Prayer in public schools

Prayer is raising one's mind and heart to God. When the school day included prayer, there was an implicit acknowledgement that God existed, and that He was a loving Father who required a certain standard of behavior from His children. Today, prayer is no longer allowed in schools, and the behavior of young people is falling to ever-increasing lows.  

Many of the problems adults are experiencing with today's youth are caused by the fact that young people have little fear or respect for anyone or any institution. Parents, educators, and the justice system no longer have effective means of disciplining youth.

Many parents are no longer comfortable applying strict disciplinary measures to wayward children. One complaint from a neighbor, the school, or even the child himself can bring social workers into the home to investigate every nook and cranny of the family's life.

In some cases, this hyper-sensitive vigilance is a valuable safeguard against children being mistreated, but it has also struck fear into the hearts of numerous parents. It prevents them from enforcing firm discipline, even in cases where the young people are sorely in need of it.

We live in a permissive, child-centred society. Heaven forbid that anyone or anything should damage a child's self-image, or stifle his effort to express himself, or curtail his creativity, even if it's expressed in graffiti on the side of a public building.

Today's young people need to be reminded that there is indeed an omniscient, all-powerful, and all-just Heavenly Parent who sees all and is quite capable of punishing wrong-doing.

The school also has had its hands tied with applying effective disciplinary measures. A child cannot be kept in at recess, (he needs the break and exercise), nor after school, (he'll miss the bus). If he's so much as patted on the shoulder, the offending party can be charged with assault.

At school, presently, a student who misbehaves can no longer be effectively punished. The children are well aware of this fact and take full advantage of it. In the past, when prayer was a factor of daily life, they were at least reminded that there was a Higher Power who was not subject to the restrictions of the local education authorities.

Police officers and the courts also have little authority when it comes to young offenders. Trouble-makers can't be identified publicly by name even when they've committed murder. For lesser offences, they proceed through the revolving doors of the justice system to be returned to their homes or into foster care. From these places, they often progress to more serious offences until they reach the age where they can legally be held accountable for their actions.

Parental, educational, and legal authority over young people has been eroded to the extent that it is practically non-existent. Family church attendance has fallen off dismally and few young people even know the Ten Commandments, much less harbor any desire to obey them.

With street crime, domestic terrorism, gang wars, rape, home invasions, vandalism, drug use, and all kinds of delinquency and villainy on the rise, society in general needs to take  decisive action to avoid anarchy, as young people become more self-centered and rebellious. We need to turn to the Source of all authority for guidance as we strive to reestablish secure, law-abiding families and communities.

What better place to start than by making prayer once again a daily practice in our schools?

Memorizing the multiplication tables

It is imperative for a child's success in elementary school Mathematics that he memorize the multiplication tables in Grades 3 and 4. Failure to do so will negatively impact his ability to master division, operations with fractions, problem-solving, and other numerical operations he'll need to complete the elementary school curriculum. Memorizing multiplication used to be a long, boring burden.

When I was teaching in a classroom, I assigned one table a week. We drilled them in class and I asked the parents to have the children practice the table of the week in the evening. Some children learned them; others, unfortunately, did not. We didn't have time to keep going back for review. The other items on the curriculum list had to be covered as well.

After retirement, I began to do private tutoring, because I missed the children and also to earn a few extra dollars. I quickly noticed that the children experiencing difficulty in Mathematics were stumbling along mainly because they had not memorized their times tables. Just about then, my granddaughter, who was in Grade 2 that year, gave me a great idea.

She came in one day singing "Brother John", but instead of the normal words, she sang the three times table. It went like this:
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Are you sleeping, are you sleeping, Brother John, Brother John?

3, 6, 9, / 3, 6, 9, /12, 15, 18/ 12, 15, 18?

Morning bells are ringing, morning bells are ringing,

21, 24 27, / 21, 24, 27,/

Ding, ding, dong. Ding, ding, dong.

30, 33, 36, 30, 33, 36.

She knew how to count by 3's! When I asked her what six three's were, she sang, moving her fingers until she had counted 6 different numbers. "Six times three is eighteen', she proclaimed proudly.

It was one of those "Aha!" moments. I promptly set the words of the other tables to songs familiar to children and haven't had a problem teaching the times tables since. For those who might find them useful, I'll write them below.
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Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you,

4, 8 12, 16,/ 20, 24, 28,/

Happy birthday, happy birthday, happy birthday to you.

32, 36, 40,/ 44, 48.

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The five and ten times tables the children usually knew by heart, so I skipped those.
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Ring around a rosy, a pocket full of posies,

6, 12 18 24, / 30 36 42 48

Husha, husha, we all fall down.

54, 60,   / 66, 72./

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Wewish you a Merry Christmas, we wish you a Merry Christmas,

7, 14, 21,/ 28, 35, 42,/

We wish you a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year.

49, 56, 63, / 70, 77, 84./

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Row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream,

8, 16, 24,/ 32, 40, 48,/

Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream.

56, 64, 72, 80, 88 and 96./

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All around the cobbler's bench, the monkey chased the weasel,

9, 18, 27,/ 36, 45, 54,/

The monkey thought 'twas all in fun, pop goes the weasel.

63, 72 and 81,/ 90, 99, 1-oh-8./

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The eleven times table is all twins, and easy to remember: 11, 22, 33, 44...

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Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are;

12, 24, 36, 48,/ 60, 72, 84, 96,/

Up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky.

108, 120, 132,/ 12 times 12 is one hundred and ninety-six./

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I still assign one table per week, and ask the parent's help with drill. For some reason, they find it easier to practice in musical form than in the old sing-song repetition method we used in school. Invariably, the kids return the next week, singing their table and grinning like monkeys; they are very proud of themselves.

Every child needs to memorize the multiplication tables. This is the easiest method I've found, and I have my granddaughter's teacher to thank for it. I only wish I had learned it during those long years when I was still in the classroom. I sincerely hope this method may be of some use to those parents, teachers and children who are still struggling with these troublesome number facts.

Which is method better, Whole Language or Phonics?

In spite of literacy specialists, computers, standardized testing and other innovations, there is still a significant group of children who have fallen behind in Reading and Language skills during the past several decades. Colleges and universities have found it necessary to initiate remedial English classes. Reading, spelling, grammar and composition skills have been neglected in the crucial early grades. As a retired teacher, who still dabbles in the shallows of the educational pool by working with a few tutoring students, I have strategies which may not be popular with present educators, but which always worked well for me.

I started teaching elementary grades in the late 1950's. Teachers then believed that,for young people to attain future positions of authority, wherein they would discipline others, it was vital that they first master self-discipline. The children sat in rows at desks. They raised their hands to speak and for permission to leave their desks. The classroom environment was quiet and very structured, but within it, I believe the children felt secure. They knew the routine which would be followed each day, and for some, it was the only routine in their lives on which they could rely.

Reading was taught in the morning when the students were most alert. We started with a Phonics lesson. Each letter in the alphabet was assigned a sound, which the children pronounced, and used to decode words. The sounds were drilled daily. Of course, a few words didn't fit the pattern, but the sounds at least provided clues.

