Sep 24, 2011

A letter from a Teacher to Divorcing Parents

Children and Divorce

Dear Divorcing Parents,

As a new school year begins, I am taking this opportunity to invite you to meet with me to discuss your child’s progress. Although children of divorcing parents are at greater risk for problems such as aggression, depression, lower self-esteem and poorer school performance, most children adjust to the divorce successfully. The adjustment process however, is stressful and does take time. It is typical for children to experience stress 1 – 2 years following the divorce.

School can play an important role in helping your child make a positive adjustment and this letter is the first step. Our approach is rather simple and begins with two-way communication. This means that parents keep teachers informed on important events in the child’s home life and teachers will keep parents informed on the child’s school activities. By keeping each other informed, we are placed in the best position to guide the child to a healthier adjustment. Both parents need to be able to provide and receive this information to be most beneficial to the child.

Specifically when there is a dual residence situation, communication is even more important that all adults caring for the child be informed. I know that sometimes this cross-communication can sometimes be awkward; however with telephone conferences and email, I’m sure we can come up with a suitable method for keeping up with your child’s school performance.

In the classroom I have reinforced discussions and activities that encourage understanding of all the different types of families in our society today. This helps your child communicate and express appropriately their feelings as well as increase self-esteem and support positive child-parent relationships.

We are here to help your child transition through this family event and to support you in guiding your child in a loving way. It begins with educating yourself on ways you make divorce easier on your child. Our library has several resources for you and I would be more than happy to recommend a few books.

Looking forward to working with you,

Sincerely,

Mrs. White
4th Grade