Gulf Coast Family

At the turn of the 20th century it was common for families to invite their children's teachers over for an afternoon tea. With the start of the new school year quickly approaching, you might want to consider this forgotten tradition and invite your child's teacher over to your home for tea, lunch or dinner. While teachers are quite busy these days, they welcome the opportunity to get to know the students and their families, and in many cases they will be thrilled to join you.

Today's tea party with the teacher, does not have to be a formal event; however if you have a young girl, a traditional tea party with all things proper will be something that both she and her teacher will remember for a long time. Remember that inviting your child's teacher over for tea, is just another way of saying, "come and let's get to know each other a little better."

As you and your child prepare for your tea party with the teacher, here are a few tips that might help.

Prepare the food ahead of time. Afternoon tea, by definition, is a light meal, so tea with tiny sandwiches and some mouth-watering sweets are perfect for this type of event.

Prepare the table. For a formal tea party, each guest needs a place-setting. Your children will love setting the table and making place cards.

Serve the food. Children love the opportunity to serve their teachers and a tea party is the perfect occasion for them to do so. However, if you are serving hot tea, the last thing you want is for your child to accidentally scald the teacher. With this in mind, it may be best for the parents to serve the tea and have the children serve the food.

Relax and enjoy your time with your child's teacher. This is not just an opportunity for your child to get to know the teacher better, but it is also an opportunity for you to let the teacher know you are there to support him or her.