How to Help Your Primary School Student

The most important way to help your child's performance in school is to be interested and readily and often show interest.  It is important to show appreciation for your child's achievements and even more important, that you appreciate their efforts regardless of results.  You need to praise your child for creativity and provide opportunities outside of school and also encourage the school to provide opportunities  for students to play freely and with as few rules as necessary to allow safety and civility toward others.

As a parent or grandparent you are an example to your child.  Anything you criticize, and that includes school curriculum and teachers, will be treated by the students with less respect than if you save your criticisms for private times and turn them into constructive comments  to the teachers and schools.  Primary children will copy your beliefs and examples, so you want to be careful of everything you say and do around your child.  They should leave for school each day feeling that they are heading to a happy place, and if you detect that they are not happy, you should find out why and work with the school to eliminate the unhappy event.

It is important to help your child with their homework (or ask the teacher for suggestions if you do not understand it) but that you not do the homework for them.  Reading to  or with your child each day remains an important activity and by primary school, children will notice if you read daily and will develop a deep desire to read like you do.You should let your student know that you expect them to be in school unless they are ill, in which case they should stay home for the sake of the other kids, and that they should be on time.  They will be watching you to be sure that these things are important to you and they will follow your example.  You should be sure that your child keeps up with vaccination schedules and encourage all parents to follow suit for the sake of the other children in the school.

Each child needs to be sent to school with a good breakfast and provision should be made for lunch.  All public schools have breakfast and lunch programs for students who can not afford it, and schools try to minimize drawing attention to children who need to get free and reduced price lunches. 

Schools have rules designed to promote learning, provide safety, and protect children.  Parents should insist that their child follow the rules.  If you disagree with the rules then you should discuss that with your child's school, not your child.  Teachers and other school employees sometimes make errors, thinking there is a fight when children are playing or mistaking which student threw the snowball for instance.  Again, you should take the problem to the school and have the student called in after the experience is explained to the school. 

Finally, parents should listen to what the school says and try to evaluate the information they may give you without prejudice.  They are there to help you and help your student.  It has to be very hard to accept some of the things schools tell parents about their children, but if the school tells you your student has a problem with academics or behavior or whatever else they may find, evaluate the information they give you carefully, discuss it with other family and professionals and see if their information has merit.  Do your own investigation to see what you think and how others handle similar situations and talk to the school professionals.  Come to a fair conclusion and then expect everyone to carry out their responsibilities.

You will notice that much of the above relies on conversation with the school.  Schools exist to help students learn and grow.  Schools are increasingly responsible to the community for their students and if you do not like the help you've been able to get from your community school from many conversations, look around and see what other avenues are available.  Here in Michigan if your local school is not living up to standards, you may have the option of charter schools, defined as public for profit schools that go across school district lines and get their financial support from the state, and schools of choice, where you can request to attend schools outside of your local area with the state funds going to the new school instead of the old.  Within a school district you may also be able to choose one of several schools and you can investigate what may be available in virtual schools.  So other school options are available and you need to work to see that your child is in the best option available to him.

How Can You Help Your Child with Their Education

Before I head into a topic that I will be spending several days discussing, I'd like to point you to a website recommended by one of our readers that I found interesting and in line with my beliefs.  Check out :

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204422404576596630897409182.html?mod=WSJ_Careers_CareerJournal_5

Now, on with today's topic which has been a question I've been asked often as I've written.

First, as soon as you think about becoming pregnant, begin eating a well balanced diet rich in folic acid and take the vitamins recommended by your doctor.  Also, check with your doctor to be sure all of your medications are safe for pregnancy.  Then, when you think you are pregnant, head early to your doctor and go as often as she says.  Also, if you drink or do drugs, stop all such activity immediately.  This will give your child the best chance of being born healthy.


At least as soon as your baby is born, begin reading to your child daily.  Talk constantly to them not in baby talk but in adult talk from the moment they are born or before.  Give them all of the love and attention you can.  Provide opportunities for them to play from their earliest moments.  Babies love repetition, so you can read the same book over and over (interestingly, when my 12 year old granddaughter visited last month, I asked her to choose a book to read and she chose her favorite from her earliest years Caps for Sale), you can tell them all that you do, you can treat them as a person.  Give them the gift of regularity, a schedule if you will.  Make sure they have plenty of sleep, plenty of food, and plenty of exercise.  Finally, limit their exposure to tv and other electronics.  These things will get them ready for a successful school experience and none of this takes excessive money.  It takes only time and interest.


