What Teachers Wish Parents Knew in 2026 BY AMELIA ROESSLER
B ehind every report card, parent-teach- er conference, and late-night email is a teacher juggling far more than lesson plans. We asked educators what they wish parents knew about today’s classrooms, and their answers reveal the challenges, misconceptions, and opportunities shaping education in 2026. WHAT PARENTS SHOULD KNOW Lori Gates taught third grade at a public school for almost 25 years before she retired at the end of May this year. She said it’s the kids’ attention span that is really hard to deal with right now. Gates recommends the CDC guideline for screen time for kids. “Many students don’t look you in the eye, and their listening capa- bilities are not as they used to be. Students have difficulty focusing and it’s not just because of ADHD. It’s because many kids are on devices when not at school and are used to the constant dopamine hits,” she says. Sumeera Aggarwal, a kindergarten teacher, says she has started seeing kids who lack resilience. If a child forgets their lunch or as- signment at home, parents immediately rush to grab it and bring it to the school. Aggarwal adds that as a parent, she understands, but knows it is something parents should work on. “If you have missed an assignment, I am not going to leave my job and go home and pick up the assignment that’s sitting on the table,” she says. “You will have to deal with it. You will have to talk to your teachers, because
that is one-time learning that will teach you responsibility in the long term.”
Both Gates and Aggarwal encourage parents to become more involved in their child’s classroom, whether that is through volun- teering in the classroom or just stopping by. Aggarwal says she has an open door policy where she says parents can come in and talk about what they do or just see the classroom routine. COMMUNICATION “I always say, nobody can do this job alone, teachers or parents,” says Aggarwal. “It has to be a combined effort because this is the ac- tual learning, actual teaching life—resilience and perseverance—and we need to stop advocating for our children just because they have made the mistake and now they want you to clean the mess.” Gates says it’s always a triangle—the teacher, the student, and the family at home. Each part of the triangle needs to be on the same page or it isn’t going to work. “I know parents are bombarded with emails and texts from the schools and districts,” says Gates, “but the unwritten rule is that email communication should be responded to within 24 hours. A communication should be either ‘I got it,’‘I’m going to look into it,’ or ‘Thank you for that.’” Both Gates and Aggarwal say they send out weekly emails for parents to give them important information about the classroom. Aggarwal adds that she daily sends parents prompts and pictures through an app to not only communicate with parents and give them updates, but to give parents the oppor-
Kids need to fail and get up. Aggarwal ex- plains that kids nowadays are kept in bubble wrap, but they don’t need their problems solved for them, they need to become critical thinkers and good decision-makers. Teachers also are finding themselves spend- ing a lot of their own money on the supplies and on the things to make the lessons engag- ing for kids. Gates says people think teaching is fun, especially with summers off, but in reality, many teachers are working second jobs, especially in the summer. “If it’s a behavior issue, and you get a phone call, and you’re thinking your child never acts that way at home, the school or teacher is probably right,” says Gates. She explains that teachers don’t have time to make a phone call home or send an email home just to “pick on a child.” So when they do initiate a com- munication from school, parents should listen. Parents can try to defend their child, but Gates says they should try to take the teacher’s or the principal’s word for it, have a conversation with their child about what hap- pened, and help reinforce discipline at home. BIGGEST MISCONCEPTIONS PARENTS HAVE Aggarwal says parents need to presume positive intent. “You are worried about your own kid, they’re worried about 27 of them in their classroom.”
16 AUGUST 2026 | CINCINNATIFAMILYMAGAZINE.COM
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