Go Make Your Bed!

My inspiring friend, Jodie Palmer, shared this on FB. 




TRUE STORY: There was a grandmother who said to her granddaughters, "Which of you knows how to make her bed?" They all, of course, raised their hands. Then she said the most profound thing I think I've ever heard. "Yes, any ninny can make her bed, but which of you knows how to make herself make her bed?" I've been pondering on this for the last year. It describes my problem perfectly. I don't know how to make myself make my bed. In other words, make yourself do the thing you should even when you don't feel like it. Teaching ourselves to do the right thing even when we don't feel like it is simply a skill of practice. Assign yourself a goal (specific and measurable), make an accountability chart (a piece of paper with 28 boxes taped to your fridge), and determine that you are going to accomplish that goal for 28 days straight. If you fail, then start over and try again (give thanks that you can start over every time you fail). Keep practicing this with new goals--28 days.The day will come when "making yourself make your bed" will actually become a matter of life or death, slavery or freedom, joy or misery. Choose life, freedom and joy! Go make your bed!

Success Scrolls

I just finished reading Principles, Promises, and Powers by Sterling W. Sill.  In one of his chapters he tells the Og Mandino story about the 10 success scrools which are:




Scroll #1:  "I will form good habits and become their slaves.
Scroll #2:  "I will greet this day with love in my heart."
Scroll #3:  "I will persist until I succeed."
Scroll #4:  "I am nature's greatest miracle and I will believe in myself."
Scroll #5:  "I will live this day as if it were my last."
Scroll #6:  "Today I will be the master of my emotions."
Scroll #7:  "I will laugh at the world."
Scroll #8:  "Today I will multiply my value by a hundredfold."
Scroll #9:  "I will act now."
Scroll #10:  "I will trust in God." 

What Students Want From Teachers

1. “Someone who is funny and makes learning fun.” When digging further the students described this as someone who enjoyed teaching and it showed in the day-to-day interactions with students. Funny means “they laugh with us when we make mistakes and they aren’t always uptight about every little thing.” A few students went on to say, “We make mistakes. We are kids. It’s not that we don’t care. We do care and we really are trying.” Several of the students went on to say, “They (teachers) remember what it is like to be a kid and they don’t take everything so serious.”
2. “Someone that really cares about me.” Basically the overall perception of students is they can tell the difference between “lip service” and genuine caring. Several students said they felt insulted by teachers who “pretend” to care about them. Perception is reality for all of us.
3. The students also lumped “caring” in with “someone who treats everyone the same.” Basically the students stated we are all equal. “We don’t all have the same talents, but we all have something to offer to the class. But in most of my classes “we are all expected to do the same thing.”
4. This led to the “they let us work in groups and on projects!” and “make learning fun.” This was probably the most popular comment. The students mentioned the fact they enjoyed having a choice and hands-on activities. The No. 1 issue brought up with this topic was “some teachers enjoy hearing themselves talk to much. I can Google most of what they tell me.” When I asked more probing questions the students continued by saying “I want to learn by doing. Not writing down facts I will never need.” I dug deeper and found the students want to apply the learning by creating and using technology tools they have at home instead of “always using a poster board or taking a multiple choice test.”
I

Classroom Journals

8 whole class journals for the students to write in. Select 8 students each week to write in one of the journals. The next week, 8 different children will be selected to write, and so on. By the time were finished, each journal should have about 25 different entries written in them. Students will be able to read what their classmates have written as well.

Hos to Teach Children About Memoriall Day

 

How to Teach Children About Memorial Day       

                                      

                                                      

By an eHow Contributor

Sometimes the true meaning of Memorial Day is lost because of the emphasis on the 3-day weekend, Memorial Day store sales and the excitement of having a day off from school. It's important to find ways to teach children to honor the generations before them who fought to protect their freedom. Here are a few suggestions for how to teach children the significance of Memorial Day.      

                         

Instructions:             

1. Discuss the true meaning of Memorial Day, a day of national awareness and respect to honor Americans who have died while defending this country. It has also become a day for remembrance of all loved ones who have died, whether they were in the armed forces or not.

   
   
2. Participate in Memorial Day activities in your community. Teach your children how to display a flag with respect and dignity. Learn how to handle a flag when you raise and lower it.

   
   
3. Encourage your children to talk with a veteran. Take the opportunity to speak with a relative or friend who has served in the armed forces and find out what it meant to them. Organize a trip to a nursing home to honor the older veterans. Have children make thank you cards for veterans they know or get in touch with the Veteran's Administration for information on how to contact local veterans. Visit a local cemetery to place flags and flowers on the graves of veterans.
4. Teach your children the Pledge of Allegiance, patriotic songs and poems. Visit the White House Commission on Remembrance website to find out ways to join the rest of the country at 3 p.m., local time, on Memorial Day to share a moment of remembrance together. Have your children choose their own special way to spend their moment of remembrance, such as ringing a bell, a moment of silence or a moment in prayer.

 

Critical Thinking Skills

20 Things New (and Experienced!) Teachers Need to Know

From weareteachers.com 

20 Things New Teachers Need to Know

 

 

Are your knees knocking at the thought of walking into a classroom for the very first time this fall? Have no fear! We asked our friends on Facebook to share their best pearls of wisdom for new teachers, and they generously sent their inspiration, advice and need-to-know strategies. Think of them as your virtual mentors—like all teachers, we’re here to help one another succeed!

1. The 3 Cs: “Be CLEAR on your expectations for behavior and performance. Be CONSISTENT—follow through so students know what to expect from you as a teacher. Be COMPASSIONATE—show your students that you really care about them and want them to succeed.” —Oktobriana Idol
2. Management Matters: “Strong classroom management is the key to teaching. No matter how well you know the content, students can't learn in a chaotic environment. The simplest way to achieve this is through routines and overplanning. Also, model the respect you want to receive.” —Janet Jennings Maxwell
3. Routines Are Your Friends: “They should be the first things that you teach!” —Mollie Ann Lucot
4. Flexibility Rules: “Relax. Be in control. Be prepared to be flexible!” —Emily Fern Barron
5. Wear Comfy Shoes: “Number 1: It's all about relationships. If you make the students feel that you genuinely care about them, they'll do what you ask and then some.
Number 2: The decorations on your walls don't need to come from Teachers Supply stores, because the ones from Dollar Tree will do the job.
Number 3: Invest in a good pair of shoes that fit you well, because you'll be on your feet all day.” —Mari Lyn Stangland
 6. What Your Dad Says Is True: “Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance!” —April Brown
7. Your New Favorite Book: “Go out and purchase The First Days of School, by Harry Wong. You may not have the money to do it, but it'll be the best life-saving purchase you'll ever make in your teaching profession. Read it cover to cover and then implement!” —Amy Galloway
 8. Don’t Forget to Leave: “Go home at the end of the day! Your work will still be there tomorrow.” —Kody Grisham Shepherd
9. Never Break a Promise: “Don't promise a child something you're not 100% sure you can come through on—they need to know you are trustworthy and that you mean what you say.” —Vivienne Thomson
10. You’re a Student Too: “You will learn twice as much as your kids do EVERY single day until the day you retire!” —Diann Strader
11. Learn From Everyone Around You: “Be kind and courteous to everyone who works at or visits your school. The support staff is essential to your job—and those older teachers down the hall might just be your closest allies in a pinch. Don't dismiss their pearls of wisdom just because YOU haven't been taught that way. Remember, they're the ones who have been at this all this time. Be a sponge.” —Nadine Mendez Heifert
12. Try to Grow Every Day: “Remember that this is one of the only professions that expects us to be perfect with little to no on-the-job training. You can eventually change lives, but your first year is growth. Find a few strong, positive teachers on your campus and observe, observe, observe. Treat every kid like your own—because someone loves him or her more than anything, no matter how they push your buttons. There’s probably a reason why they push buttons in the first place that has nothing to do with you. Don't take unruly behavior personally. Like Covey says, ‘seek first to understand...’“ —Carissa Hairrell
 13. Leader of the Pack: “You are the lead dog and your students are your team waiting to run the big race.” —Susan A. Smith
 14. It’s Okay to Have Fun: “Don't be afraid to laugh. I was talking to a friend of mine who is a teacher and she said (in April) that is was the first time she actually laughed in her class. If you aren't having fun, neither are the students. But also classroom management is key. Be tough in the beginning because you can always get softer. It is hard to go the other way around.” —April Nelson
15. This Isn’t Practice Anymore: “What they taught you in college does not prepare you for the real classroom. Be prepared for anything to happen and be flexible and understanding when it does!”—Teresa Taylor
 16. Help Is Always Available: “Don't be afraid to ask for it.” —Beth Fitts Stone
17. School Is Just a Part: “You are only a one part of their lives and they won't know how important a part for many, many years.” —Lynda Ballam
18. Let Students Have a Voice: “Invite them to help in goal setting. Don't be afraid to let them have choices. Have thick skin.” —Dan Heding
19. Have Faith in Yourself: “You can handle this.” —Dedee Cline
20. You’re Guarding Treasure: “Remember that parents are sending their most prized possessions. They are not hiding any others at home. They are sending their best. Respect that.” —Lyn Atkins
 