For Reading, the class was divided into three or four groups: the fluent readers, the average, the below average, and the struggling. Each group gathered around the reading table daily with the teacher, and each child read aloud at least one paragraph of the story that group was working on. Hearing individuals read each day, and questioning them for comprehension, it was easy to keep track of their progress. The groups were flexible; children often moved back and forth. The teacher spent most time with those groups needing extra help. While one group was reading, the others were working quietly on seat work at their desks. There was silence, order, respect for others, good work habits, and there was learning going on.

In the late 1980's the "Whole Language" system was introduced in Ontario schools. Proponents believed that children would learn to read and write as naturally as they learned to talk. Readers and spelling textbooks were packed away.

Children were invited to choose library books corresponding to their interests and ability. Teachers were to provide pleasurable games and activities to help them progress through each required skill. Language was never to be discouraged in the classroom, because the students learned from each other as well as from us. Desks were replaced by tables and chairs. Each day the children wrote an entry in their journals. No corrections were made, lest we discourage their creativity. Red pens were outlawed; they might harm a child's self-image. If he/she was not progressing with peers, it was only because they were not yet ready. After all, everyone knew that children develop at different rates.

Well, you can imagine the results of this ill-conceived educational experiment. Some children chose only picture books all year. The comprehension skill of those who chose more challenging material was hard to gauge, unless the teacher was familiar with every book in the library.

However, there was no time for reading, because educators spent their evenings devising and constructing meaningful games that would be enjoyable, and still foster skill development. Journals were to be deciphered (if possible) often and meaningful comments added, so the author would know that he had an interested audience for his literary efforts.

For me personally, the most difficult aspect of the new program was the noise. By the end of each day, it reached a volume comparable to thirty little jackhammers breaking up cement during a thunderstorm. There was noise, distractions and social interaction, but I'm not sure that there much learning going on.

Lately I see, from my young friends' Homework that Phonics is reappearing. Spellers are popping up again like sunflowers and there is at least one class all working together on a novel study. I hope the pendulum is swinging back.

When we once more insist on having classrooms where there is silence, order, respect for others, and good work habits, outstanding educational results in Language skills will again become apparent in the schools of North America.

Benefits of an all-day Kindergarten program

Happy the family in which a cheerful mom stays home all day, does the housework and cares for the children, while the dad goes to work and earns enough to maintain his brood in a comfortable lifestyle. Unfortunately, the Cleaver-type family, in which Beaver and Wally grew up, disappeared for most people in North America in the 1960s and 1970s.

In today's troubled economy, most parents, mother and father, have to work. When both are employed in a low-paying jobs, a significant amount of their salaries goes to pay a baby-sitter. If a full-day kindergarten program was available, funded through the school board budget, the entire family would be assured a better quality of life.

The availability of an all-day kindergarten program would be a favorable option for many individuals and families. As well, it would be beneficial to the economy of a state, province, and country. Here's why:

* There are many single parents who want to work and support themselves and their children, but the cost of childcare is prohibitive. As a result, they stay home and collect welfare. With full-day kindergarten programs available, many could return to the workforce one year sooner than they could otherwise do.

* Registered and inspected day-care providers are expensive. Often working parents will make use of the services of a relative, neighbor or friend as baby-sitter. Unless the care-giver is trained in early-childhood care and education, these arrangements may not be in the best interests of the child.

* Sometimes it's hard for an only child to separate from his parents when he has spent four full years at home as the center of attention. All-day kindergarten will give him more chance to develop and practice socialization skills before he is thrust into the formal Grade One program.

* All-day classes introduce the child to the routine he will follow in Grade One: morning session, lunch, afternoon session, home. Next year, when the serious study begins, he will already be accustomed to the pattern of a normal school day.

* Children with no siblings would benefit from learning to play and cooperate with their peers for an extended period every day.

* One-half of contemporary marriages end in divorce. "Relationships" which are common today, are probably even more unstable. When there is turmoil and emotional upset at home, the child will benefit from having a stable, predictable environment in which he can spend his days.

* Knowledge in the twenty-first century is expanding at a greater rate than ever before. When she has access to them for a full day, a creative teacher will be able to devise and present many "mini-lessons" to give the children a head start in the first grade.

* Full-day Kindergarten classes will stimulate the economy. Besides the extra teachers who will be hired, assistants will be necessary, at least one per classroom, depending on class size. Can you imagine having to put on and remove 25 snowsuits all by yourself several times on a winter day? Besides time and effort, there are safety issues involved. What will the other children be doing while the teacher is occupied in the cloakroom?

* With extra time at school, the health issues of the children can be addressed more conveniently and reliably. Medical and dental checkups could be performed, vaccinations given, and speech problems identified and re-mediated, (all with the parents' permission, of course).

While it is generally agreed that the ideal family situation would be a loving, intelligent parent at home interacting with and caring for five-year-olds every day, this is seldom possible in our pressurized, fast-paced society.

Many would agree that the second-best option would be a secure and stimulating all-day kindergarten program where a child can be with a caring teacher and many friends until his parents return. Until society can return to a time where the norm will again be a Cleaver-type household, this alternative appears very attractive.

Why isn't cursive writing being taught in school?

The shift in emphasis away from teaching cursive writing in elementary school began about the same time as the introduction of "whole language" system, which originated in England. The children were supposed to learn to read and write just as naturally as they learned to talk. Out the window, in many North American schools, went cursive writing lessons along with formal instruction in Phonics and Spelling. The older, more experienced teachers who tried to object, were overruled, and forced to adapt to the new trend.

Another consideration was the advent of the computer in the classroom. It was argued that, when these children grew up, they would be typing everything, so keyboarding lessons began to take the place of writing. Of course, there were seldom enough computers for every child to work on one at the same time. As a result, the children who had never learned cursive writing continued to print. Often they finished elementary school, without having had one formal cursive writing lesson. They, and their teachers had been led to believe that writing was, or soon would be, unnecessary.

As might have been expected, some of more enterprising students taught themselves to write. They usually began by joining the bottoms of the printed letters and those who enjoyed good small muscle control developed legible handwriting. If a child was the slightest bit artistic, he added swirls and flourishes that were, in some cases, quite attractive. Those who lacked interest, or who didn't see a need to change, continued to print. As long as the teacher could read their work, nothing was said, lest their creative urges be stifled with unimportant trivia.

Fortunately, today, the pendulum is beginning to swing back. Many school boards have seen the error of their ways, and Phonics and Spelling lessons are reappearing in elementary school classrooms. Teachers are once again being encouraged to teach cursive writing. This philosophical about-face has been spurred by complaints from colleges and universities that too many freshmen students were unable to read or spell accurately.

There have always been fads in education. Unfortunately, the young people exposed to the trial period are often short-changed in acquiring necessary skills. My own son, now in his forties, went through school during the time when "New Math" was the innovation of the day. Any type of memorization of number facts was forbidden. As a result, when you ask Jim a numerical question to this day, you'll see his eyes roll up to the left, as far as possible,while he uses his fingers as an abacus, and those digits can go a mile a minute!

School boards and superintendents of education need to learn one important lesson themselves. Traditional teaching methods have worked well for generations. Don't try to fix a method that isn't broken. It's fine to introduce variations occasionally, but only after long and vigorous testing in the jurisdiction where they originated. Our children should not be used as guinea pigs.

