Category: Parent Involvement

Posted on

Kindness Matters

We had Parent-Teacher Conferences for my kids last night, and I was so excited to go. I love hearing updates from teachers, and my kids love to show me where their desk is, their cubby, and take me to see their work that is hanging in the hall. With five kids all at the same school, those nights can get pretty long, but they are worth it.

I enjoy hearing how they are doing academically; it’s fun to see beginning of year test scores compared to present scores— there is almost always improvement. It’s encouraging to see the forward leaps they make as they learn. I also really enjoy hearing how my children can improve. If there is an area (or multiple) that need attention, I like to know so that I can give my full support to my child as well as to their teacher. 

Though I do enjoy hearing about the academic progress that is being made, I love it even more when I get a report from a teacher telling me that my child is helpful, kind, friendly, and respectful to everyone, adults and kids alike. Knowing that my child is being a good human means so much to me. We try so hard at home to teach our children to be kind, to include, and to respect others. We do our best to teach them good manners and what a good friend looks like. When I send them to school each morning, I just hope that what they have been taught sticks with them, and it is so reassuring to hear that they indeed did hear us and remembered! 

I think so often parents worry about their children getting good grades, especially in upper grades. There seems to be so much pressure on kids today to be the best in their class, get the highest score on the test, or that any grade below a B is unacceptable. Obviously, parents aren’t out there wanting their kids to fail, but I think there could be more flexibility when it comes to expectations. That’s not to say for parents to just let go and stop encouraging their kids, because there is definitely value in pushing your kids to do and be their best. But when it becomes all about grades, I think we’ve missed the mark. 

I was always a good student, and my grades were usually pretty good. But I can tell you that not a single person in my adult life has cared what grade I got in my high school math class. No one has asked if I scored 100% on the AP US History test I took as a junior. It simply doesn’t matter anymore. But what does matter is that I am a kind person, who includes others, is friendly, and listens to people. 

When it comes down to it, the way we treat others says a whole lot more about who we are as people than the grades we pulled in school. Sure, good grades can indicate that someone is a hard, determined worker, and good grades can get you into a college where you can earn a degree and work toward making a career for yourself. Having a job allows you to have money to pay your bills and put food on the table. But it’s important to remember that being kind is good, too. 

So as your children (and your students) grow and learn, be sure to teach them more than just academics; teach them to be kind, patient, respectful, and inclusive. Because one day, it’s the way they are that will truly take them places in this life. 

Posted on

When Learning and Fun Collide

When learning and play collide, magic happens. I’ve seen it happen in the classroom, at home, and out in the wild. As a parent and teacher, not much makes me happier than to see children having fun and learning while they do it. 

Last week, we headed out of town for a few days with my husband’s family. We mostly did fun recreational activities— swimming, hiking, playing games, etc.— typical things you might do on a vacation. But lucky for us, there was a children’s museum where we were staying, and we got to spend one of our mornings there. Not only was the museum fun for the kids, it was packed with educational opportunities throughout the entire museum. My kids range in ages from ten years old down to four years old, and all five of them were entertained the entire time we were there. 

Each room in the museum had a different theme, providing a plethora of learning opportunities. There was something there for everyone— even the adults in our family played and learned!

In the construction room, there were different kinds of blocks and things to build with. There was a wall with pipes and tubes you could use to construct a path to send a ball through. There was a 3D printer, actively printing something, and a display next to the printer showing different kinds of printing methods and types. 

In the farm and animal room, you could learn how to milk a cow or plant a garden. You could also become a veterinarian and x-ray different animals— with real x-ray images displayed on the screen. 

In the America room, you could learn all about the constitution and our Founding Fathers. You could also play with an interactive map that showed and taught about different landmarks around the state. 

The science room was my favorite! There, we learned how a tornado was formed, experimented with magnetic force, created frozen shadows, played with light refraction, learned about sound waves, and put together a model of the human body. 

There was a dinosaur room, full of information and experiences about dinosaurs, volcanoes, and earthquakes. The library room had lots of cozy little spots and shelves full of books to read. The mining room taught kids about pulleys and levers as they moved “rocks” from one level of the room to the other. There was a barrel lift exercise that led to a lesson about levers and fulcrums and how changing the pivot point makes a difference in ease of lifting the load. 

In the music room, kids could play on a giant floor piano, play some drums, experiment with different notes and pitches, and learn about different sounds. The art room provided different mediums to experiment with. 

They even had a “gym” where kids could practice basketball, throwing, pull ups, rock climbing, balancing, or test their jump height. Parents could be spectators on the mini bleachers they had in the room. 

