A Safe Arrival Program, when run correctly, assists the school in accountability for attendance and gives parents the peace of mind that their child has arrived safely at school. It also ensures that if a child has not arrived safely at school, attention is paid to the absent child immediately. Leticia Barr, educator and administrator who writes Tech Savvy Mama recently commented that "a good program that ensures safe arrivals requires constant communication between parents and the school … [Read more...]
Teachers: it takes a village and you *must* communicate
September 21, 2011 By 13 Comments
It's really hard to be a teacher and a parent. It's like a curse because it's so easy to judge and think "I could do this so much better." I struggled with this all last year, when Big was in first grade. I posted very little of my frustrations. And I plan to post very little this year as well. But there's one thing I can't not post: the value of communication. From the first day of my teacher training, we learned about the importance of working with the parents. We learned that … [Read more...]
Learning to read is easier when the child is interested in the subject matter
August 22, 2011 By 1 Comment
Exploring a child's interests is such an important part of emerging literacy. A child will want to do more towards his own learning when he or she has an interest in the subject. I recall a student, a second grader, who was obsessed with motorcycles. He drew them, looked at pictures in magazines, even wore racing clothes nearly every day. But he couldn't read beyond basic sounds. When he went to the library, he came back empty handed due to a lack of interest. At that time, the internet was … [Read more...]
Teacher Gift Lists
June 8, 2011 By 1 Comment
When my statistics show my suggestions for teacher gifts posts are among my most popular posts for the week, it's always a great reminder for me that I need to purchase teacher gifts. So... to make it easy for everyone, here are links to some of my most popular teacher gift posts: End of the Year Gifts, the good, the bad and how much to spend Tip: Buy your teacher gifts now More teacher gift ideas 5 things... Not to give as a teacher gift! Blogging it forward: Preschool Teacher Gift 5 … [Read more...]
Welcome your families Back-to-School with a Volunteer Coffee
September 14, 2010 By Leave a Comment
It is so hard. So. So. So hard to enter a new school as a parent. You're filled with anxiety for your child that you're trying to hide and you just want to understand what you can do to volunteer at the school and how and what things mean. Or, maybe, you are at a school where lunch ordering is computerized (or Scholastic book orders or volunteer sign ups) and you have no idea where to start or how to sign up. Perhaps you want to call the guidance counselor with a question, but you don't even … [Read more...]
Melvin: He just acted like a tough kid
September 3, 2010 By 2 Comments
All these bullying and wimpy kid stories have brought back quite a few teaching stories for me. Today, I want to tell you about Melvin*. Melvin was a tall, African American boy. He transferred to our school in the middle of 3rd grade. He had a "tough guy" attitude and while I was often the teacher that most of the African American parents requested, he wasn't in my room in fourth grade. I'll admit to being pleased about that. Looking back, I realize how lucky I was to have known him at … [Read more...]