10 Reasons Nonreaders Don't Read — and How to Change Their Minds

10 Reasons Nonreaders Don't Read — and How to Change Their Minds

LouAnne Johnson, author of The New York Times bestseller Dangerous Minds, on how to change the minds of kids who hate to read.

Children are not born with a natural aversion to reading. We know that. We see what happens when we introduce toddlers to books. They fall in love. They carry their favorites around and admire the pictures over and over again.
Why, then, is reading such a problem for so many elementary and secondary students? What turns so many little book lovers into adamant book haters? Instead of speculating, I went straight to the source—real-life reluctant readers in my classes spanning the past two decades.
One day, at the start of my English class, I asked, “How many of you like reading?” A few students raised their hands tentatively. Then I asked, “How many hate reading?” A sea of hands waved wildly, churning up the air with their negativity. We then spent the entire class period discussing our feelings about books and reading.
I worked hard to convince those students that reading was a skill, not a natural-born talent, and that they were capable of learning. I offered the analogies of basketball, since many of the boys were NBA hopefuls.
“You can’t sink a free throw if you never get on the court,” I told them.
Because we had developed a solid rapport based on mutual respect and trust, those students agreed to give reading one more try. Together, we created a new set of expectations and rules about reading.
With each new high school class, I kept the discussion about reading as one of our introductory activities. Later, when I began tutoring young struggling readers, I asked the same questions: How did you learn to read? Did you ever enjoy it? Why do you hate it now? The same answers cropped up time and again. Here are the reasons students offered to explain their aversion to reading and some possible solutions.

Reason 1: Reading Gives Them a Headache or Makes Their Eyes Hurt

Do this: Recent research suggests that nearly half of people who are labeled as learning disabled actually suffer from scotopic (light) sensitivity. People with light sensitivity find reading difficult and sometimes painful when the material is printed on glossy paper. Fluorescent lighting or other lights that cause glare on the page make reading even more difficult. High-contrast print, such as black letters on white paper, is the most difficult for light-sensitive people to read. Unfortunately, such high-contrast print is the most common format for texts and other school materials.
If you have students who are generally cooperative but start to wiggle and squirm as soon as you ask them to read independently, be alert for signs that reading is uncomfortable. They may squint, frown, rub their eyes, try to shade their books, hold their books far away or very near to their faces, blink rapidly, or lose their place repeatedly when reading.
Often schools mislabel scotopic readers as dyslexic (they may or may not suffer from dyslexia, as well) and give strategies that don’t work, because the glare and discomfort remain. (To learn more about vision therapy for problem readers, visit covd.org.)

Reason 2: They Can’t Read as Fast as Their Peers (and Get Left Behind)

Do this: Allow students to read at their own pace, even if it means that those slower readers don’t cover as much ground as their quicker classmates. While they are reading at their own individual pace, they will learn to read.
One first grader I worked with, Kayla, was in such a hurry to read everything quickly that she wasn’t processing anything. When I asked her to slow down and read one sentence, then tell me what it said, she was fine. But when I let her read without interruption, she began racing along, stumbling over words, and was unable to answer basic questions about what she had read. “Why are you reading so fast?” I asked her. She sighed. “Because I have to go fast. That’s how we do it at school.”
“I don’t care how fast everybody reads in school,” I said. “I want you to slow down and read at your own pace. And one of these days, I promise, you’ll read as fast as everybody else. Maybe even faster.”
Kayla wasn’t completely convinced, but she agreed to slow down. And her mother agreed to allow Kayla to skip some of her chores on their family’s ranch so she could spend more time after school reading. In less than two months, Kayla went from failing grades back to straight As.

Reason 3: They Fear They’ll Have to Read Out Loud and Others Will Laugh

Do this: Consider making reading aloud purely voluntary in your classroom. Give students the option of reading to you one-on-one so you can assess their skills and progress. In addition to easing some of the stress, letting students opt out of public reading may improve the attendance, punctuality, and morale in your classroom.
Don’t allow other kids to laugh at the ones who do read, and beware the sneaky snickers. If you ask students to read aloud in your classroom, you owe it to your readers to make sure that nobody shames or humiliates them for trying. And if you have shy or timid students who never volunteer, work with them individually until they develop the confidence to read aloud. (Some kids will never volunteer, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t learning — and at least you won’t have made them dread reading.)
Some teachers call on students to read aloud as a way of keeping them awake or alert in class, but you could call on a willing volunteer who is seated next to your drowsy or daydreaming student instead. When his classmate begins to read, the daydreamer will tune back in without feeling embarrassment or hostility toward you.

Reason 4: They Expect to Be Tested on What They Read — and to Fail the Test

Do this: I know, I know, testing is important, especially today. So give the standardized tests when you have to. But if you have the choice between testing students about their reading or giving them an opportunity to honestly respond to their reading, go for the honest response. There will be plenty of time for testing once your students improve their reading skills and their self-confidence as readers.
Try reading a few short things as a class. After each one, open the floor to comments. Ask, “So, what do you think about that?” Accept every comment as valuable. If nobody comments, say, “Well, let’s let that one percolate for a while.” And move on to the next activity.
Let your students see that reading isn’t a chore, a competition, or a test. It’s a lifelong skill that we use to gain information, find a new perspective, and tickle our brains or our funny bones. As one of my former students wisely pointed out, “You don’t have to discuss the crap out of everything you read. Some things you just read. That’s it.”
I’m not suggesting abandoning tests or assessments, just changing the format. For example, when reading as a whole group, we can stop and ask students to jot down their response to a single question about the reading assignment — Which of the characters is the most honest? Why in the world did he do what he did? What would you have done in that situation? — and give them credit based on the thought and effort devoted to the answer, instead of whether the answer is “correct.” 
When you do test students in a more orthodox manner, don’t use the same format for every test. Instead of asking them to select the correct answer on a multiple-choice or matching quiz, try open-ended short essay questions or reading journals. Ask them to think of three good adjectives to describe a specific character and give examples of things those characters said or did to support the students’ choice of adjectives. Ask them to rate the story’s conclusion and explain why they give it a thumbs-up or thumbs-down.