And Parents, if you see an area in which your child is missing a necessary skill, don't hesitate to teach him yourself. There are lots of helpful books, at teachers' supply stores. Now, I regret not having made Jim learn the multiplication tables by heart. Do you know how silly a forty-three year old looks, counting on his fingers?

Should children be taught a second language?

Every child in school should learn at least one foreign language. Besides the practical benefits of being able to converse with someone from another land and possibly a different culture, the process will develop thinking skills and improve memory.

The lessons should begin early, and during the primary years, they should be mostly oral. The children need to assimilate the sounds, the inflections, and the rhythm of words and phrases in the new language. This can be accomplished almost unconsciously by the very young child.

The teacher begins by teaching simple concepts: the days of the week, counting to ten, and the names of objects around the classroom. She will say the words and have the children repeat them. After the students become accustomed to sounds of their new tongue, they can proceed to more difficult vocabulary.

It is important to have teachers who are fluent in the new language. Children are amazing mimics. If the teachers speaks the language with an English accent, it is certain that the students will also. It is best, whenever possible, to hire a teacher who is a recent immigrant, and a native of the country where the new language is spoken.

It is also important that the parents have an opportunity to choose the second language their child will be taught. You will then have family interest and support for the educational program, a vital element in assuring the child's success.

Since Canada is officially a bilingual country, every child, except those in Quebec, has to learn French. This was a government decision and is not popular with many parents.

Strangely enough, students in Quebec are not compelled to learn English. In fact, they are only allowed to attend an English school if one of the parents has English as a first language.

When one of my tutoring students receives a report card, I like to review it with the parent, to determine the area in which to concentrate lessons for the next term. Often the child will have a low mark in French. The parent's reaction is usually: "Oh, I don't care about that; it's only French." Parental input into the choice of the second language is vital.

Often the disinterest is understandable. Our area has many children of Italian descent. They may have difficulty speaking to their grandparents and other relatives in Italian, and if they were to study that language, it would be of much more use to them. The parents would wholeheartedly support the program, and see to it that the children got the necessary practice at home. They would also be able to ensure that the child received help with homework in the later grades when it was assigned.

When I was teaching, the children would often ask me for help with their French assignments. Since it had been years since I had taken the subject, with no opportunity to practice in the intervening time, I was unable to help. I'd ask them if they knew any French-speaking people they could consult, and answer usually was, "Only the French teacher, and she's left for the day."

In choosing a second language, it is very helpful if the child has some ongoing contact with persons who can speak to him in that tongue, can help him with assignments, and give him pointers about the maxims and platitudes peculiar to that language. Unless he has the opportunity to practice his new tongue through frequent use, he will soon forget it.

In today's world, with instant communication, and widespread travel, we humans come into contact with people of other lands, other cultures, and speaking foreign languages, much more frequently than in former times. Today's children will be called upon to reach out and embrace the world. Becoming fluent in a second language during their school years is a worthwhile place to start.

The necessity for spiritual education

To educate a human child well, the three components of his essence must be addressed. Since he has been endowed by the Creator with a body, mind and spirit, he must develop physically, mentally and spiritually. The function of an effective educational system is to promote growth and development in each of these areas.

Physical growth is very noticeable during the school years. When the child begins Kindergarten, he is often quite uncoordinated, and needs guidance to develop his larger muscles. Through activities and games, he learns to skip, to hop on one foot, to throw and catch a ball, and to perform other basic skills.

As he progresses through the elementary grades, the smaller muscles come into play. He learns to print, to write, to ride a bike, and he is introduced to team sports such as baseball, hockey, soccer and basketball.

In high school, he may choose to continue with his favorite sports, and he will develop new interests which will carry over into adulthood. As he participates in jogging, golf, archery, skiing and other activities, he is acquiring skills which will help him keep fit throughout life.

Much of education is focused on a child's mental growth. He learns to read, write, and work accurately with numbers. He is taught information about the world he inhabits and the different peoples and cultures who share it with him. He learns about the plant and animal kingdoms, what each needs to survive, and the ways they affect or interact with human beings. He becomes aware of universes and space travel and other marvels that his mind may has trouble grasping.

During later school years, he begins to recognize his talents, interests and abilities. He chooses a career path, one that will enable him to earn a living. This choice is followed by even more education to teach him the specific skills needed for his chosen field.

If we turn him out into the world with no spiritual training, we have done him a great disservice. We haven't helped him answer the big questions. Why am I here? What is the meaning of life? What happens when I die? What is expected of me? Is this all there is?

We have taught him sports, but not the reasons for practicing good sportsmanship. We have given him literacy skills, but haven't introduced him to the greatest of all books: the Bible. We have taught him about the peoples of the world, but failed to inform him that he must love his neighbor. He has learned about the plants and animals of the earth, but he may not realize that he is called upon to be nature's steward. We have informed him about stars, planets, indeed even mighty universes, but we have failed to tell him about their Creator.

A child who has received no spiritual training is like a ship without an anchor or a steering wheel. He will be tossed about by the inevitable storms of life and may end up shipwrecked unless he is smart enough or lucky enough to find the answers on his own, or through a friend in the future.

Our bodies and minds, which we take so much care to educate and develop, both come with expiration dates. Not so, our spirits; they are eternal. They will live forever. Perhaps it is time to change the emphasis in education. Instead of ignoring the spiritual aspect of our child's character, it should be given primary consideration. Then we can be assured that our duty as parents and as educators has been competently completed.

Should a gifted child be allowed to skip a grade?

Every educator has encountered parents who request, sometimes in a very forceful manner, that their child be allowed to skip to the next grade. They say the student consistently complains that he is bored, that he knows all the lessons the teacher presents and that the work is too easy. He tells them he never has Homework because he finishes it all in class. They are convinced that their child is not being challenged and they want him placed in the next grade, often in the middle of a term.

Sometimes the parents are right, but before a decision is made to move a child, there are many factors to be considered.

* Look at his last report card. Are the marks nearly all A's? Don't be misled by his pleas of boredom. If he's as smart as he thinks, it will be easier for him to write the correct answers than to think up creative mistakes.

* Look at his size and height. Will he stick out like a sore thumb among children who are a year older? Alternately, depending on his birthday, he may be almost the same age as many children in the next class. A child born on December 31st. of one year may be a grade level behind another child born on January 1st. of the following year. Actually, there is only one day's difference in their ages.

* Look at his friends. Are they all his age and many in the same classroom? Will his social life suffer if he is moved ahead? On the other hand, if he is more comfortable with older children, and many are in the next classroom already, he will fit into the higher grade quite readily.

* Look at his reading material. Many books have the appropriate grade level on the back cover. If he consistently chooses books which are above his present level, he may be ready to move on.

* Consider his physical health. Is he able to undertake the extra workload he'll need to assume as he catches up with lessons and notes the next grade has already covered? Is he unlikely to miss many days because of illness during this catch-up time?

* Consider his emotional health and his level of maturity. Has he passed the temper-tantrum stage? Will he willingly do the Homework he has been able to avoid until now? Does he cope well with change? What happens when he doesn't get his own way? If he usually bursts into tears, he may not be emotionally ready to leave the familiar classroom and people he knows to enter a strange environment, especially in the middle of the year.