There was a theater room, complete with a stage, costumes, and music. The bank was a fun way to learn about money, and the grocery store was a fun place to learn about healthy food choices. The car shop let kids perform maintenance on a (pretend) car, and the airport let kids learn about flying a plane. 

With so many different things for kids to do, it’s no wonder we had a hard time pulling our kids away for lunch, and with so many things for kids to learn about, it’s no wonder the parents were eager to let the kids participate! I’m sure the kids didn’t realize how much knowledge they were taking in while they played— they were having so much fun. But as a parent, I loved letting them run and explore, learn, and experiment as they played, knowing that their minds were working and learning as they figured out how to do things at the museum. 

It made me think about how so much of what we learn comes from daily living, where we are experimenting, problem solving, and figuring it out as we go. Sure, we can sit in a classroom for the duration of the school day, and we really can learn a lot while there, but there is definitely something to be said for the learning that happens outside the classroom. So often, people don’t see learning as fun, but in reality, there are so many opportunities around us that can provide fun, engaging, and educational experiences for kids and adults alike. And the magic that happens when those three things intersect is unlike anything else.

Posted on

Parent Support– Yes, Teachers Need It!

One of the coolest parts of being a parent is the chance to be an active participant in their education. I love knowing what is happening in my kids’ classrooms, hearing about their days, and getting to know their teachers. But… my all time favorite ways to get involved are by going on field trips and volunteering to help with class parties. They both offer such a fun glimpse into where my kids are all day and who they are with. 

Volunteering serves a few purposes for me— first, it lets me connect with my child and lets me get to know their peers, and second, because I have personally been a teacher, I know how valuable parent support is, and I want my kids’ teachers to know I support them and am willing to help shoulder some of their already too heavy load. My third reason is, admittedly, a little bit selfish: I love going on the field trips because it is a fun way to experience different fun things around my community that I might not get to experience otherwise. Sure, I could take my family to the aquarium or the pumpkin patch, but when I get to go with the school, there is almost always an educational class or presentation for the kids to participate in. I enjoy learning new things, and find it fascinating to hear what they teach the kids. 

Just yesterday, I got to walk with my son’s kindergarten class to a local donut shop, where we got to see where the donuts are made, watch the machinery in action, and hear all about the donut making process. It was an hour out of my day that was well spent, and I know the teacher was appreciative to have extra hands to help with students. 

Volunteering has allowed me to learn really cool things at the farm, the aquarium, museum, zoo, donut shop, dentist office, post office, dinosaur museum, children’s museum, police station, and more. 

From a teacher’s point of view, parent support is crucial. Knowing that your students’ parents have your back makes such a difference. Every classroom has different needs. Many, especially secondary classrooms, don’t have much need for in-person volunteers. Elementary classrooms, however, often have great need for in-person volunteers. Regardless of what kind of help teachers need, the support parents can give is immeasurable and is so appreciated. 

Parents, if you don’t know how to support you children’s teachers, might I suggest a couple of ways? 

  • Send an email letting them know you are thankful for what they do for your child. CC the principal on the email.
  • If finances allow, add a container of cleaning wipes, hand sanitizer, or box of tissues to your next grocery order to donate to the classroom.
  • Volunteer for class parties or field trips. If you can’t be there in person, offer to donate supplies for activities.
  • Learn the teacher’s favorite snack or treat and send one to school the morning of Parent-Teacher Conferences (or any random day!). 
  • Volunteer to help assemble learning packets, cut lamination, grade papers, or to come in and help with reading.

It doesn’t take a lot to show your support for the teachers in your life. They are overworked, underpaid, and often completely exhausted. A little appreciation or support really does go a long way!

And teachers, if you find yourself barely surviving, don’t hesitate to reach out to the parents of your students and ask for help. I guarantee you’ll have at least one willing volunteer to help shoulder your load and make your job easier. 

Posted on

Make it Make Sense!

A few nights ago, I was sitting with my son while he read out loud to me. He is in first grade, so he is still trying to figure out words, sounds, and rules of the English language. He really is a great reader, and he’s catching on quickly, but with so many rules and exceptions to those rules, he’s had some frustrating moments. 

On this night in particular, he was reading a sentence that had the word ‘clean’ in it. His initial pronunciation was something along the lines of “clihaahn”. When he couldn’t figure it out on his own, I stepped in to help him. I told him how to correctly pronounce the word, then explained that when there is an ‘e’ and an ‘a’ next to each other, it will make an ‘eee’ sound. … and then we got to the next page, where there was the word ‘great’ waiting for us, and the little lesson I’d just given him was no longer valid for this new word. Imagine his confusion when I had to explain that sometimes the ‘e’ and the ‘a’ make a different sound together. 