Tomorrow I will talk about elementary school, then high school and finally post secondary.  Then I will hit on the other topic people have asked about, suggestions for how to proceed with the National Red Flag for Education Day on January 10.

Education in Singapore and Korea

We often look to Asia when we're looking for the best education.  Singapore and South Korea are consistently high scorers on international tests so we think they must have some good education ideas.  It's pretty common knowledge that students there spend more time in school with longer days and more days each year so we automatically assume our students need more time in school.  A deeper look, however, will reveal that parents in South Korea are not so happy about education in their country.  Most send their children to public school by day and to special programs either online or in what we would call tutorial sessions at night and on week-ends.  Those sessions are often longer hours and more rigorous than the public schools.  In fact, South Korea now outlaws the tutorials after 10 P.M. for younger students as students will go late into the night every night day after day many times.  Many still attempt to operate late illegally.  Students often sleep during their public school classes.

Like is often the case here, these schools operate on a "teach to the test" basis.  The students come out with little or no ability to do the critical thinking and problem solving needed in the real world but stocked with facts that will be on the test.  Educators there are looking toward the U.S. to help them find ways to insure that their students are ready for careers and life skills.

This is why we need to look toward Europe, especially Finland, instead of Asia for solutions to our education problems.  We need children who can think for themselves, not children who have been inundated with facts only.  We need children who are prepared to enhance their democracy with their ideas, not those who can be easily indoctrinated with the thoughts of others.  We need an education system that's fully funded and able to hire the best teachers who are given the freedom to guide their students in a variety of ways toward the goal of happy children with the ability to think. 

Education Funding Revisited

Early on I wrote a post about the necessity of increased funding for schools.  Michigan's politicians have been constantly busy working on anti-education (maybe it's anti-union but it's effect is anti-education) legislation.  It is time to stop and evaluate the results of all that has gone on.  An announcement in the Grand Rapids Press and on all television stations in the area last night informed people that a large Muskegon County school is asking for take-over by the state.  The people of the state need to realize that this request is largely because of cut after cut in the per student education funding.  This is the first school district that has actually asked to be taken over although others have been taken over because they ultimately failed.  I think this state may be at the point where other school districts will be asking for takeover as well. 

Lack of funding is the direct reason for the request but other changes in the education reform laws make it more advantageous to go to this extreme.  With recent changes in state law, emergency managers can now throw out contracts, do away with local school board oversight, and make many other such changes.  I have to ask myself and any citizens of the state of Michigan must ask themselves at this point if they want their children to attend underfunded, low morale schools who are run by the state.  It's time to take back education in Michigan!

When Schould Technology Be Used in Schools?

Child psychologists generally agree that children younger than two, although they are very able to use ipads and smart phones, should not.  At that age the brain is still in development.  They also believe that children should be carefully monitored and strictly limited until they enter school. 

Once children get to elementary school there is a big difference in how different people feel about children using technology.  One large group of parents and educators believes that in elementary school children should be working on their creative skills and that can be hindered by computer/calculator/cell phone use.  Some schools go as far as totally banning such use during school hours.  The other sector believes that if students use technology correctly their educational experience will be enhanced.  Still others believe like I do that young students need to be developing their creative side, need lots of opportunities for free play and should use computers in the classroom only where it will enhance the experience.  Examples would be the language teacher who uses Skype to share language and culture with students in other countries or the math teacher that allows students to use a calculator function to check their math homework after they have done it the hard way.

By the time students have reached middle school, students will need to start using computers more in the classroom, researching and writing papers, advanced math, and as we discussed earlier.  By the time students graduate they need to be very familiar with all of the kinds of programs that they will need in their careers or further education.

Virtual education also has a place as an adjunct to public schools.  Research shows, however, that it can not stand alone without much support from parents or on site teachers and even then it is iffy.  It is imperative that the provider be carefully checked out to be sure the programs are well thought out and the teachers are certified and responsive.

I support all efforts to use technology to help teachers and administrators save time.  Many are not familiar enough with software programs, however, and adequate training must be done to insure that all feel comfortable with the software and are not intimidated by it. 