* Perhaps most importantly, does the child, himself want to move ahead at this particular time? If he is mentally, physically and emotionally prepared to cope with the changes and the challenges the acceleration will present, then perhaps he should go on, even if the timing is irregular.

However, the decision should be made by jointly, by the school staff, the parents and the child. Omitting any of these parties from the decision-making process may hinder the child's future achievement.

Parents sometimes have a tendency to think their child is a prodigy, the best, the most attractive and the brightest among his peers. This is understandable, but it is only when he is viewed in comparison of others the same age will his superior abilities, or lack thereof, become apparent.

For this reason, it is vital that the matter of skipping a grade should be discussed first with the teacher, the principal and other appropriate staff members before a decision is made, or before informing the child that he might shortly be moving ahead.

Only by weighing all the factors carefully and conducting several conferences which include all the parties involved, will the best outcome occur and the welfare of the child be promoted.

Do you really need an education to succeed in life?

It was my first year teaching, 1957, and I had as much to learn as the children. I took it personally if any child was not learning well. I felt it must be something I was doing wrong. We repeated and repeated lessons until the bright students were bored, and the slower ones were just beginning to get a glimmer of what was expected. Then I'd assign the homework, and check it carefully to see who was still having difficulty.

In that Grade Two class, there was one boy I'll always remember. His name was Ronnie and he looked like a cherub who was hopelessly lost. He was blond, with big blue eyes the color of a midsummer sky. The problems he was having with academics didn't affect his disposition. He was always pleasant, and tried to do his best. He was reading at a beginning first-grade level and was finding the intricacies of addition and subtraction a real challenge. We worked with bottle caps, buttons, even arranged and rearranged the other children for him to count, and he was making progress. However, as soon as it was just numbers on paper he had to work with, he was lost again.

In one area, Ronnie shone. He was a model of neatness. He always won the prize for the neatest desk, when I ran a surprise spot check. His printing work was beautiful; he could print more neatly than I could. He excelled in coloring, an important skill in Grade Two: he never went over the lines. His other Art work was also very well done, not particularly creative, but cutting and pasting projects were carefully and almost perfectly completed.

In spite of the restless nights I spent worrying about Ronnie's lack of progress, the year passed and he was promoted on age. He was a tall boy and would have been really out of place among the little Grade Ones coming in. No one could guarantee that he'd learn more if he was kept back another year anyway. I felt badly and suffered from guilt whenever I thought about Ronnie long afterward.

One day, about twenty years later, I met Ronnie while shopping at the local mall. He was still tall, very good-looking, and was pushing an angelic-looking little blond boy with sky-blue eyes, in a stroller. With much trepidation, I asked him what he did for a living. He said he was working in a large automotive factory in town, sweeping the floor and keeping his area tidy. With typical openness, he told me his salary. He was earning more than I was at teaching!

Thus I learned one of the most important lessons of my career. A child doesn't necessarily need to succeed in school to succeed in life. The secret is to discover their gift, a specialty at which they excel and concentrate on that. Ronnie's kind and industrious nature had enabled him to acquire a wife and start a family. His talent for being neat and orderly led to an excellent job with a superior benefit package which will look after him for life.

Everyone has at least one area in which they excel. Some are lucky and find it early in life; for others the discovery may come later. When you find it, either in yourself or in your children, make it the focus of your endeavors. Learn as much about it as you can, practice your skill, position yourself around people and places where your skill is practiced and appreciated. You'll find that opportunities for success will present themselves, and you'll be ready to grab them.

And, your success may be in an area that your teachers never thought of when you were in school.

For teachers: ten tips for classroom management

There are thirty of them and only one of you. The first time you stand at the front of your classroom you must gain the respect and co-operation of your students, if you're to do the job you've been hired to do: teach the required curriculum for the grade level well enough that the majority of the children will pass the examinations at the end of the year.

Time will pass quickly. The students have only five hours daily, five days a week, for nine months, counting holidays, to learn and practice many new skills. There is a vast store of new knowledge for them to comprehend and memorize.

You must see that they accomplish all this, and you must do it without using physical punishment, without causing them undo stress or anxiety, and preferably without raising your voice.

As you advance in your career, you will amass many strategies for managing your classroom well and practicing effective discipline strategies. In the meantime, here are a few suggestions you may find helpful:

(1).Attach name cards to the desks before the students arrive the first day. Instruct them to sit in the seat with their name on it. If you need to reprimand someone, it's much easier and more effective if you can address the child by name. Seating arrangements can be adjusted later.

(2). Forget about group seating for the first few weeks at least. Arrange the desks in rows. Children are social beings, and like us, if they're in a group, they will chat. You want all attention focused on you.

(3) After the first few days rearrange the desks. Place potential behavior problems and those with vision or hearing difficulties at the front of the classroom. Independent workers and more responsible students will be fine near the back.

(4) Ensure that every child has an extra activity in his desk to work on when an assignment is finished: a book, a puzzle, or an Art project. Older children can begin homework. You know the old adage about idle hands...

(5) Most parents can be valuable allies. Alert them by phone when problems occur, but also call them with good news. When a child is working hard, gets good marks on a test, or does something kind for you or a classmate, let them know. It will make their day.

(6) Don't skip recess or Physical Education activities. Children are naturally active. When they have a chance to burn off excess energy they'll be better able to focus on schoolwork when they return to the classroom.

(7) Reward good behavior. Monthly certificates for "Best Listener", "Most Improved", Most Responsible", accompanied by a small prize, will result in a decline in discipline problems.

(8) I found the following strategy to be effective for more persistent behavioral issues. With the principal's knowledge and permission, issue a request by phone that the parent of the offender visit the class for half a day. Relate truthfully the problem you're having with the child. When the parent arrives, place Mom or Dad on a chair right beside the child's desk. You will probably have a very quiet morning or afternoon session.

However, the culprit has been embarrassed in front of his friends, and the parent will be annoyed because he had to miss work, and sit through a long, boring half-day. You can be sure he will lay down the law to his offspring when they get home. The other children certainly won't want a similar fate to befall them. At the very least, you should have a quiet, hard-working class for the next several weeks.

(9) Be aware of the specialized help available to you and don't hesitate to take advantage of these professionals. Many school boards employ consultants in different areas: literacy experts, an Audio-visual consultant, a Special Education Department, etc. There are also community resources which you can access: Family and Children's Services, the Parks and Recreation Commission, and Service Clubs for speakers for special occasions.

(10) Make it a point to visit the Staff Room often. It helps to know you're not alone and that others are experiencing the same problems you are. You'll share in the solutions your fellow teachers have found. You'll catch up on happenings in their lives, maybe have a coffee and relax for a few minutes. Laughter, conversation and fellowship are great tonics. You'll return to the classroom refreshed and ready to put on your "Teacher" hat again.

Your reward will come in June. Most of the children will be going to the next grade, the others will have suitable placements arranged for them, the parents will thank you, you'll have a relaxing vacation ahead, or perhaps an interesting course scheduled, and you'll probably have a sumptuous "end-of-the-year" dinner planned with your colleagues.

