieKay 2918871@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would not be able to provide that amount of daily participation for first grade. In fact I would probably tell the teacher that it can't happen. I have three kids plus a full time job, and I cannot sit for 30 minutes straight and focus on my 6yo while my 2yo twins are running around. By the time the babies are asleep we are all done for the day.</p> <p>We were supposed to keep a gym log during quarantine last spring. I just stopped doing it. I don't need busywork. It was not a meaningful exercise for my Kindergartener.</p> <p>I have to be realistic about what I can take on. I am already maxed out. School cannot just pile work onto my already teetering plate and expect me to make it work. The logistics are not there to support it right now. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-a-normal-amount-of-communication-in-first-grade#post-2918833 Mon, 07 Sep 2020 19:06:33 +0000 cat620 2918833@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My son was in kindergarten last year, and I received emails from our teacher maybe twice a week with class info and announcements. We didn't have any apps to use. He did bring home a folder every day, and I was expected to initial his behavior each night. I did it while checking his folder for any homework or messages from the school. His homework was mostly reading each night, so it wasn't too intense. </p> <p>He's in 1st grade now but is doing remote learning, so the communication is much different. I get daily emails and messages through our online learning platform. Everything is done digitally. There's no behavior chart, but I'm sure the teacher would let me know if there's any problems in that area. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-a-normal-amount-of-communication-in-first-grade#post-2918832 Mon, 07 Sep 2020 18:52:34 +0000 2littlepumpkins 2918832@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@ShootingStar: I think the initials thing is overkill. I would do the homework as assigned though. I wish my kids could be in school at all right now. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-a-normal-amount-of-communication-in-first-grade#post-2918796 Fri, 04 Sep 2020 09:11:18 +0000 am110613 2918796@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>ANNEM1990 raises a really good point about not wanting to undermine respect for the teacher or give the impression your son can opt out of work he doesn’t like. I still believe continuing with mandatory nightly reading will do more harm than good—turning the experience of reading together from enjoyment and connection to stress and drudgery-not something we want our kids to associate with reading. Absolutely don’t tell your kid “this reading homework is ridiculous and we’re not doing it.” Instead something like “we and teacher x both agree that reading is really important and we’ve decided that right now in our family it works best to continue picking our own books to read at home.” If other kids find out I’m not sure what the big fallout would be-perhaps their parents also asking to be excused from this? Would that be a bad thing? Again, this is a far cry from second guessing every teacher decision inside the classroom or telling a 4th grader he doesn’t have to do math homework. Just food for thought. And absolutely bend over backwards to be kind and appreciative to the teacher—all our educators are working so hard for our kids under huge challenges right now. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-a-normal-amount-of-communication-in-first-grade#post-2918780 Thu, 03 Sep 2020 14:52:57 +0000 annem1990 2918780@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>As a former primary teacher, this seems pretty normal. It will obviously vary by teacher but none of this sounded odd. Teachers are usually (for better or worse) driven by the parents by hat want the most communication. There are some parents who want a ton of info and if that’s the case, the other parents are often treated the same way. I felt like parents were more likely to complain about less communication.</p> <p>I’d also be very careful about opting out of homework. While a teacher (and research) may not agree with it, it still may be the district’s policy. Other kids will most likely find out eventually and perhaps single your child out or think they get special treatment. Kids could internalize this in many ways (“My parents don’t want to do homework with me, I’m too smart to do homework, I’m too dumb to do homework, I don’t need to listen when the teacher talks about homework, etc.”). It can set a difficult precedent and could be confusing for the child - like if there is a cool at-home project they WANT to do. This is not to say I agree with required homework at this age, but it is a challenge when a teacher sets an expectation and the parent says the child doesn’t need to listen to that expectation. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-a-normal-amount-of-communication-in-first-grade#post-2918767 Wed, 02 Sep 2020 22:05:47 +0000 am110613 2918767@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would contact the teacher. I wouldn’t complain I would just send a message saying you appreciate how much time and effort she puts into communicating with parents, however due to family circumstances you will be unable to provide a daily check in. State that if there is a behavior problem or concern she should reach out but absent that you look forward to hearing more about your son at the teachers conference. Who knows if the teacher feels forced into this (in my mind) ridiculous system and will secretly be relieved. If your son is in a public school there is nothing they can do beside silently judge you. Also I would tell them your family is opting out if homework for your kid. There is tons of research showing it’s not beneficial at these ages and it sounds like it’s just adding stress to your family at an already stressful time. Tell the teacher that you regularly read to your son and will continue to do so. I was a huge rule follower as a student so I had to fight the urge to make my son do stuff like this. But ask yourself if any of this benefits your son, the school or the teacher in any way. Forcing our kids to do homework at these early (IMO) sets up this dynamic that parents are in going to be on top of this for you. They shouldn’t assign it until kids are old enough to take responsibility and then it should be between the kids and the teachers with parents available if the kid asks for help. Again, this teacher may think homework for 1st graders is ridiculous as well but feel pressured to give it. You can absolutely be supportive of your kiddo as a learner and be respectful of the teacher while opting out of this stuff. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-a-normal-amount-of-communication-in-first-grade#post-2918752 Wed, 02 Sep 2020 15:07:35 +0000 jhd 2918752@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I feel the communication varies greatly by teacher but the homework requirements are very very normal. We are breaking up the reading for our first grader into one story with dad mid evening and more stories with me at bedtime. I would not contact the teacher to complain, and just see how things go. Everyone is overwhelmed right now and especially a first year teacher! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-a-normal-amount-of-communication-in-first-grade#post-2918747 Wed, 02 Sep 2020 11:39:28 +0000 Becky 2918747@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I agree this is very teacher-specific, and that some parents might really like this. I’m more like you in that I don’t even like having to check their folder everyday. I think part of it is that having to check a folder is so foreign—if it was emailed to me I could quickly do it while at work or before bed. </p> <p>They have no way of tracking how much you read and that’s the sort of thing you can blow off (I wouldn’t blow off reading—just don’t worry if it’s 10 minutes one day and 30 the next).</p> <p>Having to practice spelling is hard. I make a set of flash cards in the beginning of the week and some weeks we do them at breakfast or before bed, and other weeks I don’t remember until the morning of the spelling test. So I made it my daughter’s responsibility—if she cares about doing well on the rest, she’ll practice the words if I don’t remember. </p> <p>I would also email the teacher. When we went remote I was so overwhelmed with working FT, being pregnant, and having to teach 2 kids all at home that I broke down sobbing and emailed the teacher to explain how overwhelmed I was, what our situation was, and to ask what was really required/necessary (like what if I forgot to hit submit on Google classroom since my daughter couldn’t figure that part out). Teacher was very understanding and let me know what was/wasn’t important. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-a-normal-amount-of-communication-in-first-grade#post-2918744 Wed, 02 Sep 2020 06:15:01 +0000 PinkElephant 2918744@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I like a decent amount of communication, but find the daily behavior report part very odd for a first grader, outside of a situation where a child has special needs or has a record of bad behavior and the teacher/parents are working together to correct that. In preschool my daughter had a notebook where either the teacher or parents could share a brief story or experience from home or school to serve as a conversation starter with the child, but that made more sense for two or three year olds who may have a harder time sharing that info on their own.</p> <p>However, if it’s school or classroom policy, you’re probably stuck signing the reports. I’d just do it when you remember and not stress when you don’t, particularly if your child’s behavior isn’t typically a problem. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-a-normal-amount-of-communication-in-first-grade#post-2918743 Wed, 02 Sep 2020 05:07:46 +0000 charm55 2918743@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would just reach out to the teacher and explain your situation. Tell her what you are looking for in terms of communication and what you can reasonably be expected to do with everything else that you have going on. </p> <p>I’m a K teacher and it’s a fine line to walk... some parents want ALL the commutation, while others just want the absolute necessities. This year more than ever I would want to minimize families’ anxieties - so if I had a parent reach out that they were struggling I would certainly be receptive.</p> <p>Good luck! