No Fear! You have time to volunteer. Todays world, we are all busy and always rushing from here to there and back and everywhere. Yet there is still just one more thing your feeling guilty about. Your a single mom, three kids, three schools, 3 sports, softball, gymnastics, and karate. You are already working 2 part time jobs. Even if you find a time to volunteer, how do you decide which school?
Here are 5 helpful ideas and ways to volunteer in 30 minutes or less
1.- Do your Homework-Offer to make phone calls or send out emails from home- Something that you can do after hours or that can be taking home. Maybe grade papers, help the class mom send emails out about the next class party, or maybe you can assemble some new books that need book covers or protectors. Cut out letters to go on the class bulletin board.
2. - Propose A Class Program or Idea- I'm sure you can volunteer for career day. Talk to the class about your career and invite other parents to do the same. Or read or send a book about a specific topic that the class is working on this week. For example The Constitution Day- I sent in my sons book "House Mouse Senate Mouse." Children learn about how our laws are made in Congress, when the Squeaker of the House and the Senate Mouse-jority leader must pass a bill to establish a national cheese!
3.-Volunteer in the Library - Offer 30 minutes prior or after an already scheduled time to be there. If it;s before a class play or PTO meeting or after a class party just schedule it back to back. Schedule this in advance so that the library is prepared for your help and has you something to do . You can restock there shelves or check books back into the computer system,
4. Morning Drop-off or Afternoon Release- Offer to get there early and help the children getting in and out of the cars in a timely manner
5. Copying or Sorting Take Home Hand Outs- You can offer to volunteer in the copy room or help with handouts. You know all those papers that come home everyday to the parents. Help out for 1/2 an hour making copies of flyers or the school play handouts or you can offer to sort handouts into each teachers mail box. Usually requires each class count/number of students and making sure that each teacher receives the correct amount to send one home with each student and sorting.
You may not have volunteered as much as you would like but teachers will not think any less of you for the amount of time you volunteer. Some moms are stay at home moms and some have a full plate. Teachers know this. It's nice just to do what you can and show up for support from time to time.
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Saturday, September 14, 2013
Written PERFECTLY by a Pre-School Teacher... Not me
written by a Pre-School Teacher – It says it all!
I was on a parenting bulletin board recently and read a post by a mother who was worried that her 4 1/2 year old did not know enough. “What should a 4 year old know?” she asked.
Most of the answers left me not only saddened but pretty soundly annoyed. One mom posted a laundry list of all of the things her son knew. Counting to 100, planets, how to write his first and last name, and on and on. Others chimed in with how much more their children already knew, some who were only three. A few posted URL’s to lists of what each age should know. The fewest yet said that each child develops at his own pace and not to worry.
It bothered me greatly to see these mothers responding to a worried mom by adding to her concern, with lists of all the things their children could do that hers couldn’t. We are such a competitive culture that even our pre-schoolers have become trophies and bragging rights. Childhood shouldn’t be a race.
So here, I offer my list of what a 4 year old should know.
She should know that she is loved wholly and unconditionally, all of the time.
He should know that he is safe and he should know how to keep himself safe in public, with others, and in varied situations. He should know that he can trust his instincts about people and that he never has to do something that doesn’t feel right, no matter who is asking. He should know his personal rights and that his family will back them up.
She should know how to laugh, act silly, be goofy and use her imagination. She should know that it is always okay to paint the sky orange and give cats 6 legs.
He should know his own interests and be encouraged to follow them. If he could care less about learning his numbers, his parents should realize he’ll learn them accidentally soon enough and let him immerse himself instead in rocket ships, drawing, dinosaurs or playing in the mud.
She should know that the world is magical and that so is she. She should know that she’s wonderful, brilliant, creative, compassionate and marvellous. She should know that it’s just as worthy to spend the day outside making daisy chains, mud pies and fairy houses as it is to practice phonics. Scratch that– way more worthy.
But more important, here’s what parents need to know.
That every child learns to walk, talk, read and do algebra at his own pace and that it will have no bearing on how well he walks, talks, reads or does algebra.
That the single biggest predictor of high academic achievement and high ACT scores is reading to children. Not flash cards, not workbooks, not fancy preschools, not blinking toys or computers, but mom or dad taking the time every day or night (or both!) to sit and read them wonderful books.
That being the smartest or most accomplished kid in class has never had any bearing on being the happiest. We are so caught up in trying to give our children “advantages” that we’re giving them lives as multi-tasked and stressful as ours. One of the biggest advantages we can give our children is a simple, carefree childhood.
