preschool teacher is comming to my house!!

[mlraabe]

The preschool where I teach is our school distrcit preschool not for special needs but free for anyone who lives within the school district. We have been recognized as an outstanding early childhood program within our state and the country. We feel that children need the strong family and school support in order to succeed in school thus the home visits. Now that I have been doing it, I would not want it any other way. I love getting to know my families and working with them in both the school and home environment.

 

[snowy76]

I worked at a charter school (K-8) and we did home visits on occasion. Mostly for the youngest kids so that they would get to know the teacher.

Not applicable here with the OP... but for those who wonder why they might be done at all... we also found them useful at times for the older kids when we had trouble establishing contact with the parents. This was a school in a very poor urban neighborhood with a lot of parents whose own school experiences were rather negative - thus they didn't come to parent/teacher conferences or return calls. It's hard to ignore someone face to face. Sometimes their phone had been disconnected and we had no way to get a hold of them. Other times the parents were out of the loop out of necessity because of work schedules, other young kids at home w/o daycare etc. - they couldn't get to the school even if they wanted to.

Once you have a parent engaged in what their child is doing in school, you have a great ally in getting that child educated. Some schools are lucky that their parents are automatically interested and involved, other schools struggle, so they have to get creative.

Anyone see "The Ron Clark Story"? It was on TNT again this week. True story - and there are some great scenes of the shocked parents when this teacher showed up at their houses to introduce himself and ask how he could help them. His students knew he cared!

 

[marcyinPA]

I am a preschool teacher, and although our preschool does not do this, some teachers in our school district do. I remember the kindergarten teacher leaving a note on our door that she was sorry that she missed us. She had left a package for my son with a coloring book and crayons, and some developmental info for us, and recommended reading for k'ers.

I actually think it's a very nice idea. The teacher is not coming to inspect you or your family or your home. They are coming to get to know your child in the place your child is most comfortable- at home.

 

[amykathleen2005]

Have never heard of such a thing and don't like the idea at all, myself. JMHO

I wouldn't have a problem inviting a teacher to my home, of my own accord, but for them to assume a "home visit" is welcome is just weird and rather presumptuous. There's no reason for a teacher to see a student on their "home turf", in fact, it makes a lot more sense for the child to go to the school and become familiar with the teacher in the classroom environment.

The more I think about it, the weirder it seems that a school/teacher would feel it's proper to assert themselves that way.

As many others have posted there is a method to the madness and not simply an invitation to be nosy:

It allows the teacher to meet the parents (possibly some who were unable to get out of the house to meet the teacher) in their home making them more comfortable and not intimidated by the "teacher's classroom".

It allows busy parents to set up a time so that they will not have to rearrange their daily schedule to go to the school if this is not possible.

It allows the teacher to get a real picture of the home environment of the child and make as many accomodations as possible to make them feel more comfortable in the classroom later.

It is a good introduction to someone new without being overwhelming on the first day of class.

It allows the teacher to see how the child will act when they are feeling the most comfortable at home.

It allows the teacher to meet the child one on one and spend some time assessing their skills and interests without having to worry about the other children in the classroom.

 

[MSSANDRA]

Back to OP. if after all the information posted, you are still uncomfortable with a visit, you might want to look closer at the program to see if you are confortable with the mission statement of the school. Chances are they are going to expect lots of parent contact and involment. As I stated earlier I find the practice a wonderful way to start a year.

 

[FredS]

As many others have posted there is a method to the madness and not simply an invitation to be nosy:

It allows the teacher to meet the parents (possibly some who were unable to get out of the house to meet the teacher) in their home making them more comfortable and not intimidated by the "teacher's classroom".

It allows busy parents to set up a time so that they will not have to rearrange their daily schedule to go to the school if this is not possible.

It allows the teacher to get a real picture of the home environment of the child and make as many accomodations as possible to make them feel more comfortable in the classroom later.

It is a good introduction to someone new without being overwhelming on the first day of class.

It allows the teacher to see how the child will act when they are feeling the most comfortable at home.

It allows the teacher to meet the child one on one and spend some time assessing their skills and interests without having to worry about the other children in the classroom.

Exactly, plus more reasons! It hit me as sad that some parents would be more concerned about the way their house looks than the time and effort a teacher is putting forth to do something to help your child. I haven't heard of a child yet who was not thrilled at the visit, and it helps both sides get to know each other better, which is win/win.

While I am sure that there are wonderful programs who don't do home visits, the better ones in our area do. It is time consuming for the teachers, but they seem willing to go this extra mile for their kids and their program. It seems insulting that someone would feel threatened, thinking that they are doing this just to get a gander at your dust bunnies.