Communication With Teachers, and Study Habits

COMMUNICATION

Parents Communicating With Teachers Schedule and attend parent-teacher conferences Be involved in parent-teacher organizations (PTO, PTA, and Booster Clubs) Phone calls Visits to the classroom Notes with your child Volunteer in the classroom Go on field trips or participate in organized activities Do not be an overbearing parent

Teachers Communicating With Parents Classroom website Schedule parent teacher conferences for all students Do not limit phone calls to only bad news Write a message in the student's assignment book and ask for the parents to sign it once it is read. Leave messages at home Make a welcome call in first 2 weeks of school Newsletters to update parents on what is happening Be clear of your expectations of child ahead of time

Appropriate Attitudes for Communication Stay calm Use the sandwich method Be courteous of time Ask questions Be aware of surroundings – private conversations Do not abuse availability of teacher Do not embarrass your child Maintain good eye contact and positive tone of voice Make notes of what of what you want to discuss

How can I handle “tough” conversations? Prepare ahead of time Put yourself in the parents’ position Always find something positive to say that will make parents proud Be sure that you don’t blame the parent Show support Be familiar with family support in your community and have contact information available if needed. Keep the meeting on track Be sure they have all the information they need Make sure parents know they can contact you again at any time Give them information on the best way to get in touch with you

How can I deal with conflicts? Don’t argue back. Stay calm Choose your words carefully Don’t take it personally. Sometimes parents just need to be heard If the situation worsens, schedule a meeting to continue the discussion at a later time

STUDY HABITS

What Parents Can Do? Have designated study time Place to study Calendar for major projects Ask what is for homework Do not do your child's homework for them Make sure homework is done before TV/computer goes on Take advantage of every learning opportunity

Questions parents can ask children… How are things going at school? How did the math test go? How did you do on the history report? How's your science project coming along? Need any help? How was your day? Do you like your teacher? What was the best part of school today?

Family Study Habits Have quite time when everyone is doing homework Be interested in your child’s schoolwork Good grades go on the fridge Turn off the TV No phone unless it is for homework help, during study time Provide healthy snacks

Should children be rewarded for good grades?

And the Answer is…. “Let's celebrate your effort, not your genius, and it really should be a celebration more than a reward.” Be spontaneous Praise effort, concentration, and hard work De-emphasize grades- C’s get degrees Teach your children that their brains will get stronger Its very hard to get good grades, so do not stress out your child by pressuring them. Love your child for who they are and how hard they work to be the best person they can be.

Teachers Helping Children Study At Home

What to do About Extracurricular Activities Children who are involved in many extracurricular activities need to learn either – Time Management – How to prioritize What does this mean?

Time Management Developing the skill to multi-task Doing things in an efficient order Working ahead Stress management Keep an assignment notebook Schedule time for a break

How to Prioritize Choose what’s important to you How to say no Ask yourself, “Is this activity beneficial?” Don’t just choose something because your friends do it Don’t do it because you feel pressured by your parents

Parents Teaching Time Management and Prioritizing Have a schedule to avoid confusion Encourage children to think about the week ahead Don’t pressure your child to do something that they are not happy with Make yourself available to help as needed Tell children that it’s OK to focus on a specific activity – However, don’t make it seem like quitting is an option – Once a child starts an activity, they should see it through

STUDY GAMES

TIC TAC TOE

Game 1: Description Create tic-tac-toe board Write questions about what the child is studying To get an “x” or an “o”, the child must answer a question correctly The first person to get three-in-a- row wins

PENNY NICKEL DIME

Game 2: Description Player rolls a dice and reads the number Give player the same number of pennies as the number on the dice When player has five pennies, replace with nickel. When player has five more pennies, replace pennies AND nickel with a dime First player to set amount (25 or 50), they WIN!

THE END