Reason 5: They Believe They Have to Finish Every Reading Selection, No Matter How Long or Difficult

Do this: Have you ever put down a book halfway through because it just wasn’t compelling enough to you? Yes? That’s why I suggest letting reluctant readers stop and move on to the next when they don’t like a book. Not forever. Just until they become good enough readers that reading isn’t a dreaded chore.
Forcing kids who don’t read well to finish material that is far above their ability level or that has no relevance to them can ruin reading for them. Good readers will tackle anything because they know that they will be rewarded by gaining a new perspective, acquiring new knowledge, or entering a completely new world. Poor readers don’t experience those rewards, so it’s difficult to convince them that reading can be enjoyable.
This may go against your teacherly grain, but I urge you to consider it: Tell your students that you will expect them to read half of any article, story, or novel that you give to them. At the halfway point, you will take a class vote to see whether the majority of students want to finish the given selection. If more than half vote against the text, ask your students to write a brief critique of it, and then move on to the next activity.
One of the reasons this approach is so successful is that it gives students the feeling that they have a choice in what they read. And once they know that they can vote to stop reading a story or novel, surprisingly, they will often continue reading it!

Reason 6: They Fear Their Opinions Will Be Wrong

Do this: So many teary students have told me about the same experience: A teacher asked them to write their opinion about a book or story. The student worked hard on his or her essays and expected high marks for effort and content. Their teachers assigned either a D or an F that was to the student inexplicable. Those teachers sent a clear message: Your opinion is worthless.
If you ask for an opinion, accept what you get and grade the writing on composition and content. Reward their honest effort and encourage them to develop their ideas logically and completely. If you allow your students to maintain their dignity, they will continue to try and to progress. With maturity and practice, their reading and writing skills will improve and they will be better able to appreciate literature that demands a more sophisticated approach.
Once students can intelligently articulate their opinions, they will be ready to learn how to analyze a story on its literary merits. (“Boring and stupid” is not a literary critique.) Then, you can push students to use specific references to the text to make their point, using vocabulary and terms that you have taught them, such as plot, dialogue, irony, and tone. It may be helpful to teach these two different critical approaches as the “personal” versus the “professional” response.

Reason 7: They Always Get Put Into the “Slow” Group, Which Makes Them Feel Stupid

Do this: I have come to believe that our first experience with reading influences our perceptions of our intelligence, even as adults. Here’s why. If you ask adults, “Do you consider yourself above average, about average, or below average?” most of them have a clear picture of where they fall on the intelligence spectrum.
But what I find most interesting is that when I ask those same adults how old they were when they formed their opinions of their own intelligence, nearly all agree that they decided how smart they were during the first few years of school, when they were learning to read.
Call them bluebirds and sparrows, stars and stripes, bears and bobcats, children always know who are the fast readers (translation “smart kids”) and who are the slow readers (translation “dumb kids”). They know exactly where they fall on the reading-speed spectrum, and they believe this directly correlates to intelligence.
If teachers can find a way to group students that doesn’t depend on their reading ability at least some of the time, I think they can avoid the situation where students correlate their intelligence to their reading group. Better yet, teachers can create classroom environments where students sincerely want to help each other and don’t tease or torment the slower students. Sometimes students who process information slowly turn out to have much higher IQs than fast processors.
Finding ways for slow readers to shine in other areas can be an effective way to help students understand that there are multiple forms of intelligence and that reading is one of many skills, but not necessarily an indicator of intelligence or the ability to learn.

Reason 8: They Believe They Are Too Far Behind to Ever Catch Up

Do this: When students read below grade level, they don’t understand that increasing their skills to the next level isn't as hard as they think. A ninth grader whose test score places him at a fourth-grade level, for example, thinks he will run out of time before he can catch up with his peers. So first explain that a grade level in reading doesn’t correspond to a calendar year. It is just a measure of how well a student reads a specific level of complexity in vocabulary and sentence structure.
Encourage students to learn how to derive the meaning of unfamiliar words from the context and to practice reading every day in order to improve their reading rate. One method I have used successfully is to give them a one- to two-page-long magazine article. They read for one full minute until I say, “Stop.” They circle the last word they read. Then I teach them how to count the words on a page. (Add together the number of words in four individual lines, then divide by four to get the average number of words per line.) Then students count how many lines they read, multiply that by the average, and get their one-minute word count.
The next month, we read the same selection and assess their reading rates again. Students will nearly always improve if they have been making an effort in class. They’ll see that practice doesn’t make perfect, but it certainly makes improvement.

Reason 9: They Have No Interest in the Material They Are Required to Read

Do this: Struggling readers will blossom if you give them material that is so interesting they can’t resist reading it. That’s the trick: finding something so compelling that students forget they are reading.
You may have to abandon textbooks for a bit, even if they do contain interesting stories. Textbooks by definition are not interesting. (I sometimes make copies of a story or poem from the textbook and distribute it to students who enjoy it and they are surprised to learn after the fact that it was in their textbook all along.)
Find some compelling magazine articles about people the same age as your students. Check anthologies for essays on controversial subjects such as gun control or immigration; most essay collections come complete with discussion questions and writing prompts. Look online for true adventure, crime, and sports stories and articles on topics of interest to young people — how to be popular, find a friend, get into college, or choose a pet, for example.

Reason 10: They Get Lost and Can’t Remember What They Have Just Read

Do this: Many struggling students who can technically read quite well don’t understand what they are reading. They somehow missed the important point that when we read we must create a mental reference. Without that reference, words are just words. One boy described his experience this way: “It’s like I’m reading one of those signs in front of the bank where the letters move. As soon as I read the words, they disappear.”
You don’t have to be a reading teacher to help students with reading comprehension. First, explain that when we read, we create a mental picture of what we are reading. As we add details, the picture becomes clearer or changes to adjust to new or different information. If you lose the picture when you are reading, you are starting to lose your comprehension. Back up until you can see the picture again, and continue reading.
To do this as a class with a story or article, you can read a paragraph, ask students what they see, and discuss their different visions. This will help students who still don’t get it to understand what you are talking about.
Then read the next paragraph and stop again to ask students to describe their mental pictures. When I do this with a class, they usually become very excited because they finally (some for the first time) understand why some people (yes!) love to read.

Words

I was reminded of something when I saw this in the May 2013 edition of the Friend magazine.  We often tell young people not to use bad words.  Yet, if we don't give them other words to use instead, we are asking them to be in a vacuum.  These are some great words to encourage them to use. 

Give the Benefit of the Doubt

Give the Benefit of the Doubt



Make it a practice to always give someone the benefit of the doubt. In the world of law, people remain innocent until proven guilty. Shouldn't that also be the case with our loved ones?
Trust your friends and family members and give them the benefit of the doubt. Don't jump to conclusions; if you hear a rumor be sure to check with the person mentioned rather than assume it is true or not true.

Benefits:

You will find yourself much slower to anger and in general a more laid back and calm person because you take a moment to think through things rather than immediately passing judgment. You will find that more people will be honest with you if you are honest with them.

Step It Up:

Give the benefit of the doubt to all those you meet, not just to a select few. Make a commitment to never talk behind anyone's back; rather if you have a question you will ask the person directly. This direct communication cuts down on confusion and helps lead to healthier relationships.

Keep It Simple:

The next time you hear an outrageous story, catch yourself before you begin to make a judgment. Keep an open mind, and follow up with the person or people in question at another time. Remain calm throughout this process.

From:  http://www.randomactsofkindness.org/

Children Left Behind

5 Love Languages

I sent the information below to our Primary workers today, but felt that it would be worthwhile to share with our Esperanza educators and other stakeholders, too. 




You may have heard of "The 5 Love Languages." They were originally designed by a counselor for married couples, but they have application with other relationships as well. 

