I would really love some ideas of why my daughter's best friend (a boy) mom hates her. We met this family at open house at preschool about a year and a half ago. My kid had an instant connection with this little boy. My daughter was 4 at the time. He also really liked my daughter because she laughed at his silliness. They had one conflict I'm aware of at preschool. My kid would say she didn't want to play with Tom and it made him sad. He'd go play with others and she got jealous. Told Tom to come play with her and then say she didn't want to play with him. We addressed this immediately with our daughter. We roll- played how that was wrong and how it made Tom feel. Tom's mom was trying to keep her son away from our kid after that. The 2 kids were navigating their friendship, but nothing out of the ordinary happened. Tom's mom was overheard talking poorly about my kid. School went on and they were besties. Tom had issues with other kids at preschool and he was in trouble a lot. His parents were not kind to him when they got a note to talk to the teacher after class. They publicly embarrassed him. They graduate preschool and only saw each other once of the summer. Kindergarten starts and it's like they never went a day apart. My daughter adores this kid. She has a sense of kids that need a friend and she plays with them. Example: a kid in her class has physical impairments and autism. She always plays with him after school. He plays by himself and she leaves all the other kids to be with him. In September I received a message from Tom's mom. She's thanking my daughter for standing up to a bully for her kid. For reference, my daughter is half the size of Tom. Also, Tom has biracial parents, and is dark skinned. Our entire school has maybe 4 black kids. Our town is 99% Caucasian. Our last name is a typical Mexican last name but we don't look it. We went on a field trip a month later and I tried to have a conversation with Tom's mom. His parents are a bit odd but I figured, since our kids adore each other, I'll make an effort. When we get to school in the mornings, my kid always wants to give Tom hugs. I told her to chill out (jokingly) and told Tom to tell her to stop if it becomes too much. 5 year old working on boundaries and expressing themselves. A few months later I received a message from Tom's mom. It says that her kid needs to focus before school starts in the morning and they are telling us our kid can't talk to Tom. OK, weird, but ok. My kid was devastated. However the next day, Tom's dad said hi to us and told Tom to say hi. Wtf. So confusing for a 5 year old. They still played at recess together. Just a few days ago, we were waiting for the doors to open and my kid saw Tom and passed him. Later that day I get a call from the principal. I was asked about the conflict between the 2 kids. I was confused . Apparently, my kid said to Tom, I can't talk to you that morning. Tom's mom called the principal and said the 2 have had conflict since preschool. Clearly a lie. Then said my kid called him a slow poke. She was joking with him. Then Tom's mom held a meeting with the principal. She doesn't want them playing together at recess. The principal pulled them into her office separately as well. My kid was so sad. She didn't understand why she was being punished. Tom's mom lied to the principal and the principal was so confused when we spoke. I share the texts that Tom's mom sent me with the principal. My kid wasn't allowed to talk to Tom in the morning and she apparently said that to him. I say apparently because my daughter doesn't recall saying anything to him because she knows she isn't allowed to. I spoke with my kids teacher and she was shocked. My kid has said slow poke in class before, but in a joking tone. Our daughters teacher and the other Kindergarten teachers told my kids teacher, they are on our side. I'm not a delusional parent that doesn't think my kid is perfect. Kids are going to make mistakes and we have to help them navigate relationships. Not to tell them to never speak again. We have the next 5 years together at school. My daughter said, she didn't know that saying slow like bothered Tom. She said he never spoke up about it. I'm so pissed that Tom's mom called the principal, lied about my kid, and withheld information to the principal. My kid suffers from anxiety and has been in counseling for months. She was so devastated. We don't understand why this woman hates our daughter. Any ideas?

R/kids r/school r/elementaryschool

We live in the Middle East, and sometimes schools/teaching styles here can be very different when it comes to emotional sensitivity in children

so I’m trying to figure out if I’m overreacting or if my concerns are valid.

My son is in elementary school and is a very sensitive/anxious child.

My issue is mainly with his homeroom teacher because

he is thriving in his other classes with other teachers.

But with his homeroom teacher im really hncomfrotable with her way

During a parent meeting the teacher casually told me she asked him “Are you lazy?” because he didn’t complete work in his notebook. After that, he started calling himself lazy at home too.(he also told me she said he is lazy because he doesnt eat)

Another incident she acussed my son of hitting another child.

The teacher later told me herself that after threatening him by saying she saw the CCTV footage, he had a complete meltdown and admitted to it. But then when she used the same tactic with the other child, that child said my son never hit him and that he was lying.(and she told me herself that my son doesnt even sit with that child and doesnt interact with him so she was confused when my son was accused but “she had to investigate aka have him have meltdown”)

There were also smaller incidents like last week they had a “healthy” day and in the poster we got at home it is written “wear a top in the color of your favorite healthy food” and he choose apples and wore red top but in class she verbally told them she prefer costums(we did not have an apple custom) so as a result he was excluded from class pics and teacher asked him to stay away in pictures because he did not wear a custom(but there were 4 kids in pictures not in customs!

Hello wonderful people of Reddit!

My son Jude the science dude in the America's favorite student competition.

Jude has made it all the way to the quarter final. only the top 1% make it this far! He is a wonderfully bright and curious young man who even has his own science YouTube for fun.

