Making the Grade A Back-to-School Primer Classroom Secrets ...

[Pages:3]Making the Grade A Back-to-School Primer

Classroom Secrets ByKristenFinello

What Teachers Wish Parents Knew

yYou probably already know the basics of priming your child for sch ool succe ss: Rea d with he r regularly, ge t to kn ow h er te ache rs a nd tr y to b e involved in s chool activitie s. But th ere ar e plenty of oth er im por ta nt les sons that par ents can learn from those who spend e ve ry day in sc hool: the teache rs . We r oun de d up top e d uca tors from a cross the countr y--m a ny pa re nts th em se lve s-- to sh a re wisd om gleane d from their ye ars in the classr oom. Here, teachers' best insider tips:

Prete nding to teach the teacher helps kids ace essay que stions.

Ess ay an d open -e nded que stions ofte n a cc ou nt f or a la rg e par t of th e grade on school tests, and doing well on them ca n mean the difference betwe en a so-so score an d a gr ea t on e. But what exactly ar e teachers looking for when eva luating th ese questions? "Details and more details," says L ynn Living sto n, a four th-g r ad e spec ialed uc ation tea c he r a t O ld F a rmers Ro a d S c hoo l in Lo ng Valley, N ew Jersey. Her ins ider te s t-ta king tip: When answering essay or open-ended qu es tions, stud e nts s hould pr etend

they'r e "tea ching the te ache r" a bout th e subject by e xplaining the conc ept an d pr o vid ing exam ples t o ba c k it up. "Ma ny ch ildre n assum e that a detailed explanation is unne cessar y be c aus e , a s th ey s a y, `th e tea c her a lr ea dy knows t his st uff,'" points out Livings ton. "B ut the tr u th is th at to get a good grade, students do have to g o int o det ail. Th at 's t he on ly way th e y can sh ow the teac her that th ey tr uly kn ow th e m ater ial." Help your c hild prepar e to s cor e we ll on essay questions by having her give you mini lessons on conc epts like ly to b e cover ed on the test.

Watch what you say at home. Even offhand remarks about teachers or the school can affect your child's performance.

Perha ps you th ink a tea che r's assignm ents are silly or the sch ool's e xam policy is too demanding, and you may have a point. Still, res ist th e u rg e to voice these cr itic is ms to you r child , a nd m ake sur e he's out of ea rs hot if y ou s h ar e you r wor r ie s wit h yo ur s pouse or an othe r pare nt. If a ch ild th inks h is par ents hold critica l views

of school, it gives him permission not to do h is be st, s ays B etsy Wie ns, a seventh- a nd eigh th - grade tea cher at Washbur n Ru r a l M id dle S choo l in Topeka, Kansas. A better tactic for air ing you r c onc er ns , sh e s ays , is t o speak to your c hild's teacher directly. If you ar en't able to resolve the situation by meeting with the teacher, then talk to the principal.

You can talk to teachers about more than just grades.

"Th ough it m ay be tem pting to ke ep your fam ily's personal matter s stric tly pr ivat e, it's im po r ta n t t o le t y ou r child's te acher know about significa nt events such as a birth, divor ce, remarriage or a death, beca use a ch ange at home can c ause social, academic and be havior al ch an ges at s chool," says Je anine R yan, a kinde rgar ten tea che r at Tr ade winds Elem e ntary Sch ool in Coconut Creek, Florida. F or exam ple, the ar rival of a new sibling or a stepparent ca n m ake a ch ild act out to get attention. Knowing what's behind this helps the teac her to r espond m ore appropriately. And this goes for ch ildren of a ll a ges. "Talking with the teac her is a s im portant in junior high a s it is in preschool," adds Rya n.

Provide plenty of learning experiences outside of school.

"Children need visits to libraries, mus eu m s , z o o s , g a r d e n s a n d e v e n re st au ra nts ," s a ys B etsy Rog e rs, a fir s t- an d s e con d-gra d e te a ch e r at

Kristen Finello is a freelance writer based in Scotch Plains, New Jersey.

68 Family Circle 9/7/04

For more important info, tune in to "In the FAM ILY C IRCLE" on CB S TV's The Early Show the week of August 9.

Back to School Continued from page 68 Lee ds Elem entar y S ch ool in Lee d s, A lab a m a . "Th es e le ar n ing e xp e rience s inc rease a youngs ter's k nowle dge of our world, offer ear ly exposure to the ar ts, inspire creativity and bolster language deve lopme nt in conver sations." The m ore ch ildren know about the world around them, the bette r pr epared the y a re for sch ool, e xplains Rogers.