That our children deserve to be surrounded by books, nature, art supplies and the freedom to explore them. Most of us could get rid of 90% of our children’s toys and they wouldn’t be missed, but some things are important– building toys like Lego and blocks, creative toys like all types of art materials (good stuff), musical instruments (real ones and multicultural ones), dress up clothes and books, books, books. (Incidentally, much of this can be picked up quite cheaply at thrift shops.) They need to have the freedom to explore with these things too– to play with scoops of dried beans in the high chair (supervised, of course), to knead bread and make messes, to use paint and play dough and glitter at the kitchen table while we make supper even though it gets everywhere, to have a spot in the yard where it’s absolutely fine to dig up all the grass and make a mud pit.
That our children need more of us. We have become so good at saying that we need to take care of ourselves that some of us have used it as an excuse to have the rest of the world take care of our kids. Yes, we all need undisturbed baths, time with friends, sanity breaks and an occasional life outside of parenthood. But we live in a time when parenting magazines recommend trying to commit to 10 minutes a day with each child and scheduling one Saturday a month as family day. That’s not okay! Our children don’t need Nintendo, computers, after school activities, ballet lessons, play groups and soccer practice nearly as much as they need US. They need fathers who sit and listen to their days, mothers who join in and make crafts with them, parents who take the time to read them stories and act like idiots with them. They need us to take walks with them and not mind the .1 MPH pace of a toddler on a spring night. They deserve to help us make supper even though it takes twice as long and makes it twice as much work. They deserve to know that they’re a priority for us and that we truly love to be with them.
I was on a parenting bulletin board recently and read a post by a mother who was worried that her 4 1/2 year old did not know enough. “What should a 4 year old know?” she asked.
Most of the answers left me not only saddened but pretty soundly annoyed. One mom posted a laundry list of all of the things her son knew. Counting to 100, planets, how to write his first and last name, and on and on. Others chimed in with how much more their children already knew, some who were only three. A few posted URL’s to lists of what each age should know. The fewest yet said that each child develops at his own pace and not to worry.
It bothered me greatly to see these mothers responding to a worried mom by adding to her concern, with lists of all the things their children could do that hers couldn’t. We are such a competitive culture that even our pre-schoolers have become trophies and bragging rights. Childhood shouldn’t be a race.
So here, I offer my list of what a 4 year old should know.
She should know that she is loved wholly and unconditionally, all of the time.
He should know that he is safe and he should know how to keep himself safe in public, with others, and in varied situations. He should know that he can trust his instincts about people and that he never has to do something that doesn’t feel right, no matter who is asking. He should know his personal rights and that his family will back them up.
She should know how to laugh, act silly, be goofy and use her imagination. She should know that it is always okay to paint the sky orange and give cats 6 legs.
He should know his own interests and be encouraged to follow them. If he could care less about learning his numbers, his parents should realize he’ll learn them accidentally soon enough and let him immerse himself instead in rocket ships, drawing, dinosaurs or playing in the mud.
She should know that the world is magical and that so is she. She should know that she’s wonderful, brilliant, creative, compassionate and marvellous. She should know that it’s just as worthy to spend the day outside making daisy chains, mud pies and fairy houses as it is to practice phonics. Scratch that– way more worthy.
But more important, here’s what parents need to know.
That every child learns to walk, talk, read and do algebra at his own pace and that it will have no bearing on how well he walks, talks, reads or does algebra.
That the single biggest predictor of high academic achievement and high ACT scores is reading to children. Not flash cards, not workbooks, not fancy preschools, not blinking toys or computers, but mom or dad taking the time every day or night (or both!) to sit and read them wonderful books.
That being the smartest or most accomplished kid in class has never had any bearing on being the happiest. We are so caught up in trying to give our children “advantages” that we’re giving them lives as multi-tasked and stressful as ours. One of the biggest advantages we can give our children is a simple, carefree childhood.
That our children deserve to be surrounded by books, nature, art supplies and the freedom to explore them. Most of us could get rid of 90% of our children’s toys and they wouldn’t be missed, but some things are important– building toys like Lego and blocks, creative toys like all types of art materials (good stuff), musical instruments (real ones and multicultural ones), dress up clothes and books, books, books. (Incidentally, much of this can be picked up quite cheaply at thrift shops.) They need to have the freedom to explore with these things too– to play with scoops of dried beans in the high chair (supervised, of course), to knead bread and make messes, to use paint and play dough and glitter at the kitchen table while we make supper even though it gets everywhere, to have a spot in the yard where it’s absolutely fine to dig up all the grass and make a mud pit.
