Whether your little one is starting school for the very first time, attending to a new school or a new division this year, or just getting ready for a different teacher, the beginning of the school year can be filled with anxiety. Change can be scary — for you and for him. Worries about unfamiliar routines, new teachers, unknown expectations and making friends can have kids dreading their first day back.
There’s no doubt about it — our kids are growing up in the digital age. From toddlers mastering iPads to teens creating multimedia presentations, our kids are surpassing our technological skills at a break neck speed. As a teacher, I’m always on the lookout for ways to infuse my lessons with technology. One thing I know for sure — most kids love computers! And when students get to engage with something they love, the learning is much more effective and meaningful.
Soon, the school bells will start tolling through our quiet neighbourhoods and the little ones, armed with their shiny new lunch boxes, will head off to their first day. Do you know what class your child will be in? Many schools let parents know who their child’s teacher will be at the end of the previous year. More and more schools are letting parents and kids know on the first day back. Either way, whether you know it or not, there is a good chance your student will be in a combined grade or split class this year.
I was just sitting enjoying some downtime from motherhood, when Morgan Freeman flashed across my TV screen saying "Most people only use 10% of our brain.” Now, with his wise, sincere voice, Mr. Freeman can convince me of many things (especially when it comes to penguins), but not this time. I know the 10% brain quote was only part of a movie trailer, but it got me thinking, does anyone still believe this and other often spouted brain myths?
Television gets a bad rap. There are countless studies demonstrating links between kids’ TV viewing and aggression, inability to focus, sleep deprivation, inactivity, and a myriad of other disturbing negative repercussions. The American Pediatric Association recommends zero screen time for children under 2, citing all sorts of learning difficulties that may be connected to early TV exposure.
For those of you following my journey, you know I was declared surplus to my school this year and was taken out of a job that I was rather attached to.
Report cards are coming home any day now. Teachers are busy putting the final touches on them, and in most schools, final printing will occur this week. Students will be carrying home these treasured or dreaded bits of paper next week. When your little scholar presents you this record of their achievement, will you know how to crack the teacher’s subtext to really understand how your student is doing?
When I returned to work after my maternity leave, there were some new additions to my classroom — two sleek iPad Airs and a shiny new SMART Board, brought in to enhance lessons, engage students, and support learning.
Don’t you love that Pixar and Disney movies always throw in a bit of humour that appeals to adults? A couple of laughs make it more bearable to be sitting in that theatre, with your shoes sticking to the drink splattered floor and your elbows bumping those restless kiddies squirming in their seats. Transfer this humour to Children’s Literature and you’ve got a magic recipe. A giggle or two in kids’ books makes them more enjoyable to read again and again AND AGAIN to those eager little ears.
When I was a kid I remember the threat—don’t mess up or it’ll go on your permanent record! It was as if our transgressions as students would follow us around until the end of time, and that detention we got in Grade 2 would mark us for life. Obviously, this isn’t the case, but every student does have a permanent school record that follows them from grade to grade, teacher to teacher, and school to school. So what is in this mysterious file, anyway?
I wouldn’t suggest I’m an expert in parenting. As a new(ish) mom, I’m muddling through like many are, making game time decisions and frequently finding myself outsmarted by a 15-month-old. However, in my career I’ve been managing boisterous gaggles of children for many years, herding motley groups into effective learning situations with some success. And in that time, I’ve learned a thing or two about discipline that I try to remember to apply at home.
Here are a few bits of advice from my time in the teaching trenches. Maybe they will help you too.
Sometimes research comes along that confirms what teachers and parents have known for years. Recently money, time and effort have been poured into proving what you may have suspected since the time you prepared for your own high school exams: rereading material over and over is NOT an effective means of studying.
This year, I have a wonderful, clever, talkative student in my class; let’s call him Brady. Brady is bright, charming and REALLY not a fan of formal education. The written word is difficult for him and if a task requires reading and writing, Brady becomes a master of avoidance. One of his favourite refrains when I begin to teach just about anything is “Why do I need to learn this anyway? When will I use it in my life?”
Most moms I know don’t have heaps of free time to devote specifically to fostering literacy with your kids.
Shh, Supermom who seems to have time for stitching clothes from scratch with one hand while creating award winning cakes with the other, I’m not talking about you.
In 1999, Ontario officially eliminated “streaming” high school students. Students entering grade nine no longer had to choose just one path; they could now opt for a mix of academic (university bound) and applied (hands-on) courses. The idea being, a student could begin in applied math in grade nine and later switch to the academic. The route to graduation no longer needed to be a linear journey, but rather students could move back and forth between streams as needed. Theoretically.
Studies show that babies start learning in the womb — making sense of light and shadow, recognizing familiar sounds. Once our squishy, squirming little loves are out in this big bright world, the learning never stops. Our wee ones’ brains are like sponges, soaking up everything we are willing to spill before them. Their insatiable appetite for understanding and discovery leaks well into their school years.
