"No News!" in the classroom doesn't mean "Good News!"
The beginning of the school year always starts off fresh and positive. Both parents and students hope for the best and enjoy the new routine with the brand-new backpacks and school supplies. Teachers are busy getting to know the students and students are engaged in learning their new routines. Ahhh, the bliss associated with the new year. Don't assume that because the teacher isn't phoning you or sending home notes, that your child is doing fine in school.
Parents often wait until their children bring home their first progress report in October before checking in with the classroom teachers to see how their children are doing. Progress reports are usually sent home or are available online after six or eight weeks. That's two months of establishing bad habits and falling behind. By the time the first progress report is available, it's really hard to help your child catch up and learn difficult concepts that they may have been struggling with for weeks. For students in the upper grades where their GPA counts, it may be impossible to improve your child's grades after two months have lapsed.
Talk to your children about what they're doing in each of their classes. Ask to see their work and discuss with them their plans to do long-term projects. By staying involved in their daily academic lives, you'll help them stay on track and you'll know when they need help. Don't wait until progress reports are printed before asking questions of your children and of their teachers. No news doesn't mean good news!
Parents often wait until their children bring home their first progress report in October before checking in with the classroom teachers to see how their children are doing. Progress reports are usually sent home or are available online after six or eight weeks. That's two months of establishing bad habits and falling behind. By the time the first progress report is available, it's really hard to help your child catch up and learn difficult concepts that they may have been struggling with for weeks. For students in the upper grades where their GPA counts, it may be impossible to improve your child's grades after two months have lapsed.
Talk to your children about what they're doing in each of their classes. Ask to see their work and discuss with them their plans to do long-term projects. By staying involved in their daily academic lives, you'll help them stay on track and you'll know when they need help. Don't wait until progress reports are printed before asking questions of your children and of their teachers. No news doesn't mean good news!
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Justine Freeman on -
As a teacher, I think that if I have a "red flag" student, I would be calling the parents right away. In fact, I've pushed through an IEP within the first month of school because I was so concerned about a student. Also, I do spend my first 6 weeks assessing and gathering information so that I can plan my curriculum to meet the needs of my students. So, sometimes the teacher may not have enough information to formulate a plan until that progress report or conference. There are many things parents can do at home to help their children be successful in school...so many that I created an entire blog about it!
-
Permalink Reply by Lynne Kenney on -
Really interesting comments. This week I read "Organizing the disorganized child" by Kutscher and Moran I recommend it HIGHLY. Lynne
-
Permalink Reply by Ginny on -
This is a great point. I stay involved in my kids school work, especially my oldest who struggles. A lot of her classes last year though didn't have anything to bring home, etc. With her having issues, she doesn't always know she is struggling. I get so irritated when I get a bad progress report & the teacher never tried to contact me. I even usually email the teachers in the first week, explaining some of my dd's issues.
You definitely cannot depend on the teacher to tell you anything. You have to be active. Of course not all teachers are like this, but if you are involved, then you will know what teachers will keep you in the loop & which ones do not.
-
Permalink Reply by Susan Tatsui-D'Arcy on -
Ginny,
That's great that you stay involved in your children's school work. Just your presence will keep them on their game because they know that you're interested. You brought up an interesting point about your oldest daughter who may not know that she is struggling. Sounds like she may think that going through the motions of completing homework assignments is all that is required to do well in a class. Grades are comprised of much more than just homework. Many students don't know how to study for tests. They often review their notes or breeze through the chapter, which doesn't always give them the foundation they need to do well on tests. In order to thoroughly understand the material and get A's on tests, most students need a study plan. If they spend 30 minutes studying for a test every day for four days before the test, you'll see a significant rise in their test scores. Try it out! For instance, if your daughter has a spelling test, have her make flash cards (four days before), write the words ten times (three days before), take a practice test (two days before), and write the misspelled words twenty times (one day before). By teaching your daughter how to study for exams, you will be giving her a powerful skill, and gift!
Ginny said:This is a great point. I stay involved in my kids school work, especially my oldest who struggles. A lot of her classes last year though didn't have anything to bring home, etc. With her having issues, she doesn't always know she is struggling. I get so irritated when I get a bad progress report & the teacher never tried to contact me. I even usually email the teachers in the first week, explaining some of my dd's issues.
You definitely cannot depend on the teacher to tell you anything. You have to be active. Of course not all teachers are like this, but if you are involved, then you will know what teachers will keep you in the loop & which ones do not.
-
Permalink Reply by Susan Tatsui-D'Arcy on
-
Thank you Lynne, I'll check it out!
Lynne Kenney said:Really interesting comments. This week I read "Organizing the disorganized child" by Kutscher and Moran I recommend it HIGHLY. Lynne
-
Permalink Reply by Healthy Mom on -
Our school spends the first weeks doing assessments and placements as soon as those are done. About four weeks. We have teacher conference. However I start in the summer contacting the new teachers and forming a relationship with the teacher, by telling them what the kids have been doing over the summer. All of the teachers meet with the parents prior to school starting to find out about each student as well. This is really helpful. I also ask the teacher to drop me an email once a week, just to let me know how week has been for my child. I think communication between the teacher and parents is the key.
-
Permalink Reply by Susan Tatsui-D'Arcy on
-
Absolutely! Sounds like you have the ideal learning environment! I agree with you that communication -- especially early communication -- is key.
Healthy Mom said:Our school spends the first weeks doing assessments and placements as soon as those are done. About four weeks. We have teacher conference. However I start in the summer contacting the new teachers and forming a relationship with the teacher, by telling them what the kids have been doing over the summer. All of the teachers meet with the parents prior to school starting to find out about each student as well. This is really helpful. I also ask the teacher to drop me an email once a week, just to let me know how week has been for my child. I think communication between the teacher and parents is the key.
Announce yourself!
© 2010 Created by Megan Calhoun