 

Below is a brief description of each:

• Words of affirmation. You like receiving notes or calls of appreciation, encouragement, gratitude, etc. 
• Acts of service. You like it when others serve you in some way such as helping with a project. 
• Receiving gifts. You like receiving any kind of gift that demonstrates the other person is thinking of you or cares about you.   
• Quality time. You like the other person to "be" with you.  It's the gift of individual attention.
• Physical touch. You like people to show they care through hugs, pats on the back, etc. 

 

Most people do for others what is most important for them. For example, Beth--our just released Primary secretary-- mentioned that her primary languages (a tie) are Quality Time and Acts of Service.  Therefore, they are what she is most willing and eager to give to the people around her. Yet, what we appreciate the most isn't always what others appreciate the most. 

 

 

•  

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Name:_________________________________

 

_____     Words of affirmation

_____      Acts of service

_____      Receiving gifts

_____      Quality time

_____      Physical touch

You Can't???

Blind girl pole vaulter 1 of best in Texas

 

By JIM VERTUNO
AP Sports Writer

By JIM VERTUNO The Associated Press

Last modified: 2013-05-12T18:31:56Z

Published: Friday, May. 10, 2013 - 2:14 pm

Last Modified: Sunday, May. 12, 2013 - 11:31 am

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AUSTIN, Texas -- To see the world as 15-year-old Charlotte Brown does, imagine looking through a tiny straw. Strip away all color and depth perception from the pinhole view and use a right eye that can't distinguish shape from shadow.
Now run about 80 feet, counting seven steps with your left foot before planting a nearly 13-foot pole in the ground to launch your body a dozen feet into the air.
That's right. Brown is a pole vaulter. And despite being legally blind, she's one of the best in Texas and a favorite to medal Saturday in Class 3A at the high school state championship meet at the University of Texas.
"I've always wanted to do stuff with adrenaline," Brown said Friday. "Most people think it's crazy to pole vault. I've always just thought it would be lot of fun. I run full speed at a stationary object that I can't see."
Brown is one of at least two legally blind pole vaulters competing for state titles this weekend. Aria Ottmueller, 17, of Chandler, Ariz., is competing in that state.
Brown, who lives in Emory, a town of 1,200 about 65 miles east of Dallas, was born with normal vision but developed cataracts when she was just 16 weeks old. That led to the first of several surgeries on her eyes, including insertion of artificial lenses. Her vision stabilized until she was about 11 when it started getting worse and doctors still have not been able to determine why. She reads Braille.
Despite the disability, she attacked athletics from an early age to keep up with two older brothers. There was even a time she was determined to play football.
"She wanted to play wide receiver," her father Ian Brown said. "So we went in the front yard and tossed the ball around. That's when we decided that not being able to see the ball was a bit of a challenge."
Nothing else has stopped her. Brown runs cross country, where her teammates wear bells on their shoes to help lead her through the course. As a sprinter, she qualified for the state regional finals in the 100 and 200 meters. She runs inside, where it's easiest to distinguish the light and dark contrast between the track and grassy infield to help her stay in her lane.
And until last season, she also played basketball, where she typically guarded the opposing point guard and had a tendency to deliver some hard fouls.
But pole vault requires special timing, balance, strength - and courage - to excel and it is difficult enough for someone with perfect vision to master. Ian Brown admits he was nervous the first time his daughter practiced the vault in 7th grade. He was sizing up the landing pit when he asked her a series of questions:
Can you see the bag? No.
Can you see the bar? No.
Can you see the pit? No.
"I've got some concerns here," Brown told his daughter.
"Great," she replied. "Now get out of the way."
"She's utterly fearless," dad said. "To be a pole vaulter, a person needs a bit of daredevil. With her, it's kind of remarkable. The person who should be the most frightened of it isn't frightened at all."
That fearlessness, and a routine honed to perfection, has carried her to the state meet.
To jump, Brown sets a special tape marker 76 feet, 6 inches away from the launching point. Her approach to the bag is measured in 14 steps, but once she starts, she only counts the seven steps with her left foot. That's because it's fewer numbers to think about and she uses her left to plant and launch herself skyward.
From there, it's just a matter of going up and coming down. It's also the one time being blind might be an advantage, Brown said.
"It would be scarier to vault if I could see," she said. "I wouldn't want to look down."
The key for Brown is staying straight on her approach. If she drifts right or left on her approach, she risks smashing into the standards that hold the crossbar she's trying to clear. Mistakes - and crashes - have happened, but she's never been seriously hurt. She had one bad flop when she first started training, but shrugged it off by telling herself "now I know what NOT to do."
To keep her running in a straight line, Brown unfurls an 80-foot strip of dark artificial turf next to the lane. That gives her a light/dark contrast that she can follow to know she's running straight.
"I've gotten some strange looks along the way," she said.
Brown qualified for the state meet with a height of 11-6, which tied her for second best in her classification. She's more than a foot under the best qualifying mark of 12-8, but Brown said she's recently jumped 12-5.
"She could win this," said Emory Rains High School track coach Jeff Lester, who has started tutoring Brown on running hurdles. "It's a rhythm race. I don't think she'll have any problem once we get over the first one ... One thing I learned about her is as soon as you tell her she can't do something, she does it."
American Jenn Suhr, the Olympic gold medalist in the women's pole vault, was amazed that Brown has been able to overcome her disability and excel.
"Vaulters count on all their senses. We use depth perception to adjust if your stride is too long somewhere or you misstep. She has to tune into her body and rhythm. It's remarkable," Suhr said. "She's an inspiration."
Brown said many vaulters she competes against don't know she's legally blind. She doesn't wear dark glasses to cover her hazel eyes and doesn't walk with a cane. In an interview Friday, the only trace of her disability came when she poked with her feet to judge the depth of each step on a short staircase.
"I don't normally tell people. I know some of them have found out. A few of them have told me it's really cool what I'm doing," she said. At some meets, Brown said other vaulters have helped to hold down the strip of turf in strong winds.
Brown said she's just starting to realize that her story can be an inspiration to others with disabilities.
"When I started this it was just fun and it was a challenge," Brown said. "Now people tell me it is inspiring ... if it can inspire people to do something new or challenging, that's cool."
Brown has already started a career as a motivational speaker. She was invited last summer to give a 15-minute speech to a group of Dallas business executives about overcoming challenges.
"She spent about three months writing and working on that," Ian Brown said. "She got a standing ovation."
After Brown competes Saturday, she will be presented with a special spirit award from the National Federation of State High School Associations. Later this month, she will go to New Jersey to get a seeing eye dog and she has big plans for it. Brown wants the dog to run cross country with her next season and sit next to the runway when she pole vaults.
"He'll have to be in shape," Brown said.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2013/05/10/5411538/blind-girl-pole-vaulter-1-of-the.html#storylink=cpy

5 Concerns About Children Becoming Bilingual Answered by Prof. Fred Genesee

 

Families around the world are raising bilingual children and living linguistically rich lives. Yet childhood bilingualism continues to be poorly understood. Why so many misconceptions and what can we learn from today’s research?

