Brighten Your Day

Teachers All Over The Country Are Sharing This 'Handle With Care' Handout

September 4, 2021

A teacher in Hutchinson, Kansas, handed out a message to the parents of her students this year and now it's being shared on social media by educators all over the country.

Created by Rachel Byler Harder

We've all had stressful mornings, evenings, and weekends. Kids definitely feel that stress and it's a good idea to communicate with the child's teacher if a student might require extra time, help, or patience.

Fourth grade teacher Rachel Harder said she doesn't need the details, she only needs to know to "handle with care."

She came up with the idea after attending a trauma conference a few years ago.

"There was a discussion how police stations across the country have started partnering with schools so that when they have encounters with families in the evenings or on weekends, the police will contact the school - either counselor or administrator - and let them know to handle a student with care since they had encounters with police beforehand," Harder told Fox News. "We loved this idea and figured there had to be a way to make this work within our own classroom community."

So, Harder offers parents the opportunity to text her with the words "handle with care" if it's been a particularly rough evening or morning.

"I don't need to know details but parents like that – they know I'm keeping an extra eye on them," Harder said. "I also usually text back and let them know how the morning is going."

If you are an educator, you can print one out here.