How to simplify reading, writing and arithmetic for children

Learning is a necessary activity for children, for adults too in the complicated modern world in which people today live. As a grown-up, this author has found that she can focus and learn when she really needs to know something in a specific and immediate circumstance. She will also learn when she perceives that doing so will be a distinct and significant advantage to her.

For example, she mastered use of the cell phone when she was away from home and needed a way to converse with family that didn't cost an arm and a leg. She first placed a book order online when the weather was too cold and miserable to go to a book store or the library.

Children are motivated in similar ways. Given incentives to learn, and sufficient motivation, their flexible little minds will amaze you at how quickly and thoroughly they can absorb and apply new skills.

Reading

(a) Read interesting books to children from the earliest ages. Let them see you enjoying reading. Give them lots of reading material - comic books are fine. They can move on to better literature later. Make the library a second home.

(b) Obtain and drill Phonovisual Charts where every letter makes a certain sound, although there are exceptions. The writer has taught children, for whom English was a second language, to read within a few months using this method.

(c). Give them pressing reasons to read: ask them to find a favorite show in the TV Guide, play word games like Junior Scrabble, or let them choose an easy recipe to prepare and serve at a family meal.

Writing

(a) Help them write "thank you" notes, Halloween cards, fan letters to favorite music stars, enter writing contests in a local newspaper for Mother's or Father's Day, or write letters to the editor of a children's magazine. Let the child's interests guide you. Be alert for opportunities to encourage the child to write.

(b) Enlist their help in writing down menus and games for their birthday party and other special occasions. List people to whom to send Christmas cards. Note family's and friend's birthdays and other special occasions on a large calendar to be hung in a central location in the home.

(c) Purchase a colorful, lined Journal or Diary for the child to write in daily. Sometimes he may only choose to write one sentence, but once the habit is formed, he will want to record more on days when special things happen.

Arithmetic

(a) Start counting experiences early. How many spoons will we need for dinner? How many guests for your party? How many treats for your class? How many miles to Grandma's house? The answer to each request must be meaningful to the child at the time.

(b) There are many board games which will hone mathematical skills: Monopoly, Cribbage, or Snakes and Ladders, etc. Look for age-appropriate ones and increase the level of difficulty as the child grows older. There are also free websites that drill Math skills using attractive game-like formats.

(c) Many skills, like the multiplication tables, must be memorized. I have developed songs which make this task easier.

Of course, there are some tasks, like homework and memorization work which are boring, difficult and/or uninviting. In those cases, a creative parent can and should provide external motivation. It doesn't take much to make a child happy- an extra half hour of TV, a trip to a movie or the ice cream shop, or maybe a new book or game.

Every little effort you make now will be amply repaid in years to come, when your cherished little one becomes an intelligent, self-motivated, and successful adult in his own right, thanks to your dedication and patience.

 

 

 

Teaching your child to be punctual

Punctuality is an important habit to develop, not just for the school years, but for success and the maintenance of good relationships all through life. If it becomes ingrained in a child during his formative years, there is every likelihood that he will carry it through into his adult life.

Here are some effective strategies a parent can use to help his or her child learn and practice a habit of always being on time:

* Place a large calendar in a prominent place, perhaps on the kitchen fridge, and write on it reminders of upcoming events and activities: money for Pizza Day, class trip, bring gym clothes, etc.

* Try to establish a definite household routine on school days. It is difficult for anyone to be punctual in a chaotic or unregulated environment.

* After Homework is completed each evening, pack everything needed for the following day in his schoolbag and place it near the door through which the child will exit next morning.

* Listen to the weather forecast together. Discuss and agree on appropriate clothing for the following day. Lay it out so he can put it on quickly the next morning.

* If family members take a lunch, have the meals in the fridge, ready to go, before you retire the previous evening. With good planning, everyone can enjoy breakfast together while discussing the upcoming day's schedule and other items of interest.

