The School Survival Guide

Finished that Homework at School?

               

It is easy to get behind with homework.  I was talking with a parent today who was surprised to hear that their child was not completing assignments at school.  Like many students before her, this child told mom and dad that the work was completed at school.  As you child has more homework assignments, you need to watch out for the "did it at school" phrase.  When you find that the work was not completed, I encourage you to not jump to the conclusion that your child was just lying to you.  While that sometimes is the case, it is also likely that your child has lost track of their work.  Keeping track of what is due, how the work is to be done and when it needs to be turned in is a new skill for many students.  Some children are more organized than others.  My tip to you is to ask for your child to show their work to you.  Tell them that you like to see what they are doing in school.  If you wonder about the quality of their work, check with their teacher to see what he or she expects.   

Does the First Born Get More?

Joseph Price, a lead researcher at Brigham Young University was quoted by CTV news on his team's recent study of the affects of birth order on a child's achievement. "They score better on standardized test scores, have higher IQs, are more likely to go to college, have higher incomes later in life and they're less likely to engage in risky behaviour"  The study reports that the oldest child gets about 3,000 more hours of attention from their parents than subsequent children.  This is a controversial study as little brothers and sisters would argue that they are smarter and more successful than their older siblings.  One thing that I have observed as a parent, teacher, and principal is that your children will be different.  School may be easy for one child and difficult for another.  As a parent, you have to be ready to give each of your children the support that they need.  How have you found your children to be different?  Do you agree with Price?

Home Schooling Controvercy in California

"Citing a truancy law that requires children ages 6 to 18 to attend public or private schools or receive tutoring from a credentialed teacher, the Southern California-based court ruled that parents cannot home school their children unless at least one parent has a teaching credential."  As reported by Ruben Navarrette,  of the San Diego Tribune, this case in California justifiably has home schooling advocates in that state in an uproar.  The state claims that the Mary Long is not qualified to teach her eight children at home.  The state also claims that the family is abusing their children.  Regardless of how this individual case turns out, it certainly will draw attention to the issue of home schooling.  I want folks to remember that home schooling does not have to be at odds with public schooling  There are many ways that home schooling parents can work hand in hand with public schools.  Check out my previous post - Part Time School.

Graduating High School

Episode 14 of The School Survival Guide podcast is ready.  Learn how to make sure your child graduates high school and succeeds in college.

Podcast Next Week

Sorry folks but there will not be a School Survival Guide podcast this week. I am moving the podcast to an every other week format.  You can, however, check back on this site for more posts and information.

Thanks,

David

Lucky Podcast Episode 13

Expand your horizons as a learner in this week's School Survival Guide.  One great opportunity I talk about is the MIT Educational Studies Program where MIT students and community members teach a number of exciting courses and workshops for 7th through 12th graders.  If you are anywhere near Boston, you should check this out.  MIT also allows anyone to "audit" many of their courses on-line for free through their Open Course Ware program. 

Weekend Off

I'm taking a break this weekend so there will be a new podcast next week.

Understand Tests

Episode 12 of The School Survival Guide Podcast is ready.  This week I talk about standardized test scores and how to keep them in perspective.  Do you want to know what these secret tests look like?  Search for your state's department of education and search for sample or released tasks.  You can see exactly what kind of questions your child was asked. 

What's in a Grade?

               

   

Don't get me wrong, I am all for students working hard and getting good grades.  But I have been questioning the Honor Role at my school recently.  It is a really BIG deal for students to get on the Honor Role.  By tradition, we hand out ribbons in the cafeteria to students who have gotten grades of B+ or higher in all of their subjects.  I want to honor these students for their achievements, but dosen't the ceremony just tell the other students "In case you have forgotten, you did poorly in some of your subjects."  It reminds me of a speech I heard from Ray McNulty when he was Commissioner of Education in Vermont. He told the story of a boy who was graduating from his high school.  The boy had been on many of the varsity teams, had been in the school play, and had been a real positive influence at his school but his head was hanging at graduation.  When Ray asked him why, he said that he knew he should be excited about graduation but he also knew he was graduating near the bottom of his class.  Myself, I want kids to learn a lot in school.  This means school has to be about more than getting on the honor role.  This means we, as teachers, need to make sure every child learns as much as they can while they are with us. 

 

The Importance of Play

Episode 11 focuses on the importance of play.  Read the report from the American Association of Pediatrics on the value of play.  Download a copy of Tux Paint for some creative play on your computer.