Take, for instance, the following words: clean, great, heart, early, and head. All contain the ‘ea’ digraph… and none of them sound the same! Or take into consideration through, though, tough, cough, and bough. Again, same letter combination, but all pronounced differently. Make it make sense!! 

Not only do we have digraphs that make different sounds, we also have homophones— words that sound the same, but are spelled differently and have different meanings! Sheesh! As if it wasn’t complicated enough already. Trying to keep it all straight is enough to drive a grown person crazy. Thinking about this is flashing me back to my teaching days when the core curriculum required me to teach a certain set of homophones to each grade level. Let me tell you: teaching seventh graders to understand the difference between capitol and capital, principle and principal, there, they’re, and their, and allowed and aloud was quite the task! I found myself coming up with all sorts of creative ways to help them remember the difference between words. 

As someone who has been speaking and reading the English language for a while now, I feel like I have a pretty good grasp on how to pronounce most words. My brain has been programmed and wired to be able to read a word, determine which sound(s) the letter combinations will make, and pronounce the word, all in a matter of fractions of a second. It’s really quite remarkable that our brains can do what they do! Honestly, it’s so automatic that I really don’t even think about the process of figuring out how to pronounce a word anymore. That is, until I’m sitting with my kids while they read, and then I am reminded of just how complex our language is. 

I’m reminded that I, too, was once in the position of not knowing which ‘ea’ words made a long ‘e’ sound, which made a long ‘a’ sound, and which made a ‘eh’ sound. I once struggled to make sense of the letters and words on the pages in front of me, too, and that’s okay. It’s in the struggle of learning that we make sense of things and train our minds to remember the rules and parameters of our language. 

Every time I’m in a position of helping someone learn how to read, I am reminded just how tricky it can be. These reminders have prompted me to be a little more patient and kind. So when I want to loudly exclaim, “Gahhh! Don’t you know that read and great don’t sound the same and don’t rhyme, but phony and bologna do?!”, I tell myself that learning this language is hard, and it’s going to take practice and time for new learners to figure it all out. It’s a slow process, but one that is undeniably worth every single bit of effort, time, and mistake along the way, for teaching someone to read is setting them up for a lifetime of success.

Posted on

Homework Isn’t Just Worksheets

We can all agree that there are pros and cons to giving kids homework, and that it really should only be given if it’s meaningful. Reading, for example, is homework I’m never mad about. Building reading skills is crucial for life long success, and the more kids do it, the better they will be at it. Sending home a coloring page, however, doesn’t seem as meaningful to me. Fun? Sure. But a good use of precious after-school time? Not so much. 

I saw a social media post the other day that got me thinking about things that aren’t assigned as homework, but maybe should be. Skills that are important for every day life, people skills, and problem solving skills. Grading them would be subjective, and participation and effort would matter more than the outcome, but what is learned/gained would set kids up for long term success beyond the walls of the classroom. 

How would something like this be assigned and evaluated? I suppose it depends on the skill being practiced. Perhaps teachers can create a “menu” of possible skills for students to choose from. Maybe some teachers would want to assign everyone in the class the same task to work on. Some might even want to create “task groups” where small groups of students are all given a certain task and can help each other and cheer each other on. Evaluation might look like parents signing a log, pictures, written reflection, or some other tangible or observable result of the student’s practice. 

What kinds of things would be assigned? I think this depends on your students’ needs and situations. Obviously, a high school teacher is going to assign some things that are geared more toward older kids, such as learning to balance a bank account, whereas a kindergarten teacher might assign something like learning to tie shoes. 

Here’s a few ideas to get you started:

  • Learning to balance a bank account
  • Learning to make a phone call and set an appointment or order food— not everything has to be done through an app
  • Going to the store to make a purchase— selecting your items, conversing with a cashier, and sticking to a budget are great skills
  • Cooking a simple meal (with adult supervision)
  • Spending time outside— fresh air does wonders for both the body and mind
  • Doing a puzzle or playing a board game with at least one other person— teamwork, cooperation, and good sportsmanship are essential
  • Sitting down to eat a meal as a family— a great chance to have good conversations
  • Helping with household chores— those skills are needed!
  • Helping people
  • Learning how to write a letter, address an envelope, and send it in the mail
  • Go to the library, get a library card, and check out some books
  • Free play— giving kids unstructured play time is SO important for their imaginations
  • If possible, learning how to maintain a yard
  • Learning how to give and receive compliments
  • When it’s an appropriate age, learning to ask someone out on a date, face-to-face
  • Finding a good sleep routine
  • Screen-free time— it’s good for so many reasons
  • Spending time at a retirement or assisted living facility— the older generation can teach us so much
  • Meditation 

Some might argue that parents should be incorporating these skills into their family’s routines and lives, but not all family situations allow for things like this, and unfortunately, not all parents are supportive and involved in their children’s lives. 