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-a-normal-amount-of-communication-in-first-grade#post-2918742 Tue, 01 Sep 2020 23:03:41 +0000 ALV91711 2918742@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>That sounds like a lot! I’d be overwhelmed. </p> <p>DS was in grade one last year. Each night we had to initial his agenda, they had two books each week to read nightly and a list of spelling to practice for Friday’s test. We also had to sign the spelling test. On the first day of the month we got an email from the school and an email from the teacher with what was happening in the class. Maybe a couple times we got another email in the month. </p> <p>It was a perfect amount of communication and we could always email the teacher if we needed more info. They also had ongoing progress reports online for the kids. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-a-normal-amount-of-communication-in-first-grade#post-2918741 Tue, 01 Sep 2020 22:08:37 +0000 DesertDreams88 2918741@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Teachers are usually evaluated multiple times a year and one of those elements is often parent communication. Furthermore, districts evaluate schools, and one of the elements is family engagement. </p> <p>I personally err always on the side of over-communication as a teacher, but NOT in terms of requirements. I use Remind and email weekly in normal times (almost daily Remind now while virtual.) As a school policy, we have to have parents sign progress reports 1x a month, and that's the only parent requirement, but I'm middle school. </p> <p>I personally am opposed to homework at the K / 1 level, bc any homework at that age is homework for the parents. I'm not doing that and I plan to clearly inform the teacher. I also plan to pre-sign most things. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-a-normal-amount-of-communication-in-first-grade#post-2918740 Tue, 01 Sep 2020 21:15:38 +0000 Anagram 2918740@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Oh we did have a daily behavior report, and we did have to initial it. But as the year progressed, I had times where I forgot to Initial, and the teacher had times where she forgot to write the behavior. So we were even.</p> <p>It’s the beginning of the school year, half of all this will probably fall by the wayside. I wouldn’t worry too much. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-a-normal-amount-of-communication-in-first-grade#post-2918739 Tue, 01 Sep 2020 21:12:09 +0000 Anagram 2918739@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@ShootingStar: totally depends on the individual teacher. My oldest daughter’s teacher last year didn’t send much communication at all, about anything. I mean, they had homework and a folder, but we never got messages online and very, very rarely got emails. I hear most everything from my daughter, so I was fine with it, but I knew a few moms of her classmates that wanted a lot more communication. </p> <p>So there’s going to be teachers who do things you don’t like, but other parents will love it. There’s not really a general consensus on “enough” vs “too much”. Just like when we did virtual learning last spring—for us, it was just enough. But some parents on our class wanted way more and some other parents were very overwhelmed and thought it was already too much. 🤷‍♀️ </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-a-normal-amount-of-communication-in-first-grade#post-2918738 Tue, 01 Sep 2020 20:40:07 +0000 bhbee 2918738@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>It does sound on par for some teachers we have had, and I agree it may be driven by parent feedback. Maybe you can try to push it off on your son? I made that sound bad but I think it’s not a bad responsibility to train for when schoolwork gets increasingly complicated. Maybe make him a checklist on the wall and he can help make sure all gets done (like bring a pen and find a parent, help pick out reading before the week starts, whatever). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-a-normal-amount-of-communication-in-first-grade#post-2918737 Tue, 01 Sep 2020 19:46:59 +0000 winter_wonder 2918737@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@ShootingStar: DD is only 4, but my first thought when reading your post was omg, I'm not ready for that level of engagement. Yikes. </p> <p>The messaging feels overwhelming to me. Also, the circling where you forgot would irritate me! It feels a bit passive aggressive to me. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-a-normal-amount-of-communication-in-first-grade#post-2918736 Tue, 01 Sep 2020 19:25:31 +0000 meganmp 2918736@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>You might be dealing with a teacher who has heard from their admin/other parents that more communication is better. I know that I have been reprimanded by parents because I didn't communicate enough while, in the same week, being asked by other parents to communicate more. The beginning of the year is always incredibly overwhelming for everyone. I know that even though I've been teaching for 16 years, the beginning of the year always has me working until at least 10pm every night- doing it in a pandemic makes even more work. If she's new, it will be even later. I would reach out to the teacher and share your concerns- perhaps list out what she is expecting you to do every day so both you and she can see what is being asked. It might help her see things from your perspective. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-a-normal-amount-of-communication-in-first-grade#post-2918735 Tue, 01 Sep 2020 19:19:58 +0000 ShootingStar 2918735@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Corduroy: Yes, in person. </p> <p>@erinbaderin: I’m realizing I like just barely more than zero communication. If there’s a problem, please tell me. Otherwise, I do not want to be expected to sign off on daily good behavior. This mom ain’t got time or headspace for that. </p> <p>We do the reading at bedtime, which of course we’d be doing most of the time anyways. But I can see that DS is really tired by the end of it. He’s got so much going on - new school, new friends, new after care program, that his brain is just not firing as well as it would if it was earlier in the day. But as working parents we don’t have the luxury of doing it much sooner. Also, my brain is exploding from packing more into my day. </p> <p>@MrsSRS: This does seem very different than our last school/teacher, who we heard pretty much nothing from, outside of progress reports, until the class went remote. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-a-normal-amount-of-communication-in-first-grade#post-2918734 Tue, 01 Sep 2020 19:09:19 +0000 gotkimchi 2918734@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My first grader went from nothing in k to 3 times a week memory work t/th/fri, daily 10 min reading, the remind app, parents reading an assignment to the kids mon/wed and possibly other things I’m forgetting! I’m finding it extremely overwhelming. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-a-normal-amount-of-communication-in-first-grade#post-2918733 Tue, 01 Sep 2020 19:06:53 +0000 erinbaderin 2918733@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>This honestly doesn’t sound too bad to me - do you think you’re just overwhelmed with everything right now and because this is new it seems like a lot? Could you do the 15 minutes of reading at bedtime so it’s some nice calm-down bonding time together, and then it’s scheduled? Initialing the binder is a habit you’ll just need to get into, but I wouldn’t feel bad about missing it one day. </p> <p>That being said, I like a lot of communication from the teacher, so this sounds great to me. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-a-normal-amount-of-communication-in-first-grade#post-2918732 Tue, 01 Sep 2020 19:04:53 +0000 Corduroy 2918732@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@ShootingStar: Is this in person instruction? It sounds like just more than we have for in person 1st grade. We didn't have anything daily. It's a lot less than our distance learning communication which is multiple emails and check offs daily... But they are aiming to reduce it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-a-normal-amount-of-communication-in-first-grade#post-2918731 Tue, 01 Sep 2020 18:09:05 +0000 MrsSRS 2918731@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>This is normal for some schools and not for others. We had one school like this and one not. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-a-normal-amount-of-communication-in-first-grade#post-2918730 Tue, 01 Sep 2020 17:38:36 +0000 ShootingStar 2918730@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I’m curious what a normal amount of communication is in first grade. My older one just started first grade at a new school with a new (possibly first year) teacher. And I’m finding the amount that’s expected from us to be overwhelming. </p> <p>For some context, I have a job that can at times be fairly stressful and in the evenings I need down time. I spend most of my days going from meetings to meeting and then most nights I cook dinner. I also have a very needy/screamy/still potty training 4 year old that I typically have to contend with while DH does the dishes. </p> <p>So anyways, my son’s teacher has given us a huge amount of paperwork on communication, homework, behavior, etc. We receive emails from her plus she also uses an app called Remind to send us messages. We are expected to read his binder every night and initial his daily behavior. We are also expected to do his homework with him (she told us 15 minutes now and 20 minutes later this year) and we’re supposed to have him read 15 minutes every night. Every Tuesday we’re supposed to check his blue folder for school announcements. </p> <p>I feel like I’m being bombarded with messages from the school and the teacher. I also got really annoyed when I checked his behavior today and she circled where I didn’t initial yesterday. Like I’m the student that didn’t do an assignment. I’m a busy ass grown up who read it and didn’t have a pen and had to deal with a poop accident from the 4 year old and then forgot. DH told me we should just initial all of them ahead of time and I was annoyed so I did for the week 😂. </p> <p>I don’t like that there’s so many forms of communication, so many messages, and so many expectations on the parents. I have a busy stressful life and I just want him to go to school and come home, like he did last year. </p> <p>I know this was kind of a rant, but I’m also curious what’s normal for first grade and elementary school in terms of parental involvement and all the communication. </p>