By Fred Genesee
Photo credit: Parker Michael KnightFrom Multilingual Living Magazine
Language acquisition is an everyday and yet magical feat of childhood. Within three to five years, virtually all children become fully competent in at least one language. We accept this as totally normal. We seldom worry about whether or not it will happen even though it is the most complex accomplishment of early childhood.
Even more remarkable are those children who simultaneously acquire proficiency in two, or more, languages during the preschool years. Within the same time frame as it takes monolingual children to learn one language, bilingual children learn two languages and become adept at using them in socially diverse and appropriate ways.
It is estimated that there may be as many children who grow up learning two languages as one. Despite this, childhood bilingualism is poorly understood by many and regarded with skepticism by others. Because of lack of familiarity with or knowledge about childhood bilingualism, parents, educators, and early childhood specialists may express doubts about childhood bilingualism and they may expect negative consequences to result from children learning two languages during the preschool years. Such concerns are especially common in communities where most children grow up monolingual and, as a result, adult members of the community come to view monolingualism as normal and bilingualism as abnormal.
In recent years, researchers have been actively involved in studying bilingual acquisition and, although all the research evidence is not yet in, we now have a more detailed description of important aspects of bilingual development than previously.
Bilingual acquisition is complex. In comparison with monolingual children who usually learn language from their parents, bilingual children may depend not only on parents but also on grandparents, playmates, or childcare and daycare workers to learn their languages. Bilingual children may learn their languages primarily in the home, like monolingual children, or in the daycare, or neighborhood.
Bilingual children’s exposure to their languages can also differ greatly, as, for example, if the child is learning one language from a parent who works at home and the other from a parent who works outside the home. Their language exposure can fluctuate greatly over time, if, for example, the parent who is the primary source of one of the languages takes a job in another city and is only home on weekends.
Here are responses to some concerns that are commonly expressed by parents and child care professionals about bilingual acquisition in early childhood:
Concern #1: Learning two languages in childhood is difficult and can result in delays in language development.
Children who have regular and rich exposure to both languages on a daily or weekly basis from parents and other caregivers exhibit the same milestones in language development and at roughly the same ages as monolingual children. It is important to remember that there are large individual differences in language acquisition — some children acquire their first words or use complex utterances much earlier than other children. Delay in the emergence of these milestones does not necessarily mean that there is something seriously wrong; in most cases it simply means that the child has taken longer to reach this stage. The same kinds of differences are characteristic of bilingual children.
It is important that parents of bilingual children provide systematic exposure to both languages all the time and that they avoid radical changes to the language environment of the child. Such changes can disrupt language development and create difficulties for the child.
Concern #2: Bilingual children have less exposure to each of their languages than monolingual children. As a result, they never master either language fully and, compared to monolingual children, they never become as proficient.
Bilingual children can acquire the same proficiency in all aspects of their two languages over time as monolingual children even though they usually have less exposure to each language. Bilingual children acquire the same proficiency in the phonological and grammatical aspects of their two languages as monolingual children do in their one language, provided they are given regular and substantial exposure to each.
Bilingual children may have somewhat different patterns of development in certain aspects of language in the short term. Vocabulary is one of those areas. Sometimes, young bilingual children know fewer words in one or both of their languages in comparison with monolingual children of the same age. This is probably because all young children have limited memory capacities, and bilingual children must store words from two languages, not just one.
As well, because bilingual children learn words in each language from different people, they sometimes know certain words in one language but not in the other. When the vocabulary that bilingual children know in both languages is considered together, they generally know the same number of words and have the same range of vocabulary as their monolingual peers. Most importantly, when and if differences like these occur, they are short term and are likely to disappear by the time the children begin school.
Interpersonal communication is another area where bilingual children sometimes differ. The ways of communicating in certain social situations or of expressing certain meanings can be quite different in some languages. If bilingual children are acquiring such languages and they have not had full exposure to one or both of them, then they may not have acquired the ability to express these meanings or they may not be proficient in certain social situations. Given adequate and appropriate experience with their languages, most bilingual children quickly acquire all of the social language skills and ways of expressing themselves they need.
Generally speaking, bilingual children’s overall proficiency in each language reflects the amount of time they spend in each. Thus, a child who has just returned from a visit to a grandparent where only one of the languages was used, may prefer to use only that language for awhile and, thus, may appear to have lost some proficiency in the other language. This is usually a short term, temporary shift in preference that is corrected once the child is exposed to the neglected language.
It is important not to overreact to these temporary fluctuations in proficiency since they are usually temporary. Parents can best ensure that their children achieve full proficiency in both languages by providing rich experiences with each and especially with the language that might otherwise not get strong support in the extended community; for example, a minority language such as Spanish or Chinese in North America. It is important in this regard that parents who do not speak the majority language of the community continue to use their native language so that they expose their child to varied and rich ways of using language. This is difficult to do if parents use a language that they are not proficient in. It is also important for parents to maintain use of heritage languages in the home because it is part of the family culture and an important part of the child’s developing identity. It helps them feel unique and connected to their families.
Concern #3: Young bilingual children can’t keep their languages separate; they use both at the same time; they are obviously confused.
At some stage, most bilingual children use sounds and words from both languages in the same utterances or conversations even though the people talking with them are using only one language. Some parents and early childhood educators are concerned when they hear this because they believe that it means that the child is confused and cannot separate the two languages.
Research shows that this is not true. The main reason for children mixing their languages in these ways is because they lack sufficient vocabulary in one or both languages to express themselves entirely in each language. Thus, they borrow from the other language. Indeed, this is an effective communication strategy in most families because parents and other adults who care for bilingual children usually understand both languages and may mix the languages themselves when talking with the child.
Bilingual adults in some communities mix their languages extensively. Research has shown that the most proficient bilinguals mix the most and in the most sophisticated ways without violating the rules of either language. It is normal for children growing up in these communities to mix their languages extensively because they are simply learning the patterns of communication that are common in their community.
In any case, mixing languages is a natural and normal aspect of early bilingual acquisition, even among proficient adult bilinguals. Parents should not try to stop their children from mixing. Bilingual children will naturally stop doing it, unless of course mixing is a frequent form of language use in the community.
Concern #4: Using both languages in the same sentence or conversation is bad.
Parents can discourage and even prevent their children from doing this by making sure that each of them uses one and only one language with their child at all times. The same goes for other adults who interact with the child.
Research has shown that most bilingual children mix their languages sometimes no matter how much their parents mix, for the reasons mentioned earlier. As well, most parents mix their languages when talking with their young children because it is a natural and effective way of communicating with one another and their children. Because mixing languages is common among people who are bilingual, it can be difficult and unnatural, if not impossible, to keep the languages completely separate.
If most people in the children’s wider community use only one language, then there is probably no reason to worry about how much parents or children mix; the children will eventual learn the monolingual patterns.
Concern #5: What are the most important things for parents or early childhood educators to know about early childhood bilingualism?
There are number of important things to keep in mind:

• Bilingual acquisition is a common and normal childhood experience.
• All children are capable of learning two languages in childhood.
• Knowing the language of one’s parents is an important and essential component of children’s cultural identity and sense of belonging.
• Bilingual acquisition is facilitated if children have sustained, rich, and varied experiences in both languages.
• Proficiency in both languages is more likely if children have sustained exposure in the home to the language that is used less extensively in the community; the language that is used more widely will get support outside the home.
• Parents can facilitate bilingual proficiency by using the language they know best and by using it in varied and extensive ways.

Fred Genesee is Professor in the Psychology Department at McGill University, Montreal. He has served on the TESOL Board of Directors, Executive Committee of American Association for Applied Linguistics, ACTFL Foreign Language Standards Steering Committee, TESOL ESL Committee on Performance and Assessment Standards, and the National K-12 Foreign Language Resource Center. He has conducted extensive research on alternative forms of bilingual and immersion education and is currently conducting research on students who are at-risk for language and reading impairment in French immersion programs in Canada. He is the author numerous scientific research reports and books, including Dual Language Instruction: A Handbook for Enriched Education (Heinle & Heinle, 2000, with Nancy Cloud and Else Hamayan), Dual Language Development and Disorders (with J. Paradis & M. Crago, Brookes) and Educating English Language Learners (with K. Lindholm-Leary, W. Saunders, & D. Christian, Cambridge University Press). His current research interests include the language and literacy development of at-risk students in bilingual programs, language development in cross-language adopted children, and simultaneous bilinguals.

