Ask a Teacher - What'd you do today?

We've all had that conversation with our kids. You excitedly pick your child up from the carpool line and the first question you ask is "What do you do at school today?" The answer most often is "Nothing."

Why do they do that? You've been gone from them all day and you just want to hear what they did all day. But they just finished a long day at school and they're ready to not be in school mode. Pushing and saying "C'mon, you had to have done something! What'd you do today?" is only going to produce an irritated "NOTHING!" in reply.

Instead of launching into questions at pick up, it's a good idea to give your child a little bit to decompress. When you get home from work, the last thing you want to talk about is work. Your kid is the same way.

Wait until dinner time or when you have a quiet moment to ask, but don't just ask what they did today. If you asked me what I did today, I'd stare blankly and try to figure out which part you want me to tell you. Help them out by focusing on one thing. My go to is "What was your favorite part of school today?" Sometimes this doesn't work and my son just tells me he liked recess the best. You can also focus on one part of the day, such as asking about what book was read in class or what they did in science.

Getting kids to open up can be difficult at first, but it's an important habit to start with your child.


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Emilie is a high school English teacher with two children. She holds a Bachelors in English and a Masters in Secondary Education. After completing student teaching at an urban, Persistently Low Achieving (PLA) school, she was placed at another PLA school in the same school district. Her Ask a Teacher column can also be found over at Teaching Ain't for Heroes.

Ask a Teacher: How do I get my child school-ready after summer break?

Our resident teacher, Emilie Blanton, who blogs over at Teaching Ain't for Heroes, answers the summer-old question, how do we prepare our kids for another year at school after a few months of a totally different (in some cases) schedule?


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Parents are rejoicing across the nation as the new school year approaches. Some of our southern friends are already back in session! Somehow summer always seems so long until you're staring at the calendar wondering how the first day of school approached so quickly. What can you do to help your children begin the new year well?

First, try to get them waking up a little earlier. This isn't a problem with my children who seem to think 5 a.m. is an appropriate time to start the day, but if you have older kids who have started the magical sleeping in, see if you can give them at least a few days adjustment before the harsh reality of getting ready for school is upon them. It might help you get back in the swing, too. Some schools start early and parents might have gotten used to sleeping in a little later as well.

If this year is your child's first year of school or their first year in a new building, try to get them there before the first day. Some schools have Meet The Teacher days or orientation. However, if you're like me, these actually conflict with your work schedule. If that's the case, call up to school some time when you are free and see if you can at least get your child into some common areas like the cafeteria or the main entrance at least. Sometimes it helps that the building isn't some great unknown. If you can't swing that, some pictures from the school website are better than nothing.

Try to call school before orientation or the first day to ask about fees that you might not know existed. While everyone is guaranteed a public education, it's not actually free. Some school related fees can run in the hundred and parents can be surprised by this reality. Do you qualify for fee waiver or free/reduced lunch? Now is a good time to find out if you haven't already. If you don't know, ask. It's better to be told no than to qualify and never get the assistance. School related expenses can be much more costly than people realize.

Don't forget the practice some simple school related activities. Don't bog your child down with "Now it's HOMEWORK TIME!" but try to integrate some reading or writing into your day. Most students experience at least a little Summer Slide. Getting them back in the swing of school related skills can help your child avoid playing catch up for the first few weeks. It can also save them from the horrible hand pain of the first day of school that I've discussed before.

Brace yourself! The school year is almost here!








 

Ask a Teacher: How Do You Feel About Homework?

As the holidays draw near, homework becomes more and more of a chore. But how much is too much? Our teacher Emilie Blanton who's usually over at Teaching Ain't For Heroes has the answer.


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As a parent and educator, I believe homework is vital and serves an important role. However, and this is a big however, there can be too much, which defeats the purpose in the first place.

My son is four and attends Pre-K at a local Catholic school. He has homework once or twice a week and overall, it has been a positive experience for us. You're probably thinking I'm crazy for appreciating homework at the Pre-K level, but there are some advantages to it. First, it reinforces the idea that learning happens at home as well as at school. It helps students practice skills they've already learned. If done correctly, kids have fun while practicing school concepts at home. Importantly for our family, it gives us a guideline of what is age appropriate "work" to do. I teach high school, but that doesn't mean I understand the ins and outs of what's appropriate for a four year old to be able to master.

Homework can be done wrong. Homework done the wrong way is what creates headaches and nightmares for parents, as well as students. Homework is not the time to learn new material. Homework is for additional practice and nothing more. At the younger grades, homework should be more about creating good habits than overloading students with too much work. We get maybe 10 minutes total of homework a week and it's only 10 minutes because my son gets distracted or spends time talking to me instead of writing what he's supposed to write. We don't push too hard and he doesn't resist. It's a good set up for now.

Even if a student isn't being asked to learn something new at home, lengthy homework, especially at the younger grades, can really damage a student's confidence and love of learning. After being at school for several hours, another hour of homework is unreasonable for anyone, but especially young children.

As a teacher, I use homework as a time to practice skills we're learning that need more practice. I'm not in the habit of making busy work. When students do busy work, I have busy work to grade, as well as the expectation that I make more busy work. Who has time for that? No one. Not my students and certainly not me.

When it comes to doing age appropriate work, I have no idea what four year olds are capable of. Yes, I know my son best, but I also see the epic Facebook-crafting that makes me think my child should be composing symphonies. Instead of beating myself up that my child is not the next brilliant genius, I'm having fun watching him grow and increase his skills. It's also important to remember that not every parent knows what to do to help their children become lifelong learners. Without assigned homework, some students may never do any reading or writing at home at all.