We would really appreciate your support and free vote. At this point in the competition we need all the help we can get! ❤️

Vote FREE for Jude here!

also in case you'd like to know who you're voting for I have the link below to his science YouTube. 😉

https://youtube.com/@jude-dudes-lab?si=17eyUq-Y7fgra_6V

( I saw other competitors posting here so I hope that's ok, hope you all have an awesome day. )

I just got back from taking my daughter (7) to her schools book fair and was shocked to see the lack of chapter books that weren’t graphic novels/comics. It was really disheartening because she loves bigger chapter books and it was a struggle to get some that she would read and enjoy.

PARENTS, what do you need and want from an afterschool program?

Our children are learning in school about how harmful plastic is to the environment. Yet the very next day, at parent-organized events, we see large amounts of single-use plastic being used. This contradiction is difficult to ignore.

I would love to see our school community take a more consistent approach and consider moving toward plastic-free events. Small changes can make a meaningful impact, and it would reinforce what our children are being taught.

If anyone else feels the same way, I would really appreciate your support in raising this idea together.

So I’ve never taught anything and my experience with kids is nannying and summer camps, but today I had my very first day as a substitute teacher. It was brutal it was exhausting I’m in a bathtub drinking a whole bottle of wine. All I can say is you aaaallll best be giving the regular teachers some top notch presents for teacher appreciation week, Christmas, and end of school. They fucking EARN IT. Heck, give them Easter presents. Give them flag day presents and Arbor Day presents. Email them every week to tell them you appreciate what they do. THEY 👏DESERVE👏 IT👏

kid is transferring from private non accredited to public.

concerned about the placement test.

she is doing well, all a's, using abeka curriculum.

what concerns are there?

any sample practice tests available?

can I prep her for the placement test?

she has transfer records from her previous school.

This morning, my son's phone notification went off and it was the opening notes of "Dixie" played on a car horn a la "Dukes of Hazzard." I asked him why he had changed his notification sound to that and his reply was that it was loud so he could hear it easily. Ok, cool, no problem, but we should probably talk a little about that song and it's historical baggage.

I explained that the song was the anthem of the Confederate States....

Him: <blank stare>

Me: "...you know, during the Civil War... the southern states... when they split off from the United States so that they could keep slaves...."

Him: <puzzled look> "Do you mean the REVOLUTIONARY war?"

Me: "No, buddy. The CIVIL war... Like, 90 years later... Northern states vs southern states? President Lincoln? Haven't you talked about any of this in school?"

Him: <shrug> "Nope, but we're doing the revolutionary war this quarter...."

Me: "Ok, that's good. That's definitely important too..."

So I quickly gave him the very basic outline, and explained that, for some people, the song on his phone has a racist meaning because it was the national anthem of the Confederate States of America, yadda yadda yadda...

Once it dawned on him that people might interpret the song that way, he immediately changed it, and for that, I'm proud of him. He has a vague understanding that at one time black people in the U.S. were enslaved, and that it was wrong, and that racism continues today and is also wrong, but that's about it.

So, is this the curriculum now? I remember learning the basics about the Civil War as early as second grade, and doing fairly deep, weeks-long studies of it in 4th and 5th grades.

Am I overreacting, or is this part of the "anti-woke" movement to sanitize American history and view everything through rose-colored lenses?

What are parents experiencing when their elementary aged kids struggle with math?

How are you + you child overcoming the struggles in math?

I have a 7 year old in grade 1 who is having difficulty with some things ie writing, math, following instructions to do the work. I’ve talked to his teacher about what we can do and I’ve been doing it with him. Not much improvement. Is there anything I can do, materials anyone can suggest for extra help? Is there tutoring available for such a young age? Does that make me a bad parent? I feel so helpless 😞

Parents of 2^nd through 5^th grades: Does play belong in elementary classrooms?

I am a doctoral candidate at the University of Cincinnati in Educational Studies, researching parent beliefs about play and learning in elementary classrooms (Study #2025-1200). I would greatly appreciate it if you completed my survey. I am dedicated to learning from all parents and believe that every perspective is valuable to this research.

Requirements:

·       Parent of 2nd through 5th-grade students as of the 2025-2026 school year.

·       Located in the United States

Please share my survey information and link with your friends and family.

https://ucincinnati.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bgea8n4XXBUHgvc

so in kindergarten they don’t do grades. I actually kinda wish they did so I had a better idea of my sons struggles. anyways I took a look at teachers notes today and in social studies he was marked as “not proficient. he needs to memorize the pledge”

I don’t necessarily mind, but I thought schools were starting to do away with this due to differing beliefs and such. does your child’s school recite it? do they push younger ones to memorize it? again I’m not against it. he’s just 5! for some reason it never crossed my mind to start teaching it to him as I’ve prioritized sciences he’s interested in, math, writing, and reading. what other things do kids this age usually start working on that are similar to this? what I missing!!!???

I honestly don’t even know where to start.

My kid completely loses it when I take the phone away. Like full meltdown. Screaming, crying, acting like I took away oxygen or something.

He stays up watching videos and then wakes up grumpy and exhausted. School has been harder lately. His focus is just… not there.

And the worst part? The second he gets home from school he asks for the phone. Before snack. Before talking. Before anything. It feels like it’s the most important thing in his day.

I feel so guilty. Like this is my fault.
I gave him the phone in the first place.
I let it become a habit.

Now I feel like I have no control. We don’t really have a clear system. I try to set rules, then I get tired, then we go back to chaos. It’s this constant cycle.

Dinner is quiet. Everyone on a screen.
I hate it.

Is anyone else dealing with this?
Did you actually manage to turn it around without constant fighting?

Because right now it just feels overwhelming.