May--Get Caught Reading Month

Celebrate Get Caught Reading Month

By: Janelle Cox

Janelle Cox

May is all about reading! First, we shared tips on how you and your class could celebrate Children's Book Week. Now, we want to get you in the spirit of Get Caught Reading Month.
Get Caught Reading Month is a nationwide campaign that reminds people how much fun it is to read! Launched in 1999 by former Congresswoman Pat Schroeder, and supported by the Association of American Publishers, this campaign has set out to spread the word about the joys of reading.
Well-known figures such as Rosie O'Donnell, Robin Williams, and Dolly Parton have been "caught reading" to help promote this campaign (You can view all of the celebrities who have embraced this campaign here). Research shows that the development of early literacy skills through books, are linked to a child's success in reading. Armed with this knowledge, the Get Caught Reading Campaign hopes to encourage children and people of all ages to enjoy books.
There's still time for you and your students to 'get caught reading'! Here are a few ways teachers and librarians across the United States can participate in the Get Caught Reading Campaign:

          

Hang a Poster - Order a free poster of a celebrity "caught reading" to hang in your classroom or school hallway. This is a great way for students to visually see their favorite celebrity reading, and will help encourage them to read themselves.

Get Caught Reading Tickets - Every time you catch one of your students reading, give them a golden ticket. At the end of the month the students can cash them in for a prize.
Set Up a Book Club - During the month of May, set up a weekly book club where students meet and discuss a current book they are reading during Get Caught Reading Month.
Have a Reading Day - Choose one day during the month of May to devote to reading all day long. Invite parents to join in, and have parents and students take turns reading throughout the day.
Camera Contest - Organize a camera contest where each student must find different members of the community reading, and take their picture. The student that captures the most people reading wins a prize.
Book Drive - Host a book drive! Invite students to bring in slightly used books and take a class trip and donate the books to a local shelter or hospital.
Mystery Reader - Celebrate Get Caught Reading all month long by inviting mystery readers into your classroom. Send a secret note home to parents to sign up so you can have a different mystery reader every week.
Invite a Local Author to Read - Contact a local author to come in and read one of their books to the class. Make sure to take a class photo with the author reading, this way you can turn it into a poster and hang it in the hallway. Email bworthington@publishers.org to obtain the logo for a Get Caught Reading Poster.
Set Up Book Time - During the month of May, designate an hour a day of class time solely for reading. Refer to it as "Get Caught Reading Time."
Draw a Picture - Have students draw a picture of a classmate they caught reading. At the end of the month, collect the drawings and create a class book titled "Got Caught Reading."
For more ideas, visit the Get Caught Reading website.

Sound off! How do you celebrate "Get Caught Reading" month in your classroom? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below. We would love to hear from you!

Sources:  Snow, C.E. & Ninio, A. (1988) "The Contacts of Literacy: What Children Learn from Learning to Read Books," in W.H. Teale & E. Sulzby (Ed.) Emergent Literacy: Writing and Reading, Norwood (as cited in Reach Out and Read Program Manual)

It's An Opportunity Gap

Harlem Success Academy works hard to combat poverty — and get kids achieving at the same levels as their higher-income peers. The authors suggest this process is far more difficult than reformers believe it to be.

 

Parents in New York City who compete for coveted slots in the most sought-after preschools and kindergartens are often met with ridicule. But what these parents are doing is logical. They recognize something that many leaders — including Mayor Bloomberg — have largely ignored for years: Children learn when they have opportunities to learn, and the richer those opportunities from the very earliest age, the greater the learning.

If you want the right outcome, you need the right inputs.

By the time young children enter kindergarten, education researchers already see a fully developed test-score gap. The children at the top are those most advantaged by their parents’ wealth, having begun their academic development at very early ages. They board an elevator that speeds them to academic success.

Children in middle-class families benefit from some of these resources, but their parents must struggle to try to keep up. Effectively, their parents are able to put them on smoothly operating escalators toward academic attainment goals; but theirs is no express elevator.

Meanwhile, children who are born into poor or lower-income families face enormous disadvantages. They stare up at a steep stairwell, often with broken steps and no hand rails. Although their test scores have increased some over two decades, the relative gap between them and the other groups is still startling high. Nearly two-thirds of black and Latino youth under the age of 18 fall into this group, and, though there are, of course, many exceptions, their talent is being wasted year after year, generation after generation.

This all leads to the predictable, oft-lamented achievement gap — which is powerfully present in New York City, home of some of the richest and some of the poorest people in America, along with plenty in between.

Lower-income children perform less well on high-stakes accountability tests; they then graduate from high school and attend college at significantly lower rates than children of the wealthy and the middle class. Achievement and opportunity are intricately connected. Without one, you cannot have the other.

Politicians have responded to the markedly different educational outcomes among different groups by raising expectations and demands through high-stakes  accountability systems. This is exactly the wrong response.

The No Child Left Behind law, New York’s new teacher evaluation law and other policies implicitly, if not explicitly, insist that all three of these groups of children can reach the metaphorical top floor. “No excuses,” they insist. The Common Core standards, while sound, are an articulation of this same basic idea.

What is still missing, years after the education reform movement began, is sufficient supports, capacity or resources — at the earliest age, which is when assistance is most critical — to close the initial and enduring opportunity gap.

The undeniable fact of life in America, indeed the world, is that higher-income families are fortunate to have the resources to supplement their children’s education with arts, science, history and engaging, expansive learning. Children in lower-income families are usually denied such opportunities. And as their schools become more test-focused, they have few places to turn for this sort of vital enrichment.

The New York City parents mentioned at the outset — and parents throughout the United States — know the truth: Policymakers cheat our children when they seek out magic beans and silver bullets instead of the quieter but much more meaningful investments in the sort of deeply engaging teaching and learning that will produce vibrant, intellectually curious young people in all communities.

If we as a nation hope to narrow glaring achievement gaps among children of different social classes, we must step up to provide low-income youth with a fair start. We need to think much more seriously about the inputs.

Every American will not go to college. But all our children should be given an equitable chance to be prepared for college.

For those now facing the steep stairwell, our leaders have a choice. They can continue the breathless push for achievement now, regardless of where kids start. Or they can turn to solid research about opportunities to learn. They can increase access to high-quality preschools, well-trained and culturally sensitive teachers, childhood nutrition, learning enrichment programs and other inputs. We know how and why some students thrive while others falter. It’s the opportunity gap, and we can close it.

Carter is professor of education and sociology at Stanford University, and Welner is professor of education policy at the University of Colorado-Boulder. They are the co-editors of “Closing the Opportunity Gap: What America Must Do to Give All Children an Even Chance .”


Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/opportunity-gap-stupid-article-1.1340946?pgno=1#ixzz2TN64z3px
 

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/opportunity-gap-stupid-article-1.1340946#ixzz2TN5qmZUz

Bilingualism Is Not....

A great resourse:  www.multilingualliving.com   The following article came from this site. 