Technology as a Tool for Schools and Teachers

Communication probably receives the most benefit from technology.  Using databases of phone numbers and email addresses, schools can inform parents when problems arise, sending email notices when schools are cancelled and when children are sick or emergencies occur.  Parents can be informed when their child is having any kind of a problem and most schools have sites where parents can sign in and find everything from homework assignments to student grades.  Bus drivers can notify authorities of accidents they may come across or let the school know if students will be delayed by problems on the road.  Schools can increase parent participation by making sure each parent is informed about meetings that will be held.  Teachers can electronically communicate with the office without sending a student out of the room.  Lockdowns if they must occur can be managed by technological devices.  For communications purposes, technology has caused a major change.

That's only the tip of the iceberg, however.  Energy savings and safety have been enhanced.  Buildings can be better connected, accounting is enhanced and organizing and presenting material and programs can be improved and less preparation time may be wasted.  While teacher evaluations are becoming increasingly more comprehensive, some of the time in preparation can be  shortened through technology.

Teachers can use technology both as an enhancement to their classrooms and a time saver.  Ideas and materials for improving and energizing their classrooms are as close as their computer.  There are a number of programs including but not exclusively power point that can be used for making lessons at home and using them in the classroom often from year to year with only minor changes each year/class.  White boards full of information can be transferred to your computer and the computer full of information can be transferred to the white board.  Work done at home can easily be transferred to the classroom.  Grading programs can help with the time factor of evaluations.  It is easy to communicate with other teachers and share ideas.  Web sites, tweets and blogs abound with excellent information to help peer communications.  It is easy to communicate with experts and to keep up with new knowledge. 

This only scratches the surface on ways technology has changed and continues to change for the school and administration.  How it is used varies by district and classroom and in part that is determined by the care with which the school chose a tech administrator.  Since this is a fast changing field, schools would be well served to be sure they have the best person on staff to help the staff, and teachers would be well served to use technology to help energize and stimulate their teaching.

Tomorrow we'll take a look at whether all this technology is good for the classroom.  In fact, the jury is still out on many aspects of it.

Technology - Virtual Classes

Many states have requirements that students take one class "on the computer" before high school graduation.  Some states even require two or more.  These classes are usually structured using two teachers, one that may be any place and may have no actual real contact with the student.  This teacher will be responsible for and an expert in what is taught, doing the grading and interacting with the student in a timely manner to answer questions, sometimes designing but always providing assignments and doing evaluation.  Since this teacher has no actual face to face contact with the student, the other teacher is responsible for making sure the student is doing the work themselves in a timely manner and making sure the student has access to the computer as needed.  The two teachers may talk about the student's progress and problems.  Ideally both teachers are certified but it may be that neither are.

This can be an effective method of instruction and is certainly cheaper for the school district as each teacher can be responsible for more students.  It is also used sometimes for home schooling as the parent serves as the supervisory teacher and the expert provides the subject manner and evaluation.  This may be effective if the student is basically self-motivated.

Recently several school districts have been experimenting with a blended technique using computers for the basic materials two or three days a week and having another teacher supplement in person the rest of the days.  It was hoped that this would provide both a cheaper way of educating and the "personal touch" of a classroom teacher.

Studies have shown that both of these types of virtual education do indeed save money.  Corresponding studies do not show an equality in the education received, however.  Students who participate in an educational format that is mostly virtual or blended are shown to be more likely to not graduate or have their graduation delayed.  Students who are not self-motivated find it more difficult to stay focused.  It is also not condusive for use with most special needs students.  It has the requirement that students have good and frequent access to computers and the internet.  All students who complete one or more classes will have demonstrated that they have at least some knowledge of computers.

Tomorrow - technology for the schools and teachers.

Technology in our Schools - Student Perspective

I will be writing about Technology for the next three or four days.  Today's post will barely touch on the possibilities for using technology in the classroom.  It's quick and easy to understand using computers for research and writing papers.  We also frequently hear about using calculators or computers to easily solve mathematics problems.  Skype and other conferencing technologies allow students around the globe to communicate in different languages and share ideas and culture.  Programs allow students to show creativity in art, music and writing.  Add to that the skill aspect of technology, using them to directly affect career skills, and another student benefit is created.

Technology is more than computers and programs today, however.  It allows students to have fun during  regular activities; for example they can push a button or buzzer to indicate correct answers and find it better than raising their hand.  It can give immediate feedback to students with quizzes or homework, allowing learning deficits to be immediately corrected.

There are many other ways students can use technology in their education.  Student use is only one aspect however.  We'll be checking out virtual classrooms, the use of technology by the teachers and the institution of the school, and finally we'll check look at whether all this technology is good for education.  Stay tuned.