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Dear Parents and Guardians, Greetings from Team 7/8C. The first week is now over and school is in full swing. Ask to see your student’s planner and materials for each class. We hope to see you at Open House, Thursday, September 4, 2003 at 6:30 PM. Sincerely,
School Success Begins at Home
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1 |
The issue: Homework. The problem: The popular misconception that kids have too much. The fix: Accept homework. It is essential. |
2 |
The issue: Socializing with friends. The problem: School performance falls as time spent with friends increases. The fix: Influence of adults must outweigh that of friends when it comes to school. |
3 |
The issue: Extracurricular activities. The problem: Sports are all-important. The fix: Cut back on sports if they interfere with schoolwork. |
4 |
The issue: Television. The problem: Television usually is not the problem; people just think it is. The fix: Limit, don't turn off, the TV. |
5 |
The issue: Part-time jobs. The problem: Students work too much. The fix: Curtail weekday jobs during the school year. |
The Farmington Valley Post August 9, 2001
"Read, Read, Read," Mark Nolan, Principal, Pine Grove Elementary School, Avon
"Parents don't realize they're role models," Rena Klebart, Principal, Braeburn Elementary School, West Hartford
"Know who your children's friends are," Mark Nolan, Principal, Pine Grove Elementary School, Avon
"The key is involvement and communication," Shelly A. Solomon, vice-Principal, Hall High School, West Hartford
"Parents should invest time being familiar with policy," Matt A. Bisceglia, Principal, Windsor Locks High School
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Posted with permission from
the author
The New Britain Herald, September 9, 2001
Lessons in how to make a child a
student
By: Dr. Yvonne Fournier
Scripps Howard New Service
DEAR DR. FOURNIER: Life in our household is wonderful when there is no pressure from school. It’s when the school year starts and the workload increases that everyone in the family gets upset. My son helps out around the house and is great when it comes to pitching in where the family is concerned.
But he is completely different when it comes to doing his homework and studying. He procrastinates terribly and his papers are a mess. Why won’t he just get his work done? What can I do so that our family time is not ruined during the school year?
THE ASSESSMENT: As parents, we diligently set rules, and then teach our children how to be a “good” son or daughter.
When it comes to household responsibilities, we usually give explicit instructions, complete with deadlines and explanations of the processes they need to follow. We use imperative statements or commands, such as, “You need to take your bath as soon as this TV show is over,” or, “Remember that today is the day you take out the garbage. Make sure you tie the top before putting the bag into the trashcan. Do it after dinner.” The list of family responsibilities usually grows along with our children.
But all too often, when our children become students, we can forget about teaching “how” and just focus on the outcome. Instead of giving explicit instructions, we can find ourselves asking accusing questions like, “Why haven’t you started reading your novel for your book report?” or, “How could you have forgotten about your science project?”
When it comes to academic tasks, we sometimes expect our children to think as adults and know how to set their own boundaries and formulate their own processes. When they don’t, we sometimes chastise them rather than realize that teaching our children the process to accomplish tasks is what they really need.
WHAT TO DO: Sit down with your son and make a list of his home responsibilities.
Help him examine the process that is required for each task, and then show how the process can apply to schoolwork. It is not always an easy transition. A child who keeps a spotless room might also have a book bag that looks as if it has been hit by a tornado. Here are some suggestions for helping your son understand that the responsibility he has learned at home can also help him at school:
At Home: Because you have cleaned your room many times before, you generally know before you start how long it is going to take. You set aside that amount of time to complete the task.
For School: Record the actual time your spend on each assignment for a week, and we will figure an average time for each subject. Then, you can schedule your time better.
At Home: When we take our car trip to see your grandparents, you organize your toys and games to have them handy in the back seat.
For School: Create a paper-organization system that travels from home to school so you will not waste time looking for homework.
Select a fun “take-home” folder, and make sure you set your backpack in a special place each night before you go to bed.
As you examine how your son contributes at home, look for ways to apply that process to school responsibilities. Remember to focus on teaching processes with explicit instructions, and you should soon begin to see that the diligent ways your son has demonstrated at home will be echoed in his performance at school.
copyright ( (c) Yvonne Fournier, 2001)
(Write questions to Dr. Yvonne Fournier, 5900 Poplar Avenue, Memphis,
TN 38119, or e-mail yf7thsense@aik,cin, Questions
can be answered only in future columns.)
(Write Dr. Yvonne Fournier, Fournier Learning Strategies Inc., 5900
Poplar, Memphis, Tenn. 38119. E-mail
YF7thsense@aol.com)
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