Greetings Senior Word Artist Readers,
I have been asked by my mother "theseniorwordartist" to write a guest entry about School, Children, and Parental Insight to prepare families for the overwhelming task of getting back into the swing of school. I will provide references for this information so that you will have reputable information to assist you for the school year.
For many of you, perhaps school is an enjoyable time for you and your children. For others perhaps, there are moments of despondency that take hold when dealing with schedules, grades, ability levels of your children/students, parent conferences, behavior contracts, new schools, new living locations/environments, and more. You name it and I am certain it can be added to the list. It is imperative you know we all handle situations differently but are expected to conform to a sort of commonplace experience while at work and/or in school. With the start of this new school year, let me share a few aspects of truth with you that I wish as a former teacher, I could have shared with parents more often. I believe in equality for all students, regardless of their socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, cultural beliefs, food consumption status (vegan, vegetarian, etc.), and ability levels/talents (which is most important); too few of our students are never recognized for the wonders they possess, but then again, few adults are either.
Years ago, a man named Howard Gardner came up with a system of identifying multiple aspects of intelligence which was intended to present a debate that No One Person can be GOOD at EVERYTHING and that the IQ test (created by Binet missed the mark on this fact). Gardner proposed students/people may not have strengths in memorized data (as tested in some areas of IQ tests) but could have natural propensities in other areas of cognition and performance (as cited in Henshon, 2006). Gardner asked us to consider the following as things our kids could be good at: bodily-kinesthetic (learns best through movement), Musical-auditory (learning through sound/hearing), visual (learning through sight/imaging), naturalism (learning through a connection with nature), spatial (learning through operation of large or small scale item/area), intrapersonal (learning best independently), interpersonal (learning through collaboration with others), and logical-mathematical (reasoning/analysis); each capable of assisting an ability to problem solve (MI Oasis, 2014).
Parents remember this:
"Your Child Is Great At One of the Areas Above!" You may already know how they learn best. Keep them focused on this during this next school year so that they will always feel progressive. Challenge them to work harder and to attain greater goals in areas they EXCEL in. Every child at every ability level CAN be challenged...perhaps the teacher is doing all they can...so Help them Out A Little.
Dr. David Richardson has found that
ADOLESCENT brains (pre-frontal cortexes to be exact) physically CHANGE when teachers provide activities that teach POSITIVE behaviors (known as social and emotional learning [SEL]) (The George Lucas Foundation, 2007). It is possible if the inverse is true, a teacher displaying adverse behaviors could literally ignite mental anguish and subsequent damage to your child during prolonged exposure to the negative behavior. Remedy?? Take some time, make a phone call, speak to the teacher (DO NOT EMAIL). If you do not get results, speak to the Principal. Present the research and ask for collaborative change or request for your student to move to a new classroom. Remember, you help pay for Public Education. If your child goes to a Private school, this goes without saying. You deserve a say-so in how they are educated.
Be mindful. If your child has an
Individualized Education Plan (IEP), check your child's IEP from last year and call the counselor and resource instructor at the start of the new school year to inquire about future meetings that will inform changes in the IEP for this new year. This shows you are ready to assist your child, even if you are not familiar with what they are studying. Showing you care is one way to set your child apart from the masses.
CALLING ALL PARENTS! Following the first week of school (however short it may be), email every teacher your child has. You can send one generic email to everyone with permission to email you directly concerning your child's progress. if you are unsure how to send an email to more than one person, click on this link for instructions. (
http://www.ehow.com/how_6528216_do-sent-multiple-people-email_.html) During my years as a middle and high school teacher, I can tell you, I knew the names of all of my students by the end of the first week, however, the majority of my colleagues never did. They would complain in 9-week classes the students would be getting ready to depart just as they learned their names.
GET YOUR CHILD NOTICED. Not with your money, threats, allegiance as a fellow church member, but rather through your CONCERN. Let teachers know you will be contacting them to ask questions about your child's behavior, grades, performance on homework, at lunch time, on the playground, etc. Whatever you have a concern with let them know. Teachers are with your children for hours each day. They confer with each other, walk the halls during lunch, see your kids in the restroom, hear what your children are planning to buy, eat, drink, and more. They see your children mature. Let them know you KNOW they DO and you want them to act as an EXTENSION of YOUR EYES and EARS. This tells a teacher to WATCH OUT for your child, even if they tell you of the many others they have to oversee. This small task goes with the Territory. As a former teacher, I wish more parents would have contacted me like this because my personal growth came from protecting their children as my own.
There are so many additional tips I would love to share, BUT this is a Long Blog. Just remember, no one can replace you as a parent or guardian for your child. Technological devices (cell phones, hand-held or stationary game systems, iPads) that are connected to wireless Jetpacks and other types of Wi-FI (Mi-Fi) connections emit Electromagnetic Signals that may give your child headaches, cause them to behave aggressively or to pout, cause their heads to burn, etc. Try to limit their use and ask them to keep the phones away from their heads at night. I am a grown up who feels EMS from mobile Wi-Fi devices, yet had no trouble teaching in non-wireless classrooms for eight years. I know what I am saying to you is true. Monitor your kids. They have only you to depend on and one life on this Planet.
Please pose any questions to theseniorwordartist@hotmail.com and I will do my best to respond.
Sincerely,
Ms. Ri'Cha ri Sancho, BS, MEd, PhD Pupil
Thank you for joining us. BE BLESSED < BE A BLESSING to other and please LAUGH with EVERYONE.
With Much LOVE (TYG).
Tonnie Stowers Jackson
References:
See Gardner's site directly. Second hand information is not necessary for you to locate.
http://howardgardner.com/ and his site on Multiple Intelligencies is
http://multipleintelligencesoasis.org/
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Henshon, S. E. (2006). The evolution of creativity, giftedness, and multiple intelligences: An interview with Ellen Winner and Howard Gardner. Roeper Review, 28(4), 191-1
MI Oasis. (2014). The components of Mi. Retrieved from http://multipleintelligencesoasis.org/
The George Lucas Educational Foundation. (Producer) (2007). "The Heart-Brain Connection: The Neuroscience of Social, Emotional, and Academic Learning." Retrieved from
http://www.edutopia.org/daniel-goleman-social-emotional-learning-video