* Set the alarm clock half an hour early, or more if necessary. This will allow time for unexpected emergencies, a nourishing family breakfast, review of after-school agendas, as well as other last minute concerns which have a way of popping up.

* Be sure the child gets enough sleep. Advance bedtime by half an hour or an hour. Read to him or allow him to read by himself until you turn off the light. If he's tired, he'll doze off early.

* Teach the child to tell time accurately as early as possible. That way, you will be able to gauge how well he is progressing in becoming independently punctual. Then, hopefully, you will be able to give yourself a well-deserved pat on the back.

* Be a good role model. Show that you attach great value to being on time or a even little early for work, doctors' appointments, or meeting someone for lunch. Voice your annoyance when someone is needlessly late and keeps you waiting for a prearranged engagement.

* Praise and reward your child as he improves in being punctual. " Johnny, you were on time for school every day this month! You have earned a trip to the movies this Saturday."

A punctual adult will reap great benefits in many of life's situations: at work, on social occasions and in personal relationships. Punctuality denotes respect, trustworthiness, reliability, and maturity. There is no better time to teach this valuable habit to a child than during his school years.

 

 

Back to school health tips for teachers

A classroom can be a hotbed of germs. With twenty to thirty individuals inhabiting a limited space, it's inevitable than most of them will be sick at some time during the school year.

 In winter, when windows are closed because of the cold, bacteria and viruses can spread like wildfire. The teacher, who should be the guide and stabilizing influence in the classroom, should do his or her best to stay well and miss as few teaching days as possible. Here are some suggestions to help every teacher do just that:

 1. Boost your immune system

 Eat a healthy diet with lots of fruit and vegetables, get regular exercise and try to get 8-9 hours sleep each week night. Maintain social relationships with friends and colleagues; these will help keep you stress-free and balanced, especially during the hectic periods which recur so often during the school year.   

2. Befriend your doctor 

 He can be a valuable partner in your effort to stay well. Schedule regular appointments for check-ups and when he gets to know you well, he will not hesitate to write those "reason for absence" notes as you need them throughout the year. Have him recommend a good multivitamin pill and take it daily. Get a flu shot at the beginning of flu season, and be sure that all your vaccines are up to date.

 3. Make use of the school nurse

If you are fortunate enough to have a school nurse, take full advantage of her presence and skill. She is a professional; she can identify rashes from measles or chicken pox and she is familiar with a myriad of other childhood ailments. She can detect head lice, identify signs of physical, emotional or sexual abuse, and is a valuable ally in recognizing possible learning disabilities. If she has a couch in the Health Room, she can isolate a sick child until the parents pick him up.

 4. Enlist parents' help

 At the "Meet the Teacher" night in September, share with parents the futility of sending a sick child to school. The child will absorb very little, because he or she is feeling unwell, the parent will probably get a call at work to come and collect the little patient, and many of the other children may very well be infected with the same illness. Advise that they should have an alternate caregiver ready to pick up the child in case of illness or other emergency when they are unavailable.  

5. Stay home when you're sick

Teacher, follow your own advice. Stay home when you're ill. Nobody is indispensable. No one will thank you for going in to work, feeling cranky and miserable all day, and spreading your germs around. Be kind to the children and yourself. When you're sick, stay home!

 The teacher is the hub and the heart of the classroom. When she is present, in good health and good spirits, the children feel secure, at ease and ready to learn. Responsible teachers will use the above measures to ensure that these circumstances prevail on as many days as possible during the school year. 

Five reasons children skip school

Children cannot succeed in school if they don't attend regularly. In this twenty-first century every person needs at least a high school diploma in order to find a job, start a family, and lead a fulfilling life.

In North American schools, where public education is available to everyone, why would any child not attend school? Following are some of the possible reasons:

1. Academic Problems

If a child is placed in a grade where the curriculum is too difficult, he may become so frustrated and unhappy that he will seek to avoid classes at any cost. He may feign illness, play hooky, or just walk the streets until he can return home without be questioned.

