Education Panel
Education Panel- 1/23/2019
Written By: Amber Graziano
I feel like each and
every MOPS meeting has given me a new tool for my toolbox, or a new insight
about being a mom that I really needed and didn’t have before. This week’s
meeting was such an important topic: It was an Education Panel consisting of
three moms who work in the thick of it in our school system holding every job ranging
from Homeschool Teacher/Mom, to classroom Teacher, to Principal, to Assistant
Superintendent of Human Resources. Now, many of you in this group probably
don’t know this about me, but I teach 2nd grade at Art Freiler
School in Tracy. And as I listened to what these women were saying, I couldn’t
help but smile and nod my head in agreement. So let’s dive into it.
The panel started by
addressing moms who have a child who is approaching kindergarten. If you’re not
sure how or when to enroll them, start with the website of the school. Google
“Manteca Unified kindergarten registration” or click THIS
link to visit the website. Kindergarten will have an orientation meeting. Go
there, tour the school, and get the registration packet. February through April
is the time to get started for kinder. And you’ve probably heard of TK
(Transitional Kindergarten). If your child turns 5 between September 2nd
and December 2nd, they would go to TK. It’s not required, and legally
kids just need to be in school by age 6.
What
does your child need to know before starting kindergarten? Well actually, teachers
say behavior is the most important thing. There’s not a lot of academics
happening until rules, routines and procedures are in place. Kids need to know
how to be in line, sit with the group, and keep their hands to themselves. And
sharing is really important. Give your kids opportunities to practice school
behavior. Take them to the library story time, MOPS playgroup, etc. Knowing how
to sit, enjoy, and deal with their neighbors is key.
As far
as academics, they recommended reading to your children every night to develop
their vocabulary and to instill in them a love for reading. Talk about the
stories. Ask them “who, what, when, where, why, and how” questions to get them
thinking about it even more. They should know what a book is and how to hold
it. (Front/back cover, top, bottom, we read left to right, etc.) And you can
start teaching them to compare and contrast. Discuss bigger, smaller, and
medium sizes. Compare different colors of things wherever you are.
Finally, you can help
your child develop their fine motor skills. Give them play dough, putty, or let
them play in the sand. Kids need these skills so they can hold their pencil
without their hand hurting, and so they can write their letters correctly and
neatly. You can find games to sharpen these skills on Pinterest. Also, Leap
Frog makes highly recommended Kindergarten learning tools for teaching the
ABCs, silent e’s, long vowels, and digraphs, etc.
Do you have questions
about early childhood development? If your child is under 3 years old and you
have a concern, contact Valley Mountain Regional Center HERE for
information on things like speech therapy, autism, and testing. They will start
an IEP (Individual Education Plan) which will continue through the school
district. At 3 years old the school district takes over. Your child also may
get a 504 plan, which will allow them extra time on tests or other accommodations
for special needs students.
Let’s move on to school
quality. You probably want to send your child to a higher achieving school, but
that doesn’t mean the education there is really better. Check it out for
yourself. You can find information on all of the schools in your town by visiting
the California School Dashboard website HERE. It will show a meter
or grading scale on the school. You’ll find test scores, socioeconomic status,
retention levels, attendance percentages, and information for students who are
English Learners. What curriculum do they use? Is it up to date? You’ll find
that there, too.
But
don’t assume that the test scores of a school are the most important thing. The
bottom line is that any school you choose, you can expect your child to get a
good education. You’ll find teachers at every school who are passionate and
amazing at what they do, and you’ll find some who are less amazing and who have
different motivations for being there. Lower socioeconomic schools actually have
better technology and more resources for their teachers. (They receive state
funding, special grants, etc.)
Let’s
talk about teachers. It’s common to hear parents say, “I’ve heard good things
and bad things about the teachers in the next grade level. What if I get the
teacher I’ve heard bad things about?” Well, don’t buy into all of the gossip
you’ve been hearing. It’s unfair to the teachers to be labeled as mean, bad at
math, etc. Get to know them on a personal level. One child will have a great
experience with a teacher, and another child might have an awful experience
with that same teacher. You don’t get to pick who that teacher is, but most of
them are honestly really good. (We try SO hard, you guys!) You just have to
hope for the best and have a positive attitude about it.
It is
VERY important to keep the lines of communication open with your child’s
teacher. You are your child’s advocate. If you have an issue with the teacher
or if your child is having an issue with school work, homework, or bullying,
schedule a meeting and go talk to them about it. Don’t sit around and wait for
things to get better.
I’ve heard people say,
“it takes my kid two hours to finish his homework, and he’s only in 2nd
grade!” This kind of stuff should be addressed, so talk to the teacher and see
what accommodations can be made. If your child works more slowly than others,
but they get all the right answers, maybe the teacher will allow them to do
every-other problem instead of every single problem. (That’s what I do in my
classroom.) And teachers REALLY like it when parents volunteer to help in their
classrooms. Is there any better way to gain knowledge and experience about your
child’s education?
When your
parent-teacher conference comes around in October or November, start by
listening. Hopefully there are no big surprises! Don’t ask too many questions
unless you have concerns. Let them know you’re on their team and want to work
together. But if you do have a question or concern, voice it BEFORE the
conference because the conference is just a quick 20-minute meeting to discuss
the report card and social behaviors.
Maybe you’d like to
homeschool your child instead of sending them to school. But how do you juggle
schooling with younger children in the home when you homeschool? Send them to
grandmas! Or maybe it’s not that hard. The kids take naps. All of the kids can
sit together and read the curriculum. The hardest part is if you have a
difficult concept. If you need 1-on-1 time to teach something challenging, send
the kids outside or do it during nap time. And siblings will help each other
with their school work. It’s a win for everyone, because the best way to learn
something is to teach someone else. One of the women on the panel works for
Connecting Waters Charter School and Homeschooling, and you can get more
information on that HERE
or HERE.
If you choose Connecting Waters, they will come to your house once every 20
days to discuss curriculum.
If you’re wondering
what you can do at home to foster language skills, it may not be as hard as you
think. You’ve probably seen that commercial, “Talk, read, sing. It changes
everything.” (And now you have that jingle in your head. Welcome!) Read aloud
to your kids. They’re hearing the language and they’re getting access to
something they can’t read themselves. Read aloud and aim high for vocabulary.
You can read two grades above your child’s reading level to enrich their
vocabulary. Talk aloud- explain things as you see them so they’re always
learning new things. Don’t aim down, aim UP. Take your kids to art and history
museums, gardens, and let them explore outdoors. Find more information on early
childhood development HERE.
Ok. This probably seem
like a TON of information. Maybe you’re feeling overwhelmed by all of this. Try
not to worry too much! As moms, we need to take each child as unique. If you
notice something is working, keep going. If it’s not working, don’t be afraid
to make a change and just know your options. School should be fun! It’s a time
of wonder! Just try and enjoy it as a parent and let your kids enjoy it, too.
And BE NICE to your kid’s teacher! (No, seriously. Be REALLY nice to them. I
promise they’ll be even nicer to your kid because of it.) :)
~Amber Graziano
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