That our children need more of us. We have become so good at saying that we need to take care of ourselves that some of us have used it as an excuse to have the rest of the world take care of our kids. Yes, we all need undisturbed baths, time with friends, sanity breaks and an occasional life outside of parenthood. But we live in a time when parenting magazines recommend trying to commit to 10 minutes a day with each child and scheduling one Saturday a month as family day. That’s not okay! Our children don’t need Nintendo, computers, after school activities, ballet lessons, play groups and soccer practice nearly as much as they need US. They need fathers who sit and listen to their days, mothers who join in and make crafts with them, parents who take the time to read them stories and act like idiots with them. They need us to take walks with them and not mind the .1 MPH pace of a toddler on a spring night. They deserve to help us make supper even though it takes twice as long and makes it twice as much work. They deserve to know that they’re a priority for us and that we truly love to be with them.
What Happen to Smiley Faces & Stickers?
Kindergarten and the grading system? Can a student fail Kindergarten? Is there even a such thing? I'm beginning to wonder if I accidental signed my son up for military academy. My son's teacher may be the ring leader and it's obvious to me because of her stringent ways.I think she should practice what she preaches.
Out the 100 or more paper assignments Ryder has completed and turned in maybe a total of 4 have had a smiling face. Lots of them have had nothing on them or check mark at best. Do they not do that anymore, use smiles, frowns or straight faces? A sticker? They could give the child some encouragement somehow. Fantastic, Fast Learner, Needs Improvement, or Practice Practice. Something to go buy.....
I'm getting notes that say, "Bears are brown, grey black or white. We color in crayon."
OK So my kids Rainbow bear was a little sloppy and actually it was not very pretty. The assignment said "color the bear. Write Bb " There was no instructions that said "Choose a brown, black, white or grey crayon to color the bear...." UH! Have you never read the book "Brown Bear Brown Bear, What do you see?" The fact that he used 4 different color crayons and one purple marker to color the bear means nothing to me. I'm the one who let him do it that way (I turned my back and before I knew it the bear was rainbow) but I didn't care. It was his paper, not mine AND he is in Kindergarten...
There is a sheet that is to stay in the back of his "dogs" notebook (DOGS -stands for Daily Organized Guys Notebook) that's there take home notebook. It suggest positive reinforcement words to use with your child. Yet I've never heard or seen it on a paper she graded. I don't even see the smiley face or straight face, etc. It's all notes notes or red marks correcting my child's work. So Mrs. Teacher and Mrs. Asst. Teacher, I will be writing Principal and Assistant Prince. TONIGHT! I think you should practice what you preach and grade by positive reinforcement. Take your own advice and read the paper you sent us home. Do you need another copy?
Friday, September 13, 2013
Foreign Language of Kindergarten
In my first 6 weeks as K-mom I learned more new words than the past 6 years. We will call them foreign language of Kindergarten.How are we suppose to help our children these days? Lets Bridge the Learning Gap between parent and child and send mom and dad back to Kindergarten. How many of you are familiar with this word lists.
Words like
Saxon Phonics
Subutizing or
Units
Reading Street Words
Site Words
AIMSweb
Phonetic Segmentation
Nonsense Words or Word Fluency
Dibels
Fast Phrases (Fry Words)
Fast Phrases (Fry Words)
What happened to Learning the A,B, C's & upper case letters, lower case letters, and their sounds, playing ring around the roses or the Farmer and the Dale, adding apples and oranges, learning how to count money and tell time.....I will be on a mission how do I help my child learn when I need a lesson myself?
PLEASE FEEL FREE TO COMMENT FOR THOSE WHO RELATE I NEED HELP FEELING LUCID.
PLEASE FEEL FREE TO COMMENT FOR THOSE WHO RELATE I NEED HELP FEELING LUCID.
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Preparing for Kindergarten; Mom Recommends....
I'm seeing pamphlets & email's and all the hoopla about How to prepare your child for Kindergarten. I revolt! A revision is in order and should read How to Prepare Parents & the Child for Kindergarten?
It must be culture shock to both parent and child that has never had any other formal Pre-Schooling prior to Kindergarten. In our case, Ryder went to Pre-K4, Pre-K3, 2y/o and MMO starting at 18 months old.... My misconception of Kindergarten has caused me to fail my child and his expectation of what Kindergarten should be. So these are my recommendations or suggestions on changes to help with Kindergarten Culture Shock; Parent and Child.
