It’s back!
The humorous caption below the school bus is a reminder that Summer 2009 is almost over, and the new school year is about to begin -- in some school districts around the country the new year has already begun.
Many school districts average a total of 180 school days per year, which equates to the same number of days of teacher to student contact for teaching and learning.
And, every school year we probably hear from students, teachers, parents, and administrators that there is an average of 180 days of some kind of conversation (positive or negative) among at least one of the stakeholder groups regarding "how things are going" in a particular school or school system.
Students might talk openly with other students, to their parents, guidance counselors, and perhaps to some of their teachers or administrators about things they “wish every teacher would do or not do each year to make school more enjoyable and productive for them.”
Parents may spend time speaking at length with other parents, with their children and their children’s schoolmates, guidance counselors, and maybe teachers or administrators about things they “wish every educator would do or not do each year to make school more enjoyable and productive for their children.”
Teachers will often speak candidly with other teachers and perhaps with administrators or visible parent leaders about things they “wish every parent, every student, and every administrator would do or not do each year to make the school (their workplace) more enjoyable and productive for the students and teachers.”
Administrators frequently seek out other administrators, and perhaps teacher leaders, parent leaders, and student leaders (depending on the age of the group) about things they “wish every student, every parent, and every teacher would do or not do each year to make school a more enjoyable, welcoming, student-centered and student-focused, and productive place where the teachers would enjoy working; and the parents would feel comfortable having their children attend.”
The humorous caption below the school bus is a reminder that Summer 2009 is almost over, and the new school year is about to begin -- in some school districts around the country the new year has already begun.
Many school districts average a total of 180 school days per year, which equates to the same number of days of teacher to student contact for teaching and learning.
And, every school year we probably hear from students, teachers, parents, and administrators that there is an average of 180 days of some kind of conversation (positive or negative) among at least one of the stakeholder groups regarding "how things are going" in a particular school or school system.
Students might talk openly with other students, to their parents, guidance counselors, and perhaps to some of their teachers or administrators about things they “wish every teacher would do or not do each year to make school more enjoyable and productive for them.”
Parents may spend time speaking at length with other parents, with their children and their children’s schoolmates, guidance counselors, and maybe teachers or administrators about things they “wish every educator would do or not do each year to make school more enjoyable and productive for their children.”
Teachers will often speak candidly with other teachers and perhaps with administrators or visible parent leaders about things they “wish every parent, every student, and every administrator would do or not do each year to make the school (their workplace) more enjoyable and productive for the students and teachers.”
Administrators frequently seek out other administrators, and perhaps teacher leaders, parent leaders, and student leaders (depending on the age of the group) about things they “wish every student, every parent, and every teacher would do or not do each year to make school a more enjoyable, welcoming, student-centered and student-focused, and productive place where the teachers would enjoy working; and the parents would feel comfortable having their children attend.”
But, how often does the rigorous, demanding, and laser-speed pace of any given school year make room for uninterrupted candid conversations and honest, proactive feedback about what each stakeholder group would REALLY wish for from members of the other groups?
Unfortunately, this doesn’t happen as much as it should; and perhaps as it could in some instances.
Welcome to Part 1 of LifelineExtensions.blog’s “Back-to-School Wish List 3-Day Series” of candid conversations, honest feedback, and simple solutions as described by students, parents, teachers, and administrators.
Feedback:
“Ongoing and honest data that gives relevant and meaningful information about what’s being done the right way, AND about what’s being done the wrong way as it relates to a particular individual, group, or environment. Feedback also provides proactive and targeted solutions for immediate, realistic, and appropriate corrections; and for sustained progress designed to enhance the performance and the overall achievement of every stakeholder group represented.”
Therefore, randomly-selected representatives from each stakeholder group were recently asked by LifelineExtensions.blog to give feedback in response to the following:
SHARE THOUGHTS ABOUT WHAT YOUR WISH LISTS WOULD LOOK LIKE IF YOU COULD OPENLY ASK STUDENTS, PARENTS, TEACHERS, OR ADMINISTRATORS TO EITHER DO OR NOT DO CERTAIN THINGS EACH SCHOOL YEAR -- THIS WOULD BE A WAY TO MAKE A CURRENT SCHOOL YEAR BETTER THAN OTHER YEARS.