And yes, teachers already do so much, using their days to teach core subjects. But I don’t know of a single teacher that wouldn’t mind devoting at least a little bit of time to helping their students build skills that will set them up for life long success. 

Regardless of where you stand regarding these things being assigned as homework, I’m sure we can all agree that the rising generation needs support, guidance, and encouragement as they navigate life and learn essential skills. 

What else would you add to the list above?

Posted on

Reading: Worth the Fight

We’re just over a week into the new school year, and one of my kids has already pushed back over required reading time. For the past several years, his teachers have set a required time for reading every night, ranging from 20-30 minutes. As an avid reader and former teacher, I’ve obviously been on board with these daily reading requirements. It’s a no-brainer for me. 

This year, however, his teacher won’t be assigning a specific amount of time or number of pages to read each night. Instead, students have a chart on their school computers where they can log any minutes they read, though it’s not a requirement or an assignment. Naturally, my son took that to mean, “I can read for even just one minute and put that in my log!” Fourth graders, right?! You can imagine his dismay when I told him that even though his teacher wasn’t going to assign reading time, my husband and I were. Despite his nightly protests, we have held strong to this boundary, and most nights, after his 30 minutes are up, he asks if he can read just a little bit more— and who am I to say no to that?!

You might wonder why I choose to pick this battle. After all, it would be much easier to give up the fight and not have to listen to the whining and protesting every night. I’d probably even gain “cool mom” status with my son if I didn’t have him read. But honestly, I am not out to win “cool mom” status, and pushing through the whining is 100% worth it to me. 

You see, I’ve encountered so many teenagers who struggle to read. Kids who really are very smart and capable, but just are not where they “should” be in regards to reading. Kids who are terrified to read out loud in front of their peers because they are not confident in their reading abilities. One way to combat this is to have kids read regularly— even a short 15 minutes a day can make a world of a difference in reading ability. 

Reading goes so far beyond opening a book and following along. It opens doorways to many other skills! Reading increases vocabulary, improves writing skills, boosts confidence, encourages imagination, and increases knowledge, among other benefits. Reading is a life long skill. I know not everyone will continue to pick up a novel and read as adults, but the foundational skills gained through reading in the younger years are vital. Even on days I don’t pick up a book to read for fun, I am still reading things all day long— a menu at a restaurant, a recipe as I cook dinner, the labels on food at the store, road signs, texts, social media posts, and so on. The ability to read is one that cannot be put on the back burner. 

In order for young kids to become better readers, they must keep reading. If someone wanted to be a better football player, they would continue to play football. The same goes for reading. It is simply a skill that must not be ignored. I might even go as far as to say that reading is one of the most important skills that can be learned. It is, after all, something that is used in every other subject they will learn. It is a skill that they will use no matter what career path they use. 

So the next time your child or one of your students complains about reading time, remind them that you are actually helping them— Helping them become better readers, writers, thinkers, and doers, because reading is the key to opening doors to the future.

Posted on

Get to Know Your Children’s Teachers!

It’s wild to think that a new school year will be starting soon. Some have already started their new year! With the new year comes new teacher assignments, and a great opportunity to get to know those teachers! 

As a teacher, I always appreciated when parents or students took the time to think of me— it was so nice to be acknowledged! Now, as a parent, I do my best to let my kids’ teachers know that I appreciate them and their hard work. Rather than just picking a random treat at the grocery store, I always like to know exactly what they like. I also like to make sure I get something they like, want, or need to avoid food allergies or purchasing something they don’t have use for. 

When we go to back to school night, I often will take a little “welcome back to school” gift— a can of cleaning wipes, box of tissues, or something similar with a “getting to know you” survey attached. The survey can be filled out at the teacher’s convenience then sent home with your child. 

I thought I’d share the survey I give to teachers so you can get to know the wonderful people who will be teaching your kids this coming year! Just click on the “Download” button below and print off a copy of the survey. I’ve included both a color and a black and white option to fit all printing needs. 

**Printable is free, but please do not sell, re-post, or claim as your own.**

All About My TeacherDownload