School Involvement...All Year Long

When 16-year-old Drew is at school, his mom may be just a couple of classrooms away. “At first it’s kind of weird, and my friends will be like ‘Oh yesterday I saw your mom at school.’ And I’m like, ‘Oh, OK.’ But eventually I get used to it,” he says.
She volunteers at the school, which makes it easy to check in with her children’s teachers. “When one of my children has a problem in one of his classes, they’ll say we got his test grade and it’s this,” says Stacy, Drew’s mom. But many parents never get that kind of quick feedback.
According to a survey by the Michigan Education Association, a quarter of parents said they almost never talk to teachers. The same number said they never attend parent-teacher conferences. “Sadly, I think those numbers are probably very accurate,” says academic advisor Cathie Banks.
Banks says that can send kids a subtle, but damaging message: My parents don’t care about my education, so why should I? The result is that “they’re less involved in activities. ... They have lower self-esteem; they have lower classroom attendance,” she says.
In fact, earlier studies by the U.S. Department of Education found that when parents are involved – by monitoring homework, talking to teachers or volunteering at the school – children’s grades were dramatically higher and discipline problems dramatically lower.
“She’s always around at school a lot. So if I was to do something bad, she would know about it pretty quickly,” says Drew.
Experts say meeting your child’s teachers and spending time at their school is invaluable. “Find a link, whether it’s a teacher you can talk to (or) a guidance counselor that you can go (to),” says Banks. “I would encourage any parent who wants to become involved to do so, no matter what the cost.”

What Parents Need To Know
A study funded by education groups in Michigan found a pronounced rift between parents and teachers. Although parents and teachers should be partners in education, they are often adversaries. Parents can ensure a child is on time to school and then welcome them home at night, but they often leave the hours in between solely to professional educators.
Consider the following:
• Only one-in-nine working parents is active in a child’s school.
• Overall, one-in-four parents participate in a child’s school.
• Nearly a quarter of parents never ensure teachers know essential information about their child.
• Teachers are more forthcoming about academic problems than they are with behavior problems.
• Parents who communicate with the schools have a higher level of success and satisfaction, as well as a greater sense of belonging to the school community.
• Nine states have passed legislation offering unpaid family leave for school activities, with varying requirements for eligibility.
Working moms and dads might be desperate for a connection but need flexible volunteer opportunities and events timed around the workday. Conversely, stay-at-home parents want to preserve family evenings and consider daytime school involvement one benefit of staying home.
Parent involvement increases positive results. Show your child with actions, not just words, that you really care about education. Involvement extends beyond simply getting your child to school on time. If parents don’t care enough to drop
by the school and talk to a teacher, to make sure homework gets done and books get read, the child likely won’t care either. Parents of low-achievers, the students who could most benefit from parent involvement, are the least likely to visit schools.
Eventually, a parent might need to deal with the school on his or her child’s behalf. A parent is in a much better position if that’s not the first time the school has seen him or her. Children of parents who are engaged with the school receive a better education. However, most schools and educators do little to welcome reluctant parents. To combat this dilemma, parents can:
• Make regular visits to their child’s classroom.
• Share pertinent, helpful information about their child with his or her teachers.
• Ask teachers specific questions regarding their child’s performance and behavior.
• Encourage teachers to be honest with them.
• Be careful not to behave as their child’s defense attorneys. They shouldn’t automatically side with their child and go after an educator.
• Act as allies of the educator because a teacher who knows he or she has the backing of the parents is more likely to go out on a limb for that child.

Kickoff a Stress-Free School Year

For many children, the first day of school doesn’t only mean new teachers and new friends – it can also be a source of anxiety with homework assignments and tests just around the corner. Starting the school year off on the right foot can help minimize a child’s stress level throughout the year.

The experts at Sylvan Learning, the leading provider of tutoring to students of all ages, grades and skill levels, suggest parents help their children prepare for the transition to the next grade level and the return to school by encouraging a structured routine from day-one and staying actively involved in their child’s education.

To help children get ready for the new school year and to minimize academic stress, Sylvan Learning offers these tips and ideas to make the transition from summer to school easier. Tips include back–to-school suggestions and specific hints for the transitional years:

Back-to-School Tips (for each new school year):• Get back in the routine. Ease transition from lazy summer days to the structure of the school year by re-establishing bedtime, mealtime, reading and homework routines. Talk with your child about the importance of these routines and how they help ensure that he is not overtired or overly anxious about schoolwork or the next day of school.
• Set education goals. Help your child set goals at the very beginning of the year. Whether it is striving for an A in reading, handing in all homework on time or preparing for tests well in advance, setting goals can help set the routine for the new year.
• Develop a relationship with your child’s teacher. Take the time to meet your child’s teachers at the beginning of the school year. Teachers can be the best source for information about your child’s scholastic performance and they can recommend ways to help your child or resolve any difficulties he or she is having.
• Homework routine and place. Designate a specific time and place for homework time and help your child discover a regular, quiet place where he can study. Make sure that the area is free from potential distractions and that study tools are at your child’s fingertips to keep him focused on homework and studying.
• Stay on schedule. Your child should keep a schedule of all classes, assignments and key dates, such as project deadlines and test dates. As part of that schedule, she should include specific times for studying, projects and extracurricular activities. The more thorough the schedule, the more efficient your child will be. Organization minimizes late nights completing homework assignments, cramming for tests at the last minute and can ultimately reduce student anxiety about school.
• Emphasize organization. For some students, having color-coded binders for each subject helps them stay on track throughout the school year. Keeping notes organized helps test preparation later in the year, so work with your child to determine the best method for him.
• Encourage learning at home. Promoting learning outside of the classroom helps children perform better in school. To nurture reading skills spend at least one hour per week – 10 to 15 minutes a day – reading with your child. To enhance math proficiency, try allowing your child to help plan the next family trip and encourage him to compute miles, cost of gas, expenses for food, hotel and entertainment.

Transition Year Back-to-School Tips (Children Starting Kindergarten, First Grade, Middle School or High School):• Visit the school. If your child is changing schools with the new year, make a special trip together to visit the school before the first day of classes. Checking out the new classroom and the new teacher before school starts will help ease feelings of anxiety and help get your child into his or academic routine. If it’s available, review the class schedule with your child and prepare him for the new grade.
• Discuss changes in routine. Talk with your child about how the routine for her new school may differ from the previous year. It can be difficult for children to adjust to changes in schedules and workloads. Explain how her schedule may differ from last year. Will there be more homework assignments? Does she have to wake up earlier? Will she have more than one teacher this year?
• Provide extra support. When starting the new school year, especially if it’s a transition year, a little extra support can’t hurt. Talk with your child about her fears regarding school and maintain an open dialogue throughout the year. Discuss what subjects she’s anticipating and any areas she finds particularly challenging. Don’t forget to talk about homework and tests.
• Transition into Kindergarten. Kindergarten is your child’s introduction to elementary school and a first opportunity to learn basic math and reading skills, not to mention a first look at routines and expectations of group learning. As a parent, you are your child's first teacher. The skills that he learns from you – how to get along with others, follow directions and listen to directions – will help him start the year off right.
• Transition into middle school and high school. Transitioning from elementary to middle school and from middle school to high school brings many questions and concerns. Organization becomes even more important in middle school and high school when your child must keep track of multiple subjects, homework, teachers, classrooms and books. You can help him to reduce stress by giving him a calendar/planner to help him organize these new items and encouraging him to build good study habits.

PLZ PRACTICE UR WRTIN

Millions of children and adults use language like this to make weekend plans nad chat with friends via email, Twitter, and Instant Messaging (IM). It is important that this informal writing style of shortened words, improper grammar, lack of punctuation, and use of emoticons, such as smiley faces and other keyboard-created graphics, does not follow them into the classroom.

To help children boost their effective writing skills, we offer the following tips to avoid email-style language making its way into schoolwork:

1. Talk to children about using different writing styles to communicate with different audiences. Describe the importance of personalizing messages and why it's important that students know their audience. While it's okay to close a letter with "C ya" to a friend in an IM, it is not okay to include this slang in homework assignments. Remind them that formality is required in school.

2. Have fun with writing. Provide children with enjoyable ways to practice their writing. Involve your child in writing grocery lists, thank you notes, dates on calendars, and messages. Or, play games like Blurt!, TriBond, and MadGab that help build language and vocabulary skills.

3. Review schoolwork for IM and email-style language. Encourage your children to write properly and take the time to carefully review assignments several times before submitted them to the teacher. Review your child's homework to ensure he or she is not using shortcuts or slang.

4. Talk with teens to establish ground rules for using texting, Twitter, and email. Work with your child to develop a plan for using IM and email to make sure other responsibilities, such as completing homework and chores, are met before going online to chat with friends. Discuss time limits with your children and ensure they are kept.

5. Create a writing zone. Whether writing on a computer or with a notebook and pencil, it is important that your child has a well-organized place to write. Set up an area in your home for writing - a desk to table with a flat surface and good lighting. Ensure the area is free from potential distractions and that writing tools, including a dictionary, paper and pens, are at your child's fingertips.

Sylvan offers parents a variety of tools and activities to help students practice and have fun with writing, including tips for boosting effective writing skills and free online writing journal. Parents can download the free writing journal, complete with suggested writing topics and decorative pages, from the "Family Learning Activities" section in the "Parent Resources" area of www.SylvanLearning.com.