NOTE: The intent of these candid conversations is to provide an uninterrupted opportunity for stakeholders to anonymously share honest “wish list requests” with other stakeholder members by avoiding sharing the feedback in the form of a complaint. Also, note that some of the feedback provided by this random sampling may or may not apply to your particular school or school system; and this sampling in no way represents all of the “wishes” parents might have for a great school year…
With that said, here is what The Parents included on their wish list:
*A monthly written or e-communication would be awesome from individual teachers and from administrators.
*Regular verbal communication with teachers is also helpful, but not just when something has gone wrong. Parents enjoy receiving Good News phone calls, too!
*More consistent communication with parents throughout the year may help prevent unannounced visits to the school by parents who may just be at their wits’ end trying to do what’s best for their children.
*Please get back to us when we try to contact you the same way you want us to respond back to you when you try to contact us. When you don't contact us back the next step is for us to contact the administrator, which most of us really do not enjoy doing for classroom issues.
*We want to hear from our kids that they see administrators in classrooms and hallways sometimes; and we also want to hear from our children that they feel welcome enough to sometimes just stop by the administrator's office to say hello and share good news about something.
*Parents want teachers and administrators to know and understand that we do not want their jobs! We consider these individuals special people to have devoted their careers to molding our children for their professional futures. BUT, we really do want to be in a partnership with you regarding our child's experience in school...after all, we knew them before you ever met them; and we'll still be with them long after your work with them is just a memory. Let us work WITH you so it doesn't feel as if we're working against you at times -- this is not good for the kids to pick up on; and quite frankly it wears out both the parent and the teacher!
*We want teachers to be open to allowing guest speakers to come into the classrooms to speak to the students about real life experiences - how to manage money, bullying, etiquette and appropriate/good manners. Maybe activities like this can be arranged by the teachers and administrators to happen once each marking period since all of the students would benefit.
*We’d also like to see and hear about instructional creativity being used in the classroom – hearing about these highlights directly from the teacher in the form of a post on his/her webpage, newsletter sent home, Facebook post, etc. would be helpful since we can’t always get clear explanations from our children at home. When we learn about these activities we can then duplicate them at home to make the work we do with our children at home more fun.
*Somehow incorporating weekly current events’ lessons where the students can either read selected newspapers on-line or have hard copies of publications like THE WALL STREET JOURNAL or THE NEW YORK TIMES to scan, research, and discuss findings about a certain topic in class could be a great way to keep the kids globally aware and help improve reading skills.
*Recognize that the students sitting in front of you do have lives outside of the classroom – there is more to them than what teachers see Monday through Friday during the school day...
*Let students see and know that you care about them as human beings even before you let them in on how much you know about what you’re teaching – if the kids don’t think teachers like them, they will quickly shut down in one way or another.
*Continue to be the academic support you are to the children, but also please try to be a social and emotional support when they just need to talk to a caring adult for a few minutes during the school day.
*Tell stories (especially funny ones!) about your own childhood to your students so they understand that you really weren’t always the rationale and thinking adult you are now, but at one time you were a silly kid just as they are.
*Capture and keep the children’s attention so that they WANT to learn, research, discover, and explore new ideas. As adults we have to remember we’re competing against some very exciting technology to get and keep their attention. Lecturing doesn't work at home, and from what we hear from our kids...it doesn't work in the classroom, either...
*Tell a parent when a child is actively participating in class or shying away from the spotlight – please don’t assume the kids are always the way you see them in school...parents can really help teachers get to know the kids better.
*Somehow incorporating weekly current events’ lessons where the students can either read selected newspapers on-line or have hard copies of publications like THE WALL STREET JOURNAL or THE NEW YORK TIMES to scan, research, and discuss findings about a certain topic in class could be a great way to keep the kids globally aware and help improve reading skills.
*Recognize that the students sitting in front of you do have lives outside of the classroom – there is more to them than what teachers see Monday through Friday during the school day...
*Let students see and know that you care about them as human beings even before you let them in on how much you know about what you’re teaching – if the kids don’t think teachers like them, they will quickly shut down in one way or another.
*Continue to be the academic support you are to the children, but also please try to be a social and emotional support when they just need to talk to a caring adult for a few minutes during the school day.
