Now that we
are finished with a quarter of school and are well immersed into the second
quarter, it would be helpful to evaluate some important aspects of your child’s
school performance. It’s not too late to make some improvements that will make
a big difference for the rest of the year. Answering these questions will help
you evaluate your child’s performance and develop a plan to succeed this school
year.
1.
Do you
know how to communicate with your child’s teacher? While we may be afforded
many tools for communicating, we all have our preferred way of staying in
touch. Some teachers check email multiple times in the day, some prefer phone
calls after school, and some still find the old fashioned method of writing a
note to be the most effective means.
2.
Do you
recognize the teacher’s primary means of making class announcements? When
teachers need parents to know specific details about important events, they
usually put them in letters (print or email). Blog posts, phone texts, and other
forms of communication are merely reminders. Be sure your student gives you all
letters sent home by the teachers.
3.
Do you
know the primary way your teacher reports student grades? Elementary
classes send home a test-quiz folder; secondary grades give students progress
reports; and our teachers upload grades weekly on Gradelink.com for all
students and parents to view. Monitoring weekly grades should be a team effort by
teachers, parents and students.
4.
Do you
have an effective plan for completing homework? Is your child too often
working on homework at a late, unproductive time of night? Is homework being completed so quickly and
thoughtlessly that it has no chance of improving mastery? Perhaps a more
consistent homework plan needs to be created. For homework completion to be
successful, you must consider when to work on it, where the student will work
on it, and how they will be accountable.
5.
Do you
have an effective study plan? You may want to refer to a previous article
on “The Value of Study Partners.” Many parents make the mistake of thinking
that children should be able to study alone, and many students make the mistake
of thinking that they should be able to study alone. Studying alone usually
takes longer and reaps worse results than having a study partner. If you would
like your child to see an improvement in grades, consider revising the study
plan.
6.
Do you
have a plan to help your student concentrate? No creative plan is needed
here, just some time to unwind and a reasonable schedule. Yes, school should be
taken seriously, and school performance is more important than pleasure. However,
every kid has a limit. Kids need sleep and physical exercise to function
mentally. Be careful to not overschedule their day with organized activities
and cheat them out of a reasonable bedtime. A little free time each day to get
some exercise benefits children more than many realize.
7.
Do you have a plan to help your child
unwind? When children get stressed, it can materialize in undesirable moods
as well as aches and pains. Stress is not all bad; it helps us perform
optimally. But children need a means to unwind from the academic rigor and
social challenges they encounter at school. The best relief is a happy, healthy
home. No matter what may happen at school, children need to count on parents to
talk to and a positive environment to come home to. Possessing an inward love
for our children is not enough; let’s be sure to express it by making home a
place of unconditional love.