Similarly, if he is very intelligent and bored by the program in which he has been placed, he will see no need to attend school. He may seek challenge and adventure elsewhere and possibly get into trouble by doing so.

The solution to either of these problems is to have the child tested, either by the local school system or by an independent agency, and insist that he be placed in a program which meets his needs.

2. Social Problems

If a child is harassed on a daily basis, humiliated before his peers, or fearful for his physical safety, who can blame him for skipping school? It is vital that parents keep the lines of communication open, so that their child will confide in them when he is having trouble relating to his classmates.

At the first sign of trouble, whether it be lack of friends, isolation or bullying, Mom and Dad need to become advocates for the child, seeking help from the teacher, the principal, even the director of education, if necessary. An education is too important to be hindered by social problems.

3. Health Issues

Health problems, whether physical or mental, can disrupt a child's educational progress. When the trouble is a contagious disease or a broken bone, most school systems provide an in-home tutor who will insure that the child does not fall behind his classmates.

However, when a child suffers from a learning disability, depression, autism, or another mental or emotional disorder, early and ongoing intervention and treatment by health and educational professionals is essential. There are many treatments and strategies today which can enable a student to attain his or her maximum potential despite having to cope with mental or emotional disabilities.

4. Home Conditions

When a child has to deal with turbulent conditions at home, school concerns will become unimportant. If the parents are constantly fighting, going through a separation or divorce, or if one or both are alcohol or drug addicts, the child has more to worry about than educational matters.

Similarly, if the parents view education as unimportant, if they pay no attention to report cards, fail to attend parent-teacher conferences, and do not question the child's unexplained absences from class, the child won't care either. Parents are a child's first and most important role models.

5. Bad Companions

As a child approaches adolescence, his peer group assumes primary importance in his life. He needs to fit in, to be "cool", to be accepted and respected by the others. If he lacks self-confidence, or strong self-esteem, if he's a follower, rather than a leader, he may fall in with a group of which his parents do not approve. Bad associates can wreck havoc with a teen's education and his parent's dreams for his future.

Wise parents will start early to monitor their child's playmates, and school friends, and encourage healthy relationships while they still have the influence to do so. If the child gets involved in team sports, Boy Scouts or Girl Guides, or a church's youth activity programs, chances are that these beneficial friendships will continue through the teenage years.

Few children are gifted enough to become super sports figures or entertainment stars, but even these individuals will need an education to negotiate contracts, to oversee banking and investments and avoid getting scammed by unscrupulous agents and managers. Education is a vital component for a successful and fulfilling life in whatever career a child chooses. It is the duty of every responsible parent to see that their child receives one.

Guide to car seat safety

Most parents will agree that their child is their most precious possession. They will take every precaution to ensure the little one's safety. One of the greatest risks to a young child's life and health is the possibility of being involved in a traffic accident.

According to the National Center for Statistics and Analysis, nearly 250,000 American children are injured every year in car accidents.

Here are some helpful tips which will enable parents to keep their child safe in the family car during those important first years of life:

Infants

* Like a crib, a car seat is a necessity. If possible, purchase a new one . This is not an item on which to save money. Second-hand car seats may have been damaged in an accident, or may be cracked or worn in a vital area, not readily visible to an observer.

* As you are removing the car seat from the box, check to see that all the necessary hardware has been included.

* Fill out the registration card and send it in. If there is a recall, the manufacturer will be able to notify you.

* Install the seat before the birth, so the baby will be able to ride home from the hospital safely.

* Read the car seat installation instructions and the relevant information in your vehicle owner's manual carefully before you start the installation process. Follow the directions carefully.

* Babies under one year of age, and those weighing less than twenty pounds, require a rear-facing car seat. The safest place to install it is in the middle of the back seat, away from air bags.

* After installation, holding both sides of the car seat near the middle, give it several firm tugs from side to side. It should not move more than an inch either way.

* The safety harness straps must fit snugly over the shoulders and down, without causing breathing difficulty. If you can slip one or two fingers under the straps comfortably, near the baby's collar bone, it should be just about right.