1. Kindergarten Practice Camp or Consider Starting Kindergarten 1st day of School several days earlier than other grades- Start Kindergarten a few days earlier, to give the new kids on the block a chance to learn where to go in the morning & afternoon and at lunch time. This will be less confusion and will help with any pressure that the K students might fee. The other grades know what to do from being there the year prior. Focus on teaching the K kids the rules. raising your hand before talking, standing in single file line, bathroom time and breaks, lunch room rules and meal time........
2. EARLY SUMMER Parent / Student Orientation: Pre-pare parents for what is to come during the Kindergarten year, learning & curriculum & Units info, Reading SOAR (summertime reading), this will help parents and children that have not had any other formal pre-school background be better prepared. Students are not so overwhelmed & shocked with the size of the school and are anxious through out the summer of starting Kindergarten, it gives them something to look forward to all summer long. There imaginations can settle a bit so they know a little bit about what to expect. s.
3. Teacher Classroom Meet and Greet (not the night before 1st day of school.)-Paperwork is necessary for the first day of school for emergency situations, but the parents havfe enough going on the night before school starts on the first day of Kindergarten. Any paperwork that needs returning to school should be giving days before the first day. School Supplies Lists, etc. Then teachers can spend less time preparing for Orientation and more time preparing for lesson planning and first week activities. No one is rushed the night before school starts or late getting to bed and everyone is rested well. Parents are missing important stuff just trying to get the papers that have to be filled out back to school. Everything else is over looked and it's information overload.
4. Curriculum - (CCSS is new and different so prepare the parents.) Information about Curriculum: Explain the K curriculum in more detail, maybe give them a list of words that will be new to them. Both Parent and Child. I call this my Foriengn Langage of Kindergarten Word List. Maybe they can have time to research this over the summer to get familiar.
5. Check Out Library Books about First Day of School or Starting a New School.
6. Practice New Routines
7. Don't Drag Out "Goodbye" the first few days of school. Just walk-away. This is hard for both child and parent. Both can experience separation anxiety during the Kindergarten transition.
It must be culture shock to both parent and child that has never had any other formal Pre-Schooling prior to Kindergarten. In our case, Ryder went to Pre-K4, Pre-K3, 2y/o and MMO starting at 18 months old.... My misconception of Kindergarten has caused me to fail my child and his expectation of what Kindergarten should be. So these are my recommendations or suggestions on changes to help with Kindergarten Culture Shock; Parent and Child.
1. Kindergarten Practice Camp or Consider Starting Kindergarten 1st day of School several days earlier than other grades- Start Kindergarten a few days earlier, to give the new kids on the block a chance to learn where to go in the morning & afternoon and at lunch time. This will be less confusion and will help with any pressure that the K students might fee. The other grades know what to do from being there the year prior. Focus on teaching the K kids the rules. raising your hand before talking, standing in single file line, bathroom time and breaks, lunch room rules and meal time........
2. EARLY SUMMER Parent / Student Orientation: Pre-pare parents for what is to come during the Kindergarten year, learning & curriculum & Units info, Reading SOAR (summertime reading), this will help parents and children that have not had any other formal pre-school background be better prepared. Students are not so overwhelmed & shocked with the size of the school and are anxious through out the summer of starting Kindergarten, it gives them something to look forward to all summer long. There imaginations can settle a bit so they know a little bit about what to expect. s.
3. Teacher Classroom Meet and Greet (not the night before 1st day of school.)-Paperwork is necessary for the first day of school for emergency situations, but the parents havfe enough going on the night before school starts on the first day of Kindergarten. Any paperwork that needs returning to school should be giving days before the first day. School Supplies Lists, etc. Then teachers can spend less time preparing for Orientation and more time preparing for lesson planning and first week activities. No one is rushed the night before school starts or late getting to bed and everyone is rested well. Parents are missing important stuff just trying to get the papers that have to be filled out back to school. Everything else is over looked and it's information overload.
4. Curriculum - (CCSS is new and different so prepare the parents.) Information about Curriculum: Explain the K curriculum in more detail, maybe give them a list of words that will be new to them. Both Parent and Child. I call this my Foriengn Langage of Kindergarten Word List. Maybe they can have time to research this over the summer to get familiar.
5. Check Out Library Books about First Day of School or Starting a New School.
6. Practice New Routines
7. Don't Drag Out "Goodbye" the first few days of school. Just walk-away. This is hard for both child and parent. Both can experience separation anxiety during the Kindergarten transition.
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