Letter to teacher - Yay or Nay?

[MommaTrish]

I have this typed up to send to Ryan's teacher because generally John takes Ryan to meet his teacher and I take Zach (boys' choice) and I don't want to just drop a Ryan bomb on her.
But then after I typed it all up I thought maybe I shouldn't send it as it might make her dread having him instead of being prepared.

Here's the letter, do you think I should send it, or not?

Hi! I’m the mother of Ryan who will be in your class this year. I know the first day can be hectic meeting parents and students and having papers filled out and all that other fun stuff, so I thought it best to just email you about Ryan before the year starts.

Ryan loves going to school. He’s very sociable and he loves learning. He’s very bright and loving, and is seriously one of the funniest and sweetest kids to have.

Ryan also has pretty severe ADHD. He is on medicine for it. He does not have an IEP since when his medicine is working he’s pretty much an A student, and does not have any learning disabilities. We try to make sure he has his medicine every morning, but there are some mornings where it does get forgotten, generally if I realize it I will bring it up to the school. As he will be with you a good chunk of the day while his medicine is in effect I rely on hearing from you if you notice any changes or if it doesn’t seem to be working as effectively. Even with his medicine Ryan can still be a bit much; he takes a little getting used to and he will probably try to test what he can get away with in your class. But I promise that generally passes quickly.

Behaviors to look for if his medicine seems not to be working:
talking, lots and lot and lots of talking
he’ll ask over and over to go to the bathroom, or get a drink of water, or to get some supply or another, or anything else that will let him get up out of his seat and moving
randomly sitting on the floor next to his chair, or standing next to it while working
touching everyone and everything
bouncing
not doing his work or paying attention, even to things like movies
There are other little things too, but I’m sure you’ve had plenty of experience with students dealing with ADHD. Those were just the things his last teacher noticed the last time his medicine needed changing.

Also, as part of his ADHD he has problems with chewing things. He almost never realizes that he is doing it, and it happens while on and off his medicine. This past April he actually had to go in to the ER for chewing a battery getting battery acid on his tongue. We are looking into getting him a necklace that he can chew on, but it’s still something you’ll need to keep an eye out for since like I said, he doesn’t generally realize he is doing it.

He’s an active and outgoing child. He likes animals, dinosaurs, legos, superheroes, lego superheroes. He plays soccer and goes with his uncle to rugby games and practices. He also does Cub Scouts and really enjoys it.

I’m looking forward to getting to know you as the school year starts and progresses, and Ryan is really looking forward to his first day and meeting you.

 

[MissKim]

I wouldn't do it via letter. I would either figure out how you can take both boys or call the teacher, explain that you have two children and can't be two places in one time but you would like to speak to her and ask if she could meet you for a few moments after or before school. I'm a sped teacher so I'd look at that letter and go "eh" and figure it's not going to be as bad as mom thinks it could be. A regular ed teacher, though, could very easily freak out and it could have an effect on how she treats your child the rest of the year. These things are better said in person where you can convey your own attitude and feelings about it.

 

[jacinda]

I think that's a really well written letter Trish. If you absolutely can't make it on the day, then yes, I'd send the letter with hubby, but honestly, I'd try to meet face to face with the teacher myself. (And still leave the letter with her as a reference she can look on when she needs to be reminded of what signs to look out for.) I'd definitely try to arrange an earlier meeting with her, either the week or day before.

 

[julifish]

Trish - I agree - call the school and see if you can meet the teacher before school starts. Better to talk face to face. My daughter has ADD - similar issues when we forget her medication. We do have an individual education plan in place because even though she's a straight A student on medication she still needs some accomdations like sitting in the front so she can focus on what the teacher is saying and so the teacher can keep an eye on her. She also gets extra testing time for standardized test in case she's having a day where she "drifts off" and needs the time.

I've never gone as far as letting the teacher know what to watch for on a day we forget meds. The teacher will know when my kids is on or off. I just periodically ask how things are going. I would warn her about the chewing but I'd totally leave out the battery incident - that would freak me out and I'd be biased.

Good luck!

 

[Darcy Baldwin]

It would be something I would think better done in person, as well, or a phone call, to make an actual connection. You can follow up with an email to confirm what had been said so everyone know's what the expectations are at that point, but as a teacher, I'd want to be able to talk to you more personally. I'd actually consider switching who took the boys just for that reason. Maybe switch who gets to go to Family night with each of them.

 

[MommaTrish]

Hmm, maybe I'll just tell the boys I want a turn at taking Ryan this year. I'll just print it off and take it as a guide for me and to give her a copy.

And Kim your input in particular is one I was hoping for!

 

[lovely1m]

My first thought, was no don't send a letter it will set her up to judge Ryan before she meets him, but this letter was well written and wouldn't scare me off. I would try talking to her first, but this is ok to me.

 

[scrap2day]

Sent you a PM.

 

[Sherri Tierney]

I think it is very well written and explains things matter-of-fact enough that it shouldn't make a teacher judge him prematurely. The teachers I work with would be happy to have this information before the year started. So many times parents aren't upfront with things and our teachers will find out several months into school, when an issue arises that a child is on meds or needs special accommodations (like chewing gum for a child who tends to chew... we had a 3rd grader who, once it was brought to light that he does have a need to chew, was given gum in class and it improved his behavior and concentration tremendously). Like others said, it is always best to talk to the teacher in person, but if you really can't then I think your letter was written in such a way that his positive qualities outshines the negative and just lets the teacher know what to watch out for.

 

[AmaG]

As a teacher, I like to get this kind of background information. I think you should email it . The first week is so hectic, I would feel a bit too crazed to have a full blown meeting with a parent. (We have parents night two weeks in for meetings but I am also at a high school so it's a bit different). I would suggest at the end of the email that you would like to meet with the teacher soon, though. Also, I wouldn't send the email until a a few days into the year. Letting the teacher get some impression of him before the email saves it from possibly clouding his or her first impression of your child. Just my two cents.

 

[k23m]

I have no real advice, but just wanted to say YAY for your being a well-prepared and pro-active mom! I hope he has a great teacher and has a great year at school!