If homework is creating headaches and drama in your household, it's time to talk to the teacher and discuss more reasonable expectations. If your kindergartener is stuck at the table for an hour every day, that is not appropriate. Even though the teacher is the educator, you ultimately do know your child the best and you know when they are exhausted and frustrated. If things don't change after talking to the teacher, it's time to talk to a school counselor or administrator and talk about how you can ensure your child is successful.






 

Preschool Pointers - 33: Make Them Sleep on Your Schedule

Problem:

For a long time I've been an avid supporter of 'the baby goes to bed when it's good for us.' For years now, that's been 9, 10, 11 o'clock at night. It shocks most of my friends when they're reminded of it because what kind of kid goes to bed at that time? Well, we're a "late family" I like to say. My husband works from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. so we're usually not even eating dinner until 9. Then the girls get dessert. Then they mess around for a billion years while I try to get them ready for bed and poof! 10:30.

Sadly, this is no longer working. Since nap has mostly evaporated, I end up with jerkfaces for the last three hours of the evening as they're so exhausted they're just about to die of it. Then in the mornings, they don't even want to get up. They're having breakfast right now. It is 11:15 a.m.

It's not going to work anymore. I need some time at night, and they're going to need to be at school at 7:45 a.m. next year. Meaning they'll have to be up at 6:45 a.m. Which is, like, five hours earlier than what we do now.

Solution:

I have to follow my own rules now. Remember the original statement was 'the baby goes to bed when it's good for us.' Well, now a good time is 8 p.m. Not 11.

So, I'll scale it back. We'll get back to 10. Then 9:30. Then 9. Then 8:30. Throughout the summer. And I've got to keep up on the morning side, too. I have to admit, when it's nice and quiet in the morning, the last thing I want to do is go in there and rouse the troops. Particularly because they are cranky as teenagers in morning. But, it must be done. Today I did it by singing a showtune for them. That seemed to work. I'm sure it will lose its novelty eventually, but until then, well, use what you've got.

I've got a four-month-long project in front of me. Here's hoping I can do it!




 

Guest Post - Going Two School

I'm lucky enough to have the astute and articulate Imogen guest posting for me today on an issue that will soon set my heart to shaking.

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Going Two School: helping your twins (and their teachers) get ready for big school

Now the weather is warming up, the last thing on most people’s minds right now will be the start of the school year, way off in the distant autumn. However, fairly soon, this topic will be looming large in the minds of children about to enter the world of ‘big school’ for the very first time. Those who will soon be leaving the relative security of home or pre-school and starting out on the first steps as a bona fide school pupil.

Just as you wouldn’t expect a large retailer to trade without shop insurance, so the idea of chucking a child in at the deep end of school without prior planning and preparations is a ludicrous, if not pretty risky one. Take a moment to think about all the preparations that one single child will need prior to starting school. The practical – buying uniforms, sewing on nametapes and organising transport – and the emotional – telling the children what to expect, discussing their worries, practising ways to make friends and getting them used to the idea of being at school all day.

Now imagine all that happening twice. At the same time. That is the reality for twins and their families as they contemplate the start of a new school-based era. So, how can parents of multiples ease the way for their little cherubs’ (plural) first days at school? Here are three great places to start…

Get into a routine: preparation is everything

A few weeks before the start of the new term, work out your twins’ bedtime routine and try to stick to it. That way, they won’t get a rude shock on the first day back. Work out how to store or lay out their clothes easily and logically, so they don’t get muddled (all hail the mighty nametape…) in the morning rush. Pack their lunch boxes and school bags the night before, again making sure that everything is clearly named or colour coded to avoid mix ups in the morning.

Decide who will take the children to school and oversee their return. It could be that one parent’s work or other commitments precludes them from taking part in the school run; or family dynamics may render such a shared routine impossible. Whichever way this is worked out, make sure you and your twins know exactly what’s happening when, and who is involved. A written rota on the fridge door would help keep everyone up-to-date.

After the twins have settled into school and have started to receive homework, it is vital that equal time is allocated to each one at home to listen to them read or to help them with their tasks every day. Keep in touch with their teacher(s) to find out early if either of them is slipping behind and seek extra support if required. Crucially important is a good night’s sleep for everyone, so pack them (and yourselves) off to bed in good time of an evening during the school week.

Avoid double debt: budget buying school stuff

Parents of two or more single children of different ages can hand clothing, bags and belongings down the family to make the most of their original purchases. This is not so with twins. Everything must be bought in duplicate at the same time. Parents of twins will be well used to doing this by now – just as bibs and sleep-suits were bought by the dozen, now parents will need to look out for bulk buy discounts on socks and pencil sharpeners.

So, start school shopping early, – check out summer sales and ‘buy one, get one free’ discounts. Perhaps friends or family members who want to contribute could buy one set of uniform while the parents buy the other. Have a look round eBay and second hand shops, or see if you can link up with other families with slightly older multiples who might have outgrown uniforms that they can pass on. While you’re at it, ask them what was really necessary and what they found could be ignored on the school’s list of essential purchases. Listen to the voice of experience and try to budget wherever possible.

Double vision: maintaining twins’ individual identities

Single children thrown into a new school with unfamiliar faces all around them can feel anonymous enough, without the added complication of constantly being mistaken for an identical sibling. If the school places identical twins in the same class, make sure the teachers can tell them apart correctly by dressing them in a pre-agreed code e.g. using different colours or hair styles, or even giving both twins a name badge at the beginning.

As they settle in, their teachers and peers will get to know them and be able to work out who’s who. Encourage each twin to form separate friendships and join different clubs if they are available. Just watch out that they don’t play tricks on their new school by pretending to be each other!