* The chest clip should be about the level of the baby's armpits.

* Add nothing to the seat that did not come with it. It is engineered to function best without any add-ons, such as pillows or neck supports. Also, be aware that adding to or adjusting the seat in any way, can release the manufacturer from liability in the event of an accident or injury to the child.

Toddlers

* When the child is a year old and weighs more than twenty pounds, he may ride in a forward-facing car seat.

* Some infantseats are convertible to forward-facing. When attempting this procedure, be sure to follow instructions carefully, attaching the tether strap to the tether anchor in the  car as directed.

* The shoulder straps should be at or above the child's shoulders.

* The safest placement for the seat is still in the middle of the back seat, away from air bags.

* Be sure to secure the child snugly each time, before you buckle yourself into the driver's seat.

* Never leave a child alone in a car.

Preschoolers

* When child reaches a weight of forty pounds, he is ready for a booster seat. These devices raise the child up so that regular seat belt functions effectively.

* The seat belt must be the combination type which crosses both the lap and shoulder.

* The child's head must be supported either by the top of the booster, or the car seat.

* The shoulder strap must lie across the child's shoulder and middle of his chest. The lap belt must cross low over the hips .

* When the child turns eight years old, or weighs eighty pounds, he is ready for a regular seatbelt.

Special Needs Children

There are specially-made car seats for children with specific medical conditions. If your child has cerebral palsy, wears a cast, has a behavioral disorder, or other specialized problem, inquire what is available.

Today's children will undoubtedly have many opportunities to travel on their own in the future, but now they are small and very vulnerable. It is up to loving parents, family and friends to do everything possible to keep them safe and secure during their early journeys. Traffic accidents can happen in a split second, but their calamitous effects can endure for a lifetime

Summer tutoring: a leg up for next year

 

 

Two months is a long time for children to remember the intricacies of the various academic skills. This is especially true when summer days are filled with fun, excitement, travel, friends and new experiences which keep them busy from morning until night. Then suddenly, in September they find themselves back in the classroom, expected to continue from where they left off in June. It hardly seems fair, does it?

When I retired after thirty-five years teaching, I missed contact with the children. Don't misunderstand, I didn't want a whole room full, all day, every day, anymore, but I missed the special moments, the one-on-one interaction, when you could actually see learning taking place in one little mind. Accordingly, I began tutoring during the school year. The process usually involved helping with homework, noting the weak areas, and giving extra help where needed.

Soon, I was receiving requests for lessons during the summer. My first inclination was to refuse. The poor little tykes had worked their hearts out during the year. They deserved a break, didn't they? Then I started remembering the unhappy scenes in the classroom every September. Not only were the children dejected about being cooped up inside again, many were anxious and frustrated because they had forgotten much of last year's work. Maybe a few lessons during the summer would be helpful after all.

We usually arrange an hour a week, a time that's suitable to parent and child. The cost is nominal, just about enough to cover the cost of books, which I supply. I know which ones have worked well for me through the years. The Teachers' Supply Store usually has a good selection of these, plus any new ones that seem worthy of a trial.

I ask to see the child's final report card and note the strengths and weaknesses. Good and average students begin the next grade's curriculum, and move ahead, week by week, at their own pace. The goal isn't to cover a great deal of next year's work, but rather to retain the skills and knowledge from the completed grade and maybe receive a little head start on the Fall term.

The children who need review or reteaching of the previous grade's work will receive it before moving ahead. This is a necessary strategy. Starting a new year's work without having mastered the former grade's curriculum is a recipe for frustration and failure throughout the next ten months. No child should experience that; it could negatively affect his or her entire educational career.

The summer schedule is very flexible, students may disappear for a few weeks at the cottage, visits to grandparents and other special occasions and activities and that's quite all right. There's a lot of learning that must take place out in the real world, and summer's the ideal time for that. Because when I'm considerate of their priorities, my students don't seem