But best of all will be the satisfaction you feel deep inside for having done your best for the thirty children entrusted to you during the past year. You have been an important part of their lives for nine months and you have shared yourself, your efforts and your essence, with them. What you have given, they will carry with them into the future. You can rest assured, Teacher, you have made a difference.

Raising a gifted child

Raising a gifted child is a real challenge for parents. If you fail to keep his active mind occupied, he may come up with activities on his own, which you will find neither interesting or amusing. The goal, then, is to keep him busy and involved on projects and in programs which appeal to his particular areas of interest. With these children, idle hands can really be the workshop of you-know-who.

One of your most useful allies is the public library. Once your child learns to read, which will probably be at an early age, he should visit the library at least weekly. At first, he may need help choosing books at his level, but soon, he'll be leaving you in the entrance while he rushes in to make his choices. Gifted children should always have books on hand. Besides being sources of information, they provide a leisure-time activity which is both beneficial and restful after a busy day.

It's impossible for one set of parents to answer all the questions his sharp little mind will come up with. Chances are, though, that those answers will be found somewhere in all the resource materials available at the library.

Bright children will also benefit from having access to a computer. It is invaluable for research, and "Google.com" will answer just about any question he has. But, because these children are very inquisitive, computer use should be closely monitored by a responsible adult. Sometimes gifted children become prematurely interested in topics not suitable to their chronological age.

Television viewing should also be carefully monitored, but not entirely excluded. There are excellent documentaries, biographies, and in-depth news programs which bring Current Events classes to life. Through television, children can learn of other countries, cultures and life forms with which they share the planet. Good children's programming, such as the Disney productions, provide entertainment as well as forming part of the culture in which they themselves participate.

These children need a well-rounded education. They should be exposed to as many areas of human achievement as possible. Visits to museums, art galleries, symphony concerts, live theater, a local television studio and other places of interest will add to their store of knowledge. They'll amaze you with how many detailed facts they remember from each excursion. International travel would also be valuable, but not every family has the means or the opportunity to provide this.

If your child shows interest in a sport, encourage him to join a team. He'll develop social skills and learn good sportsmanship by doing so. Sometimes gifted children have trouble relating to other children their own age. They may prefer the company of older friends or adults. The necessity to interact on a sports team in order to win, will facilitate interaction with peers..

Even if sports is not one of his major interests, an effort should be made to keep his body as active as his mind. Every child needs to learn to swim, to ride a bike, to go skating or hiking. Horseback-riding, water-skiing, bird-watching, sledding, even kite-flying will get him out in the fresh air and sunshine for a few hours each day. The secret is to find an activity he enjoys.

Music should also form part of his experience. After introducing him to different styles, forms and artists, he may express a desire to play an instrument. If possible, grant his request. Even a year or two of instruction will familiarize him with the basics of theory. Even if he doesn't continue, he's had the experience. He may learn that music is not one of his greater talents, and that in itself is a valuable lesson.

There are clubs and classes which benefit all children, but especially the gifted: Boy Scouts, Girl Guides, 4-H clubs, church youth groups, interest groups of all kinds. Your job as a parent is to help him go wherever his curiosity and special strengths lead. Ideally, childhood years should be the years of discovery; the time to ascertain where his inclinations and his strongest abilities lie, so that with his family, he can chart a course which will maximize his success and satisfaction as an adult.

Raising a gifted child is a challenge, but it carries with it many satisfactions and rewards. You will stand in awe at the rapid progression he will make in his chosen profession.

You, as his parents, will have the satisfaction of knowing that, through your efforts, the world was gifted with an individual who may contribute much to the well-being and advancement of his community, his country and society in general. For this achievement, you should be extremely proud.

Counting rhymes for early learners

Even though preschoolers are not ready for formal lessons, many educational concepts can be presented casually. One of the most enjoyable methods is through rhyme, to which young children naturally respond. The popularity and longevity of nursery rhymes attest to this fact.

Simple rhymes which are fun to learn, valuable for memory training, and also teach material which will be useful for later Mathematics lessons include, (but are by no means limited to) the following.

* Counting to 10:

1, 2, 3, 4, 5,

I caught a fish alive.

6, 7, 8, 9, 10,

Then I threw him back again.

Why did you let him go?

Because he bit my finger so.

Which finger did he bite?

This little finger on the right!

At first, a toddler will clap to these words. Later, he can hold up the appropriate number of fingers.

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1 potato, 2 potato, 3 potato, 4,

5 potato, 6 potato, 7 potato, more!

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1, 2, buckle my shoe

3, 4, shut the door

5, 6, pick up sticks

7, 8, lay them straight

9, 10, a big fat hen

11, 12, dig and delve

13, 14, maids a-courting,

15, 16, cooks in the kitchen,

17, 18, supper's waiting

19, 20, my plate's empty!

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This old man, he played 1,

He played knick knack on my thumb,

With a knick knack, paddy whack,

Give the dog a bone,

This old man came rolling home.

Continue, inserting the following for lines 1 and 2, but keeping the rest of the verse the same:

This old man, he played 2,

He played knick knack on my shoe,

This old man, he played 3,

He played knick knack on my knee,

This old man, he played 4,

He played knick knack on my door,

This old man, he played 5,

He played knick knack on my hive,

This old man, he played 6

He played knick knack on my sticks,

This old man, he played 7,

He played knick knack up to heaven,

This old man, he played 8,

He played knick knack on my gate,

This old man, he played 9,

He played knick knack on my vine,

This old man, he played 10,

He played knick knack over again.


* Ordinal numbers, first to fifth:


Five little sparrows sitting in a tree
The first one said, "What do I see?"
The second one said, "I see the street."

The third one said, "And seeds to eat."
The fourth one said, "The seeds are wheat."

The fifth one said, "Tweet, tweet, tweet."

The child holds up left hand, fingers parted and extended. As he moves through the rhyme, he points to the appropriate finger. The thumb is first, pointing finger second, etc.

* Counting backwards:

One little, two little, three little, Indians,

Four little, five little, six little Indians,

Seven little, eight little, nine little Indians,

Ten little Indian boys.

Ten little, nine little, eight little Indians,

Seven little, six little, five little Indians,

Four little, three little, two little Indians,

One little Indian boy.

This is often sung. It is helpful in teaching finger control if the children can raise and the fold under the appropriate number of fingers as they sing.

The child who enters Kindergarten being able to count by rote to 20, and count objects in a set to 10, will delight his new teacher. It will be an additional bonus if he has developed enough finger control to color neatly and start Printing Readiness exercises. Children who have learned these rhymes should have accomplished these skills.

Competitive sports in high school are wasteful

Why do parents send their children to high school?

Most people would agree that the primary reason is to ensure that the young people receive a good education which will prepare them for a job or perhaps for college or university. Very few parents expect a high school to prepare their children to join a professional sports team.

Promoting competitive sports at the high school level is counterproductive to the primary purpose of secondary schools: the provision of a comprehensive academic education for every student, for these reasons:

(a) Schools are chronically short of money for necessary supplies such as textbooks, notebooks, computers, library books and audiovisual materials. Often parents are asked to buy basic supplies for their children, and this can be a significant hardship for low-income families. Some students just don't get what is needed, including proper nutrition, and because of this, they fall behind their peers in academic subjects.