 

What Bilingualism Is NOT

 

By Professor François Grosjean

I have had the chance to live and work for extended periods of time in at least three countries, the United States, Switzerland and France, and as a researcher on bilingualism, it has allowed me to learn a lot about my topic of interest. I have found that people in these countries share many misconceptions about bilingualism and bilinguals but that they also have very country-specific attitudes towards them.
Among shared misunderstandings, one is that bilingualism is a rare phenomenon. In fact, it has been estimated that more than half of the world’s population is bilingual, that is uses two or more languages in everyday life. Bilingualism is found in all parts of the world, at all levels of society, in all age groups. Another common misconception is that bilinguals have equal knowledge of their languages. In fact, bilinguals know their languages to the level that they need them and many are dominant in one of them.
There are also the myths that real bilinguals do not have an accent in their different languages and that they are excellent all-around translators. This is far from being true. Having an accent or not does not make one more or less bilingual, and bilinguals often have difficulties translating specialized language.
Then there is the misconception that all bilinguals are bicultural (they are not) and that they have double personalities (as a bilingual myself, and with a sigh of relief, I can tell you that this is not the case).
As concerns children, many worries and misconceptions are also widespread. The first is that bilingualism will delay language acquisition in young children. This was a popular myth in the first part of the last century, but there is no research evidence to that effect. Their rate of language acquisition is the same as that of their monolingual counterparts.
There is also the fear that children raised bilingual will always mix their languages. In fact, they adapt to the situation they are in. When they interact in monolingual situations (e.g. with Grandma who doesn’t speak their other language), they will respond monolingually; if they are with other bilinguals, then they may well code-switch. Finally, there is the worry that bilingualism will affect negatively the cognitive development of bilingual children. Recent research appears to show the contrary; bilingual children do better than monolingual children in certain cognitive tasks.
Aside from these common misunderstandings, certain attitudes are specific to countries and areas of the world. In Europe, for example, bilingualism is seen favorably but people have very high standards for who should be considered bilingual. The latter should have perfect knowledge of their languages, have no accent in them, and even, in some countries, have grown up with their two (or more) languages. At that rate, very few people consider themselves bilingual even though, in Switzerland for example, the majority of the inhabitants know and use two or more languages in their everyday life.
How about the United States? Einar Haugen, a pioneer of bilingualism studies, has stated that the US has probably been the home of more bilingual speakers than any other country in the world. Bilingualism here is very diverse, pairing English with Native American languages, older colonial languages, recent immigration languages, and so on.
This said, it is not very extensive at any one time. Currently, only 17% of the population is bilingual as compared to much higher percentages in many other countries of the world. This is not due to the fact that new immigrants are not learning English. The reason, rather, is that bilingualism is basically short-lived and transitional in this country. For generations and generations of Americans, bilingualism has covered a brief period, spanning one or two generations, between monolingualism in a minority language and monolingualism in English.
The tolerance that America has generally shown towards minority languages over the centuries has favored the linguistic integration of its speakers. As sociologist Nathan Glazer writes, the language of minorities “shriveled in the air of freedom while they had apparently flourished under adversity in Europe”.
When presidential candidate Barak Obama stated that children should speak more than one language, he was probably referring to the paradox one finds in this country: on the one hand, the world’s languages brought to the United States are not maintained, and they wither away, and on the other hand only a few of them are taught in schools, to too few students, and for too short a time. A national resource – the country’s knowledge of the languages of the world – is being put aside and is not being maintained.
It is important to stop equating bilingualism with not knowing English and being un-American. Bilingualism means knowing and using at least two or more languages, one of which is English in the United States. Bilingualism allows you to communicate with different people and hence to discover different cultures, thereby giving you a different perspective on the world. It increases your job opportunities and it is an asset in trade and commerce. It also allows you to be an intermediary between people who do not share the same languages.
Bilingualism is a personal enrichment and a passport to other cultures. At the very least, and to return to Barak Obama’s comment, it certainly allows you to say more than “merci beaucoup” when interacting with someone of another language. One never regrets knowing several languages but one can certainly regret not knowing enough.

François Grosjean, the author of Bilingual: Life and Reality, received his degrees up to the Doctorat d'Etat from the University of Paris, France. He started his academic career at the University of Paris 8 and then left for the United-States in 1974 where he taught and did research in psycholinguistics at Northeastern University, Boston. While at Northeastern he was also a Research Affiliate at the Speech Communication Laboratory at MIT. In 1987, he was appointed professor at Neuchâtel University, Switzerland, where he founded the Language and Speech Processing Laboratory. He has lectured occasionally at the Universities of Basel, Zurich and Oxford. In 1998, he cofounded Bilingualism: Language and Cognition (Cambridge University Press). Visit his website at: www.francoisgrosjean.ch and his Psychology Today blog, Life as a bilingual, at: www.psychologytoday.com/blog/life-bilingual.

50 Tips On How To Work Harmoniously With Parents

50 Tips On How To Work Harmoniously With Parents






Every teacher wants parents to feel like they’re part of a team in support of a child’s learning.  Most teachers realize that effective communication with parents does not consist of a single act — such as a parent-teacher conference — but is instead part of an ongoing, two-way exchange.  Creating supportive, understanding relationships with parents starts from the very beginning of the school year — even before — and requires thought and effort in designing ways to keep parents informed and involved.
Teachers increasingly must be creative in their approach to communication with parents.  Parents work longer hours and have a variety of schedules and many other commitments.  In addition, teachers must think about families — such as those whose first language is not English — who come from populations that may not always feel included in school events.

How Can Teachers Create Effective Partnerships With Parents?

Here are 50 ways that teachers can use to build and strengthen this critical relationship:
1. Create a welcome packet for the new parents in your class to mail home during the summer.  Introduce yourself, your teaching philosophy, your class goals.  Tell families a little about your background and tell them why you’re excited for the new school year.  Begin your relationship on a friendly, approachable level.  Be as personal in your approach as you’re comfortable with.  Parents want to know that you are a real person, with interests, hobbies, and your own family.
2. Call home once before the start of the school year.  Many parents may be less intimated with a brief, welcoming exchange before meeting you in person.
3. Survey parents at the beginning of the year to figure out parent work schedules and prior commitments.  This will help in scheduling class events, parent conferences, and arranging phone conversations.
4. Ask parents about all the caregivers that are a part of the child’s daily life.  There may be grandparents, babysitters, afterschool clubs, and neighbors who may play a significant role in the daily schedule of a child.  They may also be able to provide you with valuable input about a student’s progress or challenges.
5. Create a detailed information sheet at the start of the year about each student.  On the back of that information sheet, create a chart with a running log of contact dates between you and the parents.
6. Display your diplomas and other teaching credentials in your classroom.  Talk about ongoing professional development in which you are involved.  Present yourself to families and students as a lifelong learner who loves his or her profession. Parents will respond to your professional passion.
7. Create a professional business card and staple it to first newsletter or welcome letters.  Again, parents will respect professionalism and seriousness about your career.

Inform parents about your classroom management philosophy.

