I'm often tempted to get on facebook and complain when I'm frustrated. Particularly regarding school related situations. This is not so much because I'm looking for wisdom and advice, but mostly because I know my venting will likely yield some affirmation from fellow parents who will get riled up with me. It's temporarily gratifying, but generally not helpful in the overall picture. Thus, I try to avoid the facebook rant. Instead, a couple of months ago I scheduled a meeting with Memorial's principal, Duane Schupp, to follow up on a few things that I wanted to address. After I'd unloaded the laundry list of things I had managed to avoid airing on my facebook status, Mr. Schupp mentioned something that has been on his mind: it would be great if Memorial parents had additional support and resources for helping students succeed. On this matter, I had to agree with Mr. Schupp :)
I hate to admit that I haven't been nearly as involved at Memorial as I am at Coolidge. I haven't been to a single P.T.A. meeting (gasp), I recently ditched the drama parent meeting, and I have done my share of grumbling about the ridiculous amount of chocolate I've had to pay for (and never sold) so that my daughter could be involved in a variety of activities. BUT, this idea of supporting and encouraging parents as they support and encourage their children's education is genuinely appealing to me! So, it is my hope that this blog can do just that!
A new year is a great time for fresh starts, getting organized, and implementing the daily disciplines that we have let slide this past calendar year. So, it is a great time to evaluate our home environments and habits to consider whether they are ultimately helpful to our kids' progress as they head back to school after the winter break. A parent progress report? Why not?
You don't have to be a professional educator to acknowledge that doing homework in front of Teen Nick or the Disney Channel isn't particularly conducive to good concentration and accurate results. It's time we crack down on that AGAIN fellow parents! Next, there's the 10 pm panic about forgotten homework that winds up taking twice as long because our kiddos are so tired they can't focus and surely aren't learning much. In my house there is a consequence of some sort for any homework that isn't done by 8pm. That's how I roll! And I can't forget to mention the ever popular, "When am I going to use this in real life?" bait that gets thrown our way from time to time. Just once I'd like to not take that bait! But it tastes so sweet because I ALWAYS find a logical answer for that one. At least it's good to know there are some universals out there that we all face regardless of our children's individual strengths and struggles, right?
I recently came across an article that I found very helpful, and just as importantly, very simple to implement (or implement again as the case may be). The title of the article is "Study Skills for Middle School and Beyond". It is definitely worthwhile to check out the whole article, but I will mention a couple suggestions listed in the article that I already utilize and have found to be very effective. In addition, since this blog is about keeping it real and supporting each other, I am also choosing one suggestion I don't currently use that I will implement in 2014!
Here are a couple of principles that are standard at our house, that I'm glad to hear have been officially recommended by the professionals.
1. Identify a place that is specifically for homework and studying- I'd like to tell you that I have an elegant library in my home where my children sit at mahogany desks listening to classical music and doing homework. But that would be a big, fat lie! However, I have found that confining homework to the dining room has helped to minimize the temptations of cell phones, TV, etc. The dining room is an electronics free zone with the exception of the laptop when it is needed. I keep a bin full of school supplies in there so there is no need for random wandering around searching for a ruler, calculator, eraser, or whatever else happens to be on the needed list. However, because my two boys are still in elementary school- and loud and rowdy most of the time- my daughter who is at Memorial does occasionally study in her room upstairs where it is a bit quieter. Therefore, I think a backup "place" may be appropriate too. Policies have to serve the purpose, so when they don't do so, adjustments are called for!
2. Develop a system to keep track of important papers- I have learned this one the hard way a few times. Lost permission slips, a missing study guide, and an unexplainable disappearance of rehearsal schedules can seriously stress me out, not to mention the added stress on my child. So, my not so elaborate system is that I keep a pocket folder for each of my children in the dining room, and all school related papers go in there. Pending and upcoming events papers go on one side, and graded exams or things needed for reference go on the other. A wise friend who was the mom of high school students suggested this little beauty to me. Just do it!
And for my New Year's "helping my child succeed in school" resolution, I'm going with............
Help your child make the most of their time- Don't get me wrong, I don't want my adolescent daughter to be in a constant state of multi tasking, but this suggestion actually will benefit our whole family. Looking over a review sheet during a car ride or taking homework along to a dentist appointment and working a bit in the waiting room can be really effective uses of time on a busy evening. This multi tasking homework mentality can give my daughter a jumpstart on her work and give us all a little extra family time later in the evening. So, I resolve to be on the lookout for some additional ways to help my daughter use her time wisely.
Here's to reporting some progress in helping our children succeed at Memorial Jr. High in 2014! I appreciate that the school helps monitor my child's academic standing by sending progress reports; and it seems appropriate this time of year to give myself an honest Parent Progress Report. My expectation of myself will reflect what I expect from my daughter: "I don't expect perfection, but I do expect your best!". As you consider the results of your Parent Progress Report, if you have some tried and true practices that help your child succeed or some resolutions you are planning for the new year, feel free to leave a comment below.
