Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Mrs. Mama

Tomorrow I will begin teaching art classes with the school's youngest group.  My daughter is part of the Nursery class of three-year-olds at the school where I work.  For me this means that tomorrow, for the first time (formally), I will become my child's teacher.  For my daughter, this means that for the first time her Mama will become more than just Mama.  

I don't really know what to expect and I have to admit that I am a little bit nervous.  

Will she behave like my student in my classroom or like my daughter? Do I have to worry about her throwing a dramatic tantrum in the middle of my art room like she often does at home before bedtime? Will I treat her differently than the other students? What will she call me-- Mama, Mrs. Fox, Mrs. Mama???  

This is unchartered territory for me, and a topic that I know others have opinions about.  Do you think it is okay to teach your own child in a traditional school setting? 

As a homeroom teacher, I imagine that having your own child in class could lead to problems with establishing a clear teacher-student relationship, concerns of favoritism, and even behavior issues. Given the option of teaching my own child as a homeroom teacher, I'd lean toward declining (although there is a part of me as a mom that would cherish the opportunity to spend more waking hours with my child each day and to get to know her learning style more intimately). 

I think that having your own child in class as a specialist teacher is the best of both worlds.  You get to spend more time with your child & you get a unique peek into your child's school life, but you don't work with him or her all day.  Something tells me that I am going to enjoy my new role as Mrs. Mama, but I'll have to wait 'one more sleep' to find out! 
Mrs. Mama and her baby drawn by my 'favorite' student : )

1 comment:

  1. A quick update of how our first day went together in art class. My daughter arrived to my classroom being excited and timid at the same time. After a mini lesson on the carpet, students started working on their project for the day. My daughter kept calling me over to see her work. "Mama, come see!" The next afternoon she had a classmate over to our home to play. He was calling me Mrs. Fox during the playdate. My daughter started calling me Mrs. Mama and giggling each time. She can't read, and I didn't tell her about my blog post. Ironically she came up with Mrs. Mama on her own!!!

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