8. Be open to parents about how to communicate with you right from the beginning.  Give specific times and methods.  If you have an e-mail address but do not check it, let them know.  Inform them how often you check voicemail and how long they can expect before they receive a response from you.
9.  Think about your own strengths and weaknesses as a listener and communicator.  Examine the (unintentional) nonverbal signs that you may be sending through your posture, tone, and eye contact.  One approach to active listening is called S.O.L.E.R.  It stands for Squarely face the person, Open your posture, Lean toward the person, Eye contact maintained, and Relax.  Be relaxed, direct, and open in your body signals.
10. When you are speaking with parents, make sure that you are hearing what they are trying to say to you.  Try another active listening strategy called “paraphrasing.”  Try to restate what you are understanding a parent’s main points to be and make sure that they agree with your rephrasing.
12. Create a “Parent Center” in your classroom.  This can be an area of the room – or outside the classroom – where parents can sign in when they are volunteering, pick up extra copies of forms, look through student work, browse the class calendar, and read school materials.
13. Inform parents about your classroom management philosophy.  In either a handout at the start of the year or during Open House, clearly outline your discipline policies and expectations.  Describe how you will keep parents informed about disciplinary actions and what your expectations for their participation are.
14. Make parents feel welcome before they enter the classroom.  Outside your classroom, include student work and welcome signs, particularly if many of the families in your class do not speak English at home.
15. Assign students to write “letters of appreciation” for their parents before Open House.  Ask students to describe why they are grateful and excited that their parents will attend and what they can expect to see and hear.
16. Make open house night a special event.  Ask for parent volunteers well in advance to bring food and refreshments.  Create a special invitation to parents for Open House, describing the evening’s agenda and refreshments.  If you are planning on showing a video previewing class events or showing student work or activities, mention that in your invitation.
17. Prepare a Power Point presentation for Open House and practice it.  Keep it short, friendly, and focused.  Include a slide with your contact information, class procedures, class rules, and yearly objectives.
18. Create a laminated chart or bookmark for each subject or class that you teach.  List basic skills for each subject and general ways that parents can assist with each area.
19. Send home information about a new topic before a new unit is started in class.  Students are often not the best communicators of what they are studying in school, and many parents will appreciate knowing a little bit about each unit’s goals and major assignments.
20. Give parents a list of suggested questions about what to ask their child about school or about your class.  Many parents are baffled about how to get clear or detailed answers about what and how they’re learning in school.  Talk about this with your students, and practice how they might answer if an adult asks about an assignment or a unit.
21. Recognize all cultural traditions in your classroom.  Talk about and acknowledge to students and families the holidays and traditions that they may be celebrating.  Research them, if you are not familiar with them, and communicate your respect and enthusiasm for all backgrounds.   Put up posters, pictures, and other items from students’ homes.
22. Create a “school to home” notebook for communication with families.  Particularly in the younger grades, these can be useful for writing personalized reminders and updates about progress.  Think about how often you want this form of personalized communication.  Usually, these notebooks work best when they are used once or twice a week.  Be sure about what your expectations from parents are.
23. Create a short newsletter each month, week, or season to talk about class events.  Try to standardize each issue’s format, color, and size so that parents know what to expect when they are reading it.  Determine in advance how often the newsletter will be published.   In the newsletter, speak directly to parents in everyday language with no educational jargon.
24. Experiment with new forms of newsletters.  For instance, many teacher create newsletters that are primarily image-based.  Ask students to participate in taking photos to be included in newsletters, and publicize the “student photographers” to parents in your newsletter.
25. Ask for parent feedback at the end of the year about your newsletter.  What worked?  What are their suggestions for improving it?   Which issues were their favorites, and why?
26. Proofread carefully all of your communications home to parents.  Get a friend, co-worker, or spouse to read them over to make sure that you’re conveying a friendly, positive tone.  Parents will be more likely to perceive you as a professional if you take the time and effort to communicate clearly.
27. Call home to parents when there is “good news” to report about student behavior or progress.   Parents will be more likely to view you as someone who invested in the full range and potential of their child if they know that you are also looking for a child’s strengths and achievements.
28. Do not use e-mail as a replacement for face to face or phone conversations.  E-mail does not convey tone, and it’s easy for parents to misunderstand or jump to conclusions about your message.
29. If there is an issue, particularly if it’s serious or ongoing, the report card should never be the first time that a parent learns about it.  The teacher-parent relationship is likely to suffer if parents feel blindsided during one of their only opportunities to discuss their child with you.

If it’s serious or ongoing, the report card should never be the first time that a parent learns about it.

30. Have a clear agenda for a parent-teacher conference distributed in advance.  Parents will feel less anxiety if they know what to expect.
31. Consider student-led conferences, a growing trend in many schools.  Depending on the age of your students and your school’s policies, student-led parent-teacher conferences can provide remarkable results in opening up communication between you, the child, and the parent.  Student-led conferences are more likely to be attended by parents and have been shown to lead to greater accountability by students for their own learning.
32. Take your parent-teacher conference “on the road.” Think about offering “parent conferences” in places other than school.  If parent participation is an issue, consider holding parent meetings in local apartment or housing complexes where large numbers of your students may live or in local restaurants.
33. Ask parents to preview work samples in the weeks before a conference.  Conversations are more likely to be specific and goal-directed if parents have an understandable context for your points.
34. Create a written conference summary to distribute each parent and other teachers who may find the information provided in the conference to be useful.
35. Follow up on parent-teacher conferences with other faculty and staff.  Create a checklist of follow-up items from all of the conferences, and update parents with any progress.
36. Before an assignment is given out, think about how parents can participate – if at all – most productively in helping students.  Be clear and outline to students, as well as to parents, your expectations for how parents can help out.  If you do not wish students to get any form of assistance from their parents, be clear about that as well.
37. Offer frequent chances for parents to volunteer in your class and promote them.  Arrange a schedule of volunteer opportunities, and ask for parents to participate at least once.
38. Ask parents for suggestions about how they would like to spend time in the class.  Do they have skills or interests that they would like to share or teach the class?  Have they learned a new video editing software?  Be open to ideas about how parents can find a place for themselves in your class community.
39. Always send home thank you notes when a parent volunteers in your class.  Students can also write personalized thank you notes to their parents.
40. Inform yourself of school-wide events and keep track of the school calendar.  Parents will appreciate when your own class events and projects do not conflict with community events.

41. Think about using online photosharing tools.  Many teachers take a lot of pictures of their classrooms, student projects, and class events.  Consider posting them online to a private account for your class so that parents can see and purchase them.
42. Create an online class calendar that parents can link to.  Link up videos, assignments, and forms that are due on certain dates.
43. If it is permitted by your school’s administration, create a class Facebook page.  Many schools and classrooms have found Facebook to be an effective way of promoting events, sending reminders, and asking for supplies or volunteers.
44. Inform parents when any disciplinary action is taken, well before scheduled parent-teacher conferences.  Parents do not like to be surprised that their child was punished in school.  Make sure to make a quick phone call or send home a note.
45. Maintain confidentiality about families at all time.  If a student is having difficulties, inform faculty members who are directly involved.   Similarly, do not talk about specific students’ tests scores, family backgrounds, or learning issues. You can show your respect for the families in your class by refusing to gossip or complain about individual students and their families.

Inform parents when any disciplinary action is taken, well before scheduled parent-teacher conferences.

46. Create a guide for parents about local and national media opportunities.  If there is an episode on a television show or a feature in a local newspaper that might inform or interest families in your class, let them know about it.  If you read a research article that might be of interest to parents, copy it and send home a summary of why this article is useful or important.
47. Find out about local support groups in your area and include them in beginning of the year information and in class newsletters.  Parents may need additional parenting help beyond what is provided by the school.  Ask the school guidance counselor or other professionals to recommend support groups that parents can check out.
48. Make sure that the parents in your school know the full range of resources provided by the school.  Ask representatives from other departments (counseling, special education) to introduce themselves at Open House or other class events. Ask these staff members to write “guest columns” in your class newsletters.
49. Use postcards to communicate with parents about meetings and conferences.  Many businesses give out free packets of postcards.  Postcards are cheap to send and are reminders that parents can put on refrigerators about events and meetings.
50. Be slow and determined in building relationships with parents.  There is no one-size-fits-all solution to creating a supportive relationship with every family.  But do not give up.  Parents may bring with them negative experiences from their own school histories and they may have cultural or language differences that make communication more difficult.  You may have to use trial and error, as well as a set of approaches, if you are successful in communicating successfully with each parent.

About Julie DeNeen

Julie DeNeen has her bachelor's degree in Clinical Psychology from the University of New Haven. She spent several years working for a local Connecticut school at the district level, implementing new technologies to help students and teachers in the classroom. She also taught workshops to teachers about the importance of digital student management software, designed to keep students, parents, and teachers connected to the learning process.

Cited From: http://www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/features/50-tips-to-work-harmoniously-with-parents/#ixzz2TB11gxGv



























Cited From: http://www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/features/50-tips-to-work-harmoniously-with-parents/#ixzz2TB0Y8tMo