A competitive sports program is expensive to maintain. There are costs for uniforms, equipment, the coach's salary, transportation and meals for out-of-town games, advertising, and extra hours of janitorial services for field or arena cleanup and maintenance. The bills can really add up.

The available money would be better spent on meeting the basic needs of the general school population, as opposed to the relatively few in number who are gifted enough to play competitive sports.

As well as providing other necessities, money spent on competitive sports would fund a healthy lunch program for underprivileged students for many months.

(b) Young people have many demands on their time. They have classes, part-time jobs and family obligations. Getting sufficient rest is also important because most teenagers are still growing. As well, the homework load in high school is heavy and entrance to a good college or university depends on achieving above-average marks.

High school students should not have their attention diverted or energies diffused by a focus on competitive sports. Very few will become professional athletes. For the vast majority, these years are crucial for preparing for the occupation or career which will engage them for a lifetime. The fewer distractions, the better.

(c) Young people in high school are forming a self-image to carry into adulthood. At this age physical attractiveness is very important. Leaders and role models will be chosen from among the best-looking, most outstanding performers in the teenagers' Certainly, not everyone can be a sports hero or cheer leader. Many of the less athletic students will acquire an "I'm not good enough to make the team," attitude which will plague them for years. It may even discourage them from achieving their full potential in their chosen field, because they'll lack self-confidence.

If there must be competition, why not encourage categories which will aid the majority of students in their probable careers? Awards for the highest academic marks, the best debaters, the author of the best poem or short story, the producer of the most gifted artistic offering would be several of many appropriate and valuable categories.

Sports are important for health and for enhancing one's ability to lead a full life. High schools should focus on those sports which can be enjoyed throughout life: golf, bowling, hiking, jogging, or archery are but a few examples. The emphasis should be on good sportsmanship, enjoyment and friendship, not on competition.

These programs could be carried out during regular Physical Education classes and use community facilities when necessary. Every student could participate and benefit from being introduced to activities they can enjoy for years to come.

Surely this would be a vast improvement over funding a very few students to participate in competitive sports during the brief and crucially important high school years.

Sex education and schools

Would you let your Kindergarten student walk to school without knowing how to cross the street safely? Of course not. You would be risking his health and even his life by doing so. Allowing your teenager to socialize with his peers, in today's cultural milieu with its laissez-faire attitude, without a proper course in sex education is every bit as hazardous as turning a small child loose in traffic.

Undoubtedly, the ideal place for sex education is the home. Unfortunately, even the best of parents are sometimes uncomfortable discussing the subject with their children. They may delay, waiting until the child asks questions. Before they realize it, the optimal time has come and gone. The child will be questioning, all right, but perhaps the wrong people. All kinds of misinformation is passed unwittingly between friends in the same age group.

Some parents buy books for their teens to read, believing that all the questions will be addressed and answered by the volume's author. However, few teens these days are interested in reading as a leisure-time activity. The book may end up under the bed or lying unopened on a shelf in the closet. Even the best-written, most informative publication will do no good under these circumstances.

Since accurate sex education is vital to the health and safety of every teenager, the school must assume the responsibility of delivering it. The basic factual information should be supplemented by parental perspectives, and moral guidelines from home, but even if this is not the case, the young people will at least have sufficient information, to keep themselves disease-free. Although abstinence from sexual activity until marriage should be presented as the ideal, the students should also be taught how to avoid an unwanted pregnancy.

In a perfect world, sex education would not be left until high school.

In the Primary Grades a section of the Health curriculum, entitled "Family Life" should introduce the children to the proper names for body parts and explain how a baby grows inside its mother's uterus until it is ready to live on its own. This information would be presented within the context of a normal family, with textbook pictures of children with whom the students can identify.

In the Junior Grades, as the children approach puberty, the boys and girls should be separated and each group given information as to what bodily changes they can expect to experience during the next few years, as they become young men and women.

In the Eighth Grade, just before High School, again in separate groups, the students should be informed about physical changes their classmates of the opposite sex are undergoing. These lessons should be given in a matter-of-fact manner, using proper anatomical terms for the specific body parts involved.

If these preparatory lessons have been presented to the students from the Primary Grades on, the sex education of teens would only be a continuation of an earlier curriculum. They will expect to be given correct and factual information, such as they have received in the past. They will receive it matter-of-factly and trust in its accuracy. It will be much more effective than if it were dropped on them suddenly, out of the blue. There should be no smirking, eye-rolling, giggling or other unseemly behaviors because these latest lessons are only a grade-specific unit of a subject they have studied since Grade One, not unlike a Biology course in college.

In summary, teens should definitely have sex education in school. Just as they have progressed from mastering street safety rules in the elementary grades to becoming potential automobile drivers themselves, their information about sexuality and sexual ethics should begin early and increase step by step, through the years in a logical, clearly-presented manner.

These lessons will be most effective if they are built on a continuum of Family Life units presented throughout the elementary grades. When a high school does not include sex education in its curriculum, it fails in its responsibility to provide information every teen wants and needs to become a well-informed and responsible adult.

Parents should be the primary instructors  in matters of sexuality and sexual ethics, but if they fail to fulfill this duty, or impart incomplete information, the school can and should reinforce the knowledge and fill in any gaps. Thus, the young adults will be ready face the challenges the teenage years present, and proceed to become responsible and 

When your child says school is boring

Interested family members and friends often ask youngsters how they like school. Some children will invariably reply, "It's boring!" This statement should not be accepted at face value. If you dig a little deeper, you may find that something more complex is occurring, something that calls for parental intervention. The child himself may not even understand what the problem is.

Here are a few possibilities:

* The work is too easy. When the student has to sit through lessons about information he already knows, or perform number operations at which he is already skilled, he may well be bored. This sometimes happens with avid readers; they are far ahead of their peer group. The child should be reassessed and either placed in a higher grade or given more challenging assignments.

* The work is too difficult. When a child is placed in a class where he is incapable of comprehending the material taught or keeping up with his classmates, he soon begins to tune out the teacher and ceases to pay attention to lessons being presented. He gazes out the window, becomes a clock-watcher, a day-dreamer or a mischief-maker. When asked why he isn't paying attention, he will complain, "I'm bored." He may not understand himself why he finds lessons meaningless.

* The teacher is boring. Most teachers today will often seem dull, compared to the entertainment children have available during their leisure hours. It is hard for one human to compete with the colorful, fast-moving , high-tech entertainment offered on TV or the computer. If a child happens to be assigned to a teacher who dresses in drab colors, speaks in a monotone, and is not enthusiastic about her topic, then yes, the child is likely to find the classroom scene boring. If parents offer lots of encouragement and incentives to do well, he may have a successful year in spite of the difficulty.

* The work seems irrelevant. If you tried to teach third-graders in Canada about the flora and fauna of Sweden, they would be bored. They don't expect to ever go there; if asked, they couldn't find the country on a map, and they just don't care. If you happened to mention that Bigfoot or Superman made a home there, you might ignite a spark of interest, but it wouldn't last. Children need to be able to link new information to past experience, or to something they expect to encounter in the near future.