S o sc h ed ule d ay t r ips to p la c es lik e scie nce ce nte rs a nd aqu arium s tha t of fe r inter ac tive pr ogra m s fo r childr en. I s yo ur so n or da u ghte r crazy abou t anything fur r y or fea the r e d ? P e n c il in a t rip to a z oo o r wor king far m . Junior star -gazers will fin d a p lan e ta riu m t r ip ou t o f th is wor ld. To g et th e m os t f r om you r ou ting, a lwa ys end the visit b y d isc u ss ing with yo ur c h ild th e m an y th ings sh e sa w. Yo u c an even ha ve yo un g c hil dr e n d r aw a p ic tu re o r w rit e a s t o r y a b o u t w h at t h e y lear ned, sug gests Rogers. Old er k ids c an c re a te a spec ial s cr apbook d edica ted to the outing.

Excessive expectations can c ause kids to feel stressed.

High s tanda rds a re good , but som e tim es even the m ost well-inte ntion ed parents can fall into the trap of placing ex ce ss e m pha s is o n g ood gr a des . P ushing too h ard for you r youngste r to excel may not be the best strategy. In fact, focusing heavily on grades can h ave th e oppos ite effe ct. "If parents place too much importance on getting A's, then the child is not going to perform a s we ll," sa ys Jan e Webster, a thir d -g ra d e t e a ch e r a t B oo k er T. Was h in gt on E le m e nta r y Sc h ool in Clarksdale, Mississippi.

Th e Rx? Re lax a n d le an on you r child's tea che r for assistance. "If a pare nt explains that things ar e str essful at home beca use the child isn't living up to expe ctations, the tea cher can sugge s t low-pr essure wa ys to h elp th e c hild learn wh at he 's missing," says Webster. "F or e xa m ple , a t ea c he r m ay pair a ch ild with a clas sm ate or introdu ce a gam e to reinfor c e a conc ept. Th ese thing s can m ake lear ning fun a nd help students r elax." F C

70 Family Circle 9/7/04

What Parents Wish Teachers Knew!

By Hannah Storm

T he number-one thing I hear from m ost parents is that they wish teachers knew their kids better. That starts with improved communication. Why not schedule meetings before the school year begins to enable parents to fill teachers in on their child's personality, strengths and weaknesses? Moms and dads also wish teachers had more one-on-one time with kids. A conference between teacher and child would be beneficial as well.

Other pare ntal pet peeves: teachers disciplining the entire class when only a f ew misbehave, sending home busy work pr ojects (for example, having first-graders make a doll out of clothespins that reflects their cultural heritage), or not taking into account parents' work schedules when making plans for class events.

Parents don't want teachers to raise their children, but they do want a partnership that extends the length of the school year. To that effect, teachers need to be r eadily accessible and e-mail can be a great tool. Parents need a way to reach educators and truly appreciate a quick r esponse.

Your Parent Report Card

Are you as involved in your child's education as you can be? That's the question a number of school districts are posing by providing self-assessment tools for moms and dads. The Lebanon, Pennsylv ania, school district, for example, sends a parent questionnair e home once a year. "Parental involvement is a critical part of a child's school success, and self-assessment can help parents discover areas where they can im prove," says C harles A. S mith, Ph.D., professor of family studies and human services at Kansas State University in Manhattan. W hat grade would you earn? Take this quiz to find out. (Place a check by each "y es" answer.)

Scoring: Count the number of checks 16 to 18 = A: You're a val uabl e partner in your child' s education. 13 to 15 = B: You are doing many things right, but there is room for improvement. 12 and below = C: It's not too late to raise your parenting GPA, says Anthony Harduar, past principal of Central Elementary School in Ferndale, Washington, and preside nt of the National Assoc iation of Elementary School Principals. "The most valuable thing you can do is talk with your children about school and what they've learned each day. This sends the mess age that school is important to you and should be important to them also," he says. "The second-best thing you can do is read to your kids, especially at night just bef ore they go to sleep. It helps them see that reading is comforting and fun." Be sure to ask your child's teacher or school counselor for more specific ways to become involved.

--Lori Erickson

18 Questions to Ponder

Connect with School q Do you attend every par ent-teacher conference and almost all school programs? q Do you read the school's newsletter regularly? q Do you contact teachers if there is a problem and give positive feedback to teachers when things are going well?

Nurture Mind and Body q Do you help with homework if your child asks and limit outside activities if they conflict with schoolwork? q Does your child have a regular time and place to do homework each day? q Do you limit television and video games to one or, at most, two hours a day? q Do you read to your child for at least 15 minutes a day? q Does your child see you read on your own each day? q Does your child get at least nine hours of sleep a night? q Does your child get at least one hour of exercise/physical activity every day?

Be a Role Model q Do you encourage good sportsmanship at school athletic events? q Do you encourage your child to do volunteer work at least once a month? q Do you volunteer with your youngster?

Set Boundaries q Do you set fair and clear limits for your child and enforce them reasonably? q Do you work with the school to resolve discipline problems?

Show You Care q Do you take time for your child each day and listen to his or her opinions? q Do you ask questions each evening about what your child is learning in school? q Do you look for ways to enrich your child's learning (such as visiting museums and libraries with him or her, and attending cultural events together)?

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