It is that time of year. Parent teacher conferences are taking place all over the country. While conference time should not be a time when "bombs" are dropped on parents, sometimes that can be the case. Below are tips for going into conferences prepared and what to do with the information you receive during the conferences.
#1 - BE PREPARED
Before walking into a conference, it is important that you go in with any questions you may have. Let the teacher share information with you first (they may in turn answer some of those questions) and then ask whatever questions you still have.
#2 - TAKE AN ACTIVE ROLE
During the conference, let the teacher know that you are willing to help your child at home in any way you can. If the teacher identifies your child's strengths, ask how you can challenge your child at home in those areas. (If they don't point out strengths, they should! Everyone is good at something. Make sure you ask what your child does well!)
If the teacher identifies areas of weakness, ask what they are doing in the classroom to support those weaknesses and ask what you can do at home to help. (All students can improve, so if the teacher doesn't mention anything, make sure you ask what areas can use some work!)
Make sure as you leave the conference that you let the teacher know you appreciate communication and that they should feel free to email you if there is anything that comes up that they want you to work on with your child.
#3 - THE BOMB WAS DROPPED
You have walked out of your conference and are shocked to find out that you child is now struggling in a certain area. What now? First, like I mentioned above, make sure you ask what support is being offered in the classroom and ask what you can do at home.
Once you know an area of weakness, try to find resources (computer games, games on the web, skill building workbooks) to begin strengthening the area of weakness. If you find that this is not working, your child is becoming frustrated, or they are falling further behind, it may be time to talk to the teacher about getting outside support. A teacher can help recommend a tutor or at least tell you about the type of tutor you should be looking for. If you or the teacher feel that it is a difficulty that spans many areas and not just a specific subject area, it may be time to look into educational testing that could give you more information about your child's academic profile.
How did your conferences go? If you want to share your experience or have any questions please feel free to post a comment here or email me directly at lisathelearninglady@gmail.com.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Monday, October 4, 2010
10-4-10 Segment of "Ask The Teacher" on Star 94
Another great segment on Star 94. Thanks to the callers who phoned in their questions!
Question #1
My son is in Kindergarden and is having trouble blending the sounds in words when trying to read. What can I do to help him?
Getting children to use their bodies to be hands on learners greatly helps the learning process. There are many fun activities that can help with blending. As children learn to read, they typically begin by sounding out the letters in words. It is often difficult for children to then blend the sounds together. You can put letters on cards and place them on the floor. As the child sounds out each letter, have them walk alongside side of it to show the importance of "moving" through the word. You can also use letter tiles/magnets. Put them on a table with some space in between each one. After the child says the sound of each letter, move the tiles/magnets closer together and get them to use their hand and "move" through the word (they can move their hand under the letters as they say the sounds faster when you push the letters together.)
Just remember that Kindergarten is a year when children will begin to be taught the blending skills.
Question #2
My daughter is in 6th grade and it takes her at least two hours to do her homework each day. After such a long day and so much homework, I don't want her grades to start slipping and for her to become anxious. What can I do?
It is a big jump in workload from elementary school to middle school. There are different teachers for different subjects and they may not all be aware of how much homework their colleagues are assigning. First, if there is any homework that comes home that is not due the next day, try to make a schedule that would make the workload more manageable. Next, talk to other parents and see if it is taking their child as long . (If your child seems to be working twice as long as others, talk to their teachers because they may be struggling in that class.) Finally, talk to one of your child's teacher and see what they recommend. Your child is not the first one to have this problem and the teachers may have some good advice or help that they can offer.
Question #3
My daughter is in Pre-K. I heard that one of her classmates is reading already. Is that possible?
It is possible although it is not typical. Children develop at different rates and most children at that age are not ready to read. Pre-K children are NOT expected to read at that age. There is usually a big discrepancy in reading abilities in Pre-K through first grade students due to the rate their reading skills develop. By second grade, the playing field has usually leveled out.
Question #1
My son is in Kindergarden and is having trouble blending the sounds in words when trying to read. What can I do to help him?
Getting children to use their bodies to be hands on learners greatly helps the learning process. There are many fun activities that can help with blending. As children learn to read, they typically begin by sounding out the letters in words. It is often difficult for children to then blend the sounds together. You can put letters on cards and place them on the floor. As the child sounds out each letter, have them walk alongside side of it to show the importance of "moving" through the word. You can also use letter tiles/magnets. Put them on a table with some space in between each one. After the child says the sound of each letter, move the tiles/magnets closer together and get them to use their hand and "move" through the word (they can move their hand under the letters as they say the sounds faster when you push the letters together.)
Just remember that Kindergarten is a year when children will begin to be taught the blending skills.
Question #2
My daughter is in 6th grade and it takes her at least two hours to do her homework each day. After such a long day and so much homework, I don't want her grades to start slipping and for her to become anxious. What can I do?
It is a big jump in workload from elementary school to middle school. There are different teachers for different subjects and they may not all be aware of how much homework their colleagues are assigning. First, if there is any homework that comes home that is not due the next day, try to make a schedule that would make the workload more manageable. Next, talk to other parents and see if it is taking their child as long . (If your child seems to be working twice as long as others, talk to their teachers because they may be struggling in that class.) Finally, talk to one of your child's teacher and see what they recommend. Your child is not the first one to have this problem and the teachers may have some good advice or help that they can offer.
Question #3
My daughter is in Pre-K. I heard that one of her classmates is reading already. Is that possible?
It is possible although it is not typical. Children develop at different rates and most children at that age are not ready to read. Pre-K children are NOT expected to read at that age. There is usually a big discrepancy in reading abilities in Pre-K through first grade students due to the rate their reading skills develop. By second grade, the playing field has usually leveled out.
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