*Tell stories (especially funny ones!) about your own childhood to your students so they understand that you really weren’t always the rationale and thinking adult you are now, but at one time you were a silly kid just as they are.
*Capture and keep the children’s attention so that they WANT to learn, research, discover, and explore new ideas. As adults we have to remember we’re competing against some very exciting technology to get and keep their attention. Lecturing doesn't work at home, and from what we hear from our kids...it doesn't work in the classroom, either...
*Tell a parent when a child is actively participating in class or shying away from the spotlight – please don’t assume the kids are always the way you see them in school...parents can really help teachers get to know the kids better.
*Inform parents about children settling for average grades when they have demonstrated that they are capable of achieving higher grades – grades are important to parents (and to most students) because the parents know the same grades are important to college recruiters whether we want to admit this or not.
*Let us know of any negative classmate influences being observed in class/school that may potentially harm our children – we’re not looking for other student names; we just want to make sure our kids aren’t either following or starting negative and/or risky behaviors.
*When you can clearly see that a child has true leadership abilities, let parents know if the child is settling for being a follower -- we know they are kids, but every day is one more day of preparation for their futures.
*Let parents know right away if you suspect that their child is being bullied or teased -- the kids and the parents want to feel secure in knowing that something is being done to get rid of this problem.
*We want to know if our children are falling asleep in class which might mean there is a need for an even earlier bedtime when they’re young, or it might mean something even worse during their teens.
*We also want to know about unusual eating habits during lunch (either too much or too little) because this might signal a problem we need to have checked out by our doctor.
*Please let us know of anyone or anything in the school building that might pose a potential risk to the children. Hearing directly from the school helps to quickly end any rumors that may be spreading.
*Start early on reinforcing the idea of attending college to the kids so that the message is being echoed at school and at home from elementary school through high school.
*Having school supply lists posted on the school’s website either at the end of June or sometime early on in the summer would really help parents take advantage of the Early-Summer Sales on these items; and it would also be a good way for the parents to demonstrate for their kids – especially high school students – how important it is to be organized and plan early.
*Receiving supply lists after the first day of school not only means a more expensive shopping trip, but it also makes students and parents look unorganized and irresponsible if they don’t have every notebook, binder, or other supply items the following school day.
*With younger students, knowing more about our child's week in school is extremely helpful. the younger the child, the more the parents need updates and feedback about progress and development so we can talk to our kids at home -- we want to be able to reinforce the work being done in school.
*So that Back-to-School Night is not so rushed and overwhelming for everyone, please try to make more immediate contact, maybe in August or early on in September, with parents. This way, if a problem does arise we feel more like a teammate to the teacher, and we can work on problems faster and nip anxious feelings in the bud. Dealing with these issues when they happen makes more sense in the mind of a young child, and even in the mind of older children.
*Being aware of the teachers' learning styles helps parents keep up the work at home -- it would be great if teachers would either post electronically or send home a one-paragraph "About Me" sheet. Parents do not like to feel as if at home they are teaching opposite of the way the teacher is teaching a concept in school.
*Parents really want to know that their kids are safe, happy, and learning what they should in school. We admit that we may sometimes act on information from our children too soon, so maybe there can be more scheduled conversations BEFORE problems occur so that parents can work alongside the school to help prevent them. Then, when there is a problem, most parents would want to be part of the quick and simple solution to correct things.
And, there you have it.
LifelineExtensions.blog encourages all of its readers who are parents of children in elementary through high school to take this opportunity to post an uninterrupted wish list item in the “Post Comments” section below this article.
***Please note that any posted comments which name individual educators, schools, or school systems will have to be immediately deleted from this blog site.***
We are, however, CALLING ON ALL PARENTS to take this time to give helpful and honest feedback to your children’s teachers and administrators.
Remember, everyone wants the best for the children being served…
Sometimes this requires a lot more candid and uninterrupted conversation, a good blend of collective creativity, and true understanding on the part of the adults; and some simple solutions to continue perfecting what’s being done right; or to immediately and realistically repair what’s being done wrong.
Log on again on Wed., 8/19 and Thurs., 8/20 for Parts 2 and 3 of the series:
Back-to-School Wish Lists…The Teacher & Administrator Perspective, and The Student Perspective, respectively...
Sharon M. Biggs, M.A.
Educational Leader
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