* The child is not at his best. Perhaps he is overtired, hungry, or coming down with an illness. Is his mind focused on something exciting happening after class, a birthday party, a big game, a visit from his grandparents? Does he have attention deficit disorder? Is he hyperactive? Is he tense or upset because of emotional issues, bullying by a classmate, a serious illness or an upcoming divorce in the family? Any of these factors could cause him to lose interest in the academic curriculum.

For a youngster, being consistently bored at school, over a period of time, is not normal. It's a sign that there is a problem that should be investigated. Parents should start with a self-examination. Are they aware of any factors at home which would might impede the learning process of their child?

If the answer is in the negative, talk to the child. Ask about his relationships with his teacher and peers. Be alert for any negative comments.

If you are still puzzled as to why the child is bored, check with the teacher. Are test results very good or very poor? Does the teacher seem friendly, animated and kind? Ask for her impressions of how the child interacts with his classmates.

If you are still puzzled, request permission to sit in on the class for a few days. As an observant parent, you may be able to spot the problem.

Finally, if all else fails, your last option would be to make an appointment for the child with a qualified psychologist or child psychiatrist. It is bothersome, inconvenient, expensive and maybe embarrassing to explain to friends and relatives, but your child's future depends on his success in school. The early years provide an important basis for future learning.

When a child consistently complains that school is boring, conscientious parents will not hesitate to pursue the matter further.

Tips for getting homework done painlessly

Does your child really, really like his/her backpack? That may seem like a silly question, but the first priority for the successful completion of homework is getting books and assignments home and back to school safely. The child who is allowed to choose his favourite backpack will be more inclined to keep a watchful eye on it. It's less likely to be lost or stolen.

Inside the backpack, there should be an "Agenda Book". Many school boards have chosen to purchase one for every student. In this small soft-covered notebook, there is a specific space for each day of the school year.

Every afternoon, the teacher will write the day's homework on the blackboard. The children copy the assignments into the agenda book. If the children are very young, the teacher may supervise the class to see that they take the necessary books out of their desks, and place them in the backpacks.

Now, the proper books and assignments, written in the agenda book, have a good chance of making it home. They should be laid aside while the child has some free time. He's been cooped up, working all day. He needs a break, outside with his friends in the sunshine and fresh air, if  the weather is fine. After supper, the child and parent consult the agenda, and plan the homework schedule.

It's a good idea to do the hardest subject first, when the student is most alert. There should be a quiet, comfortable place to work. Young children often prefer the kitchen table; older students may have a desk in their room. The light in the homework area should be bright and there should always be a supply of sharp pencils, erasers, coloured pencils and glue close at hand.

Let the child work on the assigned tasks, but be available if he needs a helping hand. He should know that the work will be checked for neatness and accuracy when he's finished.

At the half-hour mark, a juice snack would probably be welcome. Homework in elementary school should seldom run over an hour. Assignments should contain no new work, but be review and reinforcement of material covered in class.

When the student is finished, check to make sure that the work is done, that it's reasonably neat, and that it's completed to the best of his ability. It may not be perfect, and that's fine. Have him check any items you can see are wrong. If he catches the error, OK. If he doesn't, you have a choice. You may help him fix it up, or if you're not sure how the teacher wants it done, leave it. The child has completed the homework to the best of his ability, and that's all that can be expected of him. Have him pack up his backpack, so he won't have to scramble around in the morning.

From now to bedtime, the child should have free time. He could watch TV, read, talk on the phone, play computer games, whatever he chooses. That's one of the rewards for being responsible enough to complete the homework satisfactorily, and on time.

If this routine is established in September every year, it will become a habit. If the child is uncooperative, he'll lose his TV time. If he still doesn't comply with your expectations, he'll have to start right after school and miss his playtime. He'll soon figure out that the routine you've established works best for everyone.

If you feel that he's being assigned too much homework, speak to the teacher. She won't know there's a problem unless you tell her. It's in her interest too, to have a happy, well-adjusted student. When the home and school work together, the child benefits. Childhood passes too quickly to have fights, frustration and fatigue over homework issues.

If your school doesn't supply agenda books, any small, soft-covered notebook will be a good substitute. You can pick one up while your child is shopping for a  new, really super-cool backpack.

School phobia: how parents can help

A child with school phobia is one who is normally healthy, but who develops one or more alarming symptoms on school-day mornings. He may complain of a stomachache, headache, nausea, dizziness, or fatigue. He may vomit or have diarrhea. The symptoms worsen as the time to leave for school approaches.

He may have started to fuss the evening before, and complained of not feeling well. Perhaps he had more trouble than usual going to sleep. What do you, as a concerned and responsible parent, do?

If this is the first time it's happened, send the child back to bed and call the doctor. Try to make an appointment for that morning. If you notice the symptoms subsiding as soon as time to leave for school has passed, you have an important indication that the trouble is not physical, but emotional.

The time in bed cannot be enjoyable, or the problem will be repeated. He must lie still, no TV, no toys, until it's time to go to the doctor. If there's nothing physically wrong, then he goes to school immediately, even if he's late.

CAUSES

The children who develop school phobia are usually good students and well-behaved in class. They probably come from loving homes and have protective parents. They may be extremely sensitive. They are suffering from separation anxiety.

They probably have not attended preschool, or seldom slept away from home. They have seldom been left with baby-sitters.

The problem worsens if there has been a recent traumatic event in the family, such as a death, severe illness, separation or divorce. The child is not so much afraid of school as he is to leave the security and familiarity of his home.

WAYS TO HELP

* Insist that the child attend school every day. Fears are best overcome by facing them. Be very firm in the mornings. Even if he cries and screams, he has to go. If you just can't do it, get the other parent or a relative to take charge for a few days.

* At a time other than a school morning, talk to your child calmly about his fears. Try to find out exactly what he is afraid of. If it's something specific, like getting lost, riding the bus, or not being picked up on time, do what you can to remedy the situation, but don't waver on the necessity of attending school daily.

* If there's a problem at school, such as a teacher who yells too much or a class bully, you may wish to have a word with the school officials. They won't be shocked; school phobia is a common problem. The teacher will do all she can to rectify any matters over which she has control.

* If the child continues to complain of aches and pains, but they are much the same as usual, send him off. If he's really sick, he will be sent home.

* If he's deliberately slow and doesn't get ready in time, or misses the bus, he must go anyway. Arrange for a drive or take him on a later bus. If you give in and let him stay home, you'll get a repeat performance the following day.

* Help him to make friends with classmates. Have another child over to play, or for a sleep-over, or invite one along on a family outing. If your child is asked back, encourage him to go. When he gets a special friend, perhaps they could travel back and forth to school together, at least for awhile.

DURATION

If the above steps are followed, and the problem hasn't disappeared within two weeks, it's time to contact your pediatrician again. He may wish to do a more thorough physical examination, or to give you a referral to a child psychologist. Some children can become withdrawn and depressed, or have a serious anxiety disorder which requires professional assistance.

Growing up can be a stressful and difficult time. The first few years of life have been safe and comfortable at home surrounded by the love and attention of Mom and Dad. However, slowly but surely the young one must leave the nest and join his peers in the world of academia. His future welfare depends on it.

Wise parents will attempt to ease the transition by sending the child to preschool, by leaving him occasionally with trustworthy sitters, and by encouraging him to take mini-vacations with relatives and close friends. He'll gain self-confidence, become more independent, and learn that he can survive without his parents, for a little while anyway.

Children will spend many years in the school environment. The sooner they settle in and begin the task of becoming mature, well-educated and independent individuals, the better off they, and the whole family will be.

How to prepare a child for repeating a grade

Usually the parents will get the bad news with the Easter report card. It may not come as much of a shock because they've probably been dealing with an unhappy, frustrated child since school started in September. They have been hearing complaints such as: "The teacher is mean, she doesn't like me," or "The work is too hard" and "I hate Math., (or Reading, or Science)". There may also have been physical complaints, such as a sore stomach, or head-ache, which magically disappear as soon as it's too late to go to school that day.

At the March report card interview, the teacher confirms that the child has found this year's curriculum very difficult. She may suggest that he repeat the year, so as to get a firm grasp of the present year's work before proceeding. Otherwise, he will be setting himself up for failure in the higher grades. It's impossible to build a strong structure on a weak foundation. You agree with her decision, but wonder how on earth you can prepare your child to repeat a grade without damaging his self-confidence.

First of all, tell the teacher that you agree that your child will repeat the grade next year. If there are two classes of that grade level in the school, ask that he be assigned to a different class with a new teacher. Since he will be repeating, ask her if she could relieve some of the pressure he has been under to perform at grade level for the remainder of this term. This will assure that the rest of the school year will be less stressful. As the better weather approaches, encourage your child to be active in sports or other outdoor activities with his friends.

In June, when final reports are distributed, keep the child home. This is the time to have that heart-to-heart talk. Remind him of the hard year he has put in. Ask him why he thinks that happened. When he suggests the work was too hard, agree immediately. Tell him that you, and the teacher thought so too, and that he just wasn't ready to do work that was so challenging. Remind him of much he has matured during the year. Now he can ride a bike, help Dad wash the car, and perhaps he even gets an allowance.

Suggest that if he tried that work, now that he is so much more grown-up, he'd probably find that it was a cinch, and be able to whiz right through it. Tell him that you and his teacher have had a talk and agreed that's just what he should have a chance to do. Explain that, in the Fall, he'll be in a different classroom with a different teacher, (if this is possible), but that he'll have another chance to do better at the same work he had this year.

If there were reasons for his poor performance, mention them, but put them in a positive perspective. "Next year, you'll feel like working harder, because you'll find the subjects so much easier," or "Next year, you won't be sick as much, so you won't miss all that time," or "Now that Dad and I have our divorce all settled, you'll be able to concentrate more on your school work."

He'll probably mention that his friends will be ahead of him, and you'll have to acknowledge the truth in his observation, but remind him that he'll see them at recesses, lunch hour, and before and after school. If he's joined any sports teams this Spring, he'll see them at practices and games. He can invite them to his birthday party and have sleep-overs on weekends. Also, there will be new friends to meet in his class in September.

Once the discussion is over, don't mention school again all summer unless the child brings up the subject. Treat the topic casually, it is a part of his life, not the only, and not even the most important part. It's something everybody has to do, so we do the best we can and move on.

Try to give your child an active, fun-filled holiday. Encourage him to grow in responsibility and independence as much as possible. Can he safely run errands for you, go to the corner store, or take a parcel to his grand-parents? Perhaps a camping experience can be arranged, or he and a friend could take a bus to a movie or to visit a classmate in another neighborhood. Every time he performs a new, independent activity, his self-confidence will grow and his self-image will improve.

In September, the first few days may be difficult, but they are for every student. At least the assignments should be easy, and he'll make new friends quickly. Children are very adaptable. He'll probably emerge as a leader, because he's older, more experienced, and more self-assured.

Someday in the future, he'll thank you for making the difficult decision to have him repeat. You have ensured that he has the firm foundation needed on which to build the knowledge and skills of the higher grades and secondary school.

You can be proud of yourself. Being a parent is not easy, and children don't come with instruction booklets. When you manage, by the grace of God and good common sense to do a fine job of it, you'll realize it is the most rewarding occupation in the world.

The educational value of reading to children

The Grade One children have just come in from afternoon recess. It's a warm afternoon in late spring and they have been engaged in an energetic game of Touch Tag. They're hot, sweaty and restless, not at all ready to settle down to work. The teacher says nothing but picks up a book and begins leafing through it. It's the tale of "Bunnicula". The children have been listening to a chapter a day for the past several days and they've found it engrossing. Suddenly the room becomes quiet. Little feet become still under the desks. Eyes are raised expectantly to the teacher's face as the children settle down quickly and wait for today's installment to begin.

Encouraging good listening habits is only one of the educational benefits of storytelling, and children can begin reaping these benefits long before formal schooling begins. Every child should know the sense of comfort and security that comes from snuggling up with a loving parent or grandparent and sharing a story. It is irrelevant whether the tale be told from memory or read from a book. At this early age, the educational benefits of listening to a story are an added advantage.

Stories can help a youngster distinguish make-believe from reality. Questions such as: "Do you think a real bunny can talk?" make him stop and consider. After a number of stories and similar questions the difference will become clear. As he gets older, the terms fiction and non-fiction can be introduced.

Stories develop and expand vocabulary. Do you remember wondering, as a child, what an ogre was? In almost every story there is new terminology to be explained: briar patch, goatherd, thatched roof, dilapidated. The child may not remember the explanation exactly, but when he hears it again, he'll have at least a vague idea of its meaning.

Stories teach values. Almost all fiction for young children ends with the good guys winning and the villains being punished. Again, carefully-phrased questions can lead the listener to reflect. He may articulate the value for himself. "Why did the wolf deserve to be punished?"

Depending on the story, the answer could be, "He was mean to the grandmother," or "He wrecked the pig's house". That child has begun to grasp the concepts that it's good to be kind to other people and that we should not create havoc in other people's houses.

Sometimes books can give information. Before a holiday, one can give information about air planes, ships, or trains. Another can show attractive pictures of scenes to be found at the destination.  Before an operation, books can tell what to expect at the hospital. Before choosing a pet, books can list advantages or disadvantages of different breeds of dogs and cats. Anything that is likely to occur in a child's life can usually be found in an age-appropriate book.

Books can help a child become aware of emotions, his own and those of others, and help him deal with them appropriately. "How do you think the mother in the story feels? Why is she angry? What could she do to feel happier?"

Reading and follow-up discussions help a child expand his understanding of why people act the way they do, and how he can be a positive factor in making his environment a peaceful and more pleasant place to be for everyone.

Those grade one children who settled down to hear the next chapter of "Bunnicula" have also internalized some important concepts: reading is interesting, all my friends and even the teacher like to read a good story, reading helps me relax, reading makes me forget other things, reading makes time pass quickly, reading must be important because the teacher skips other school stuff to read to us.

Many of those minds are also thinking:"I'm going to pay attention in class because I want to learn to read for myself!"

Would you not agree that there are many valuable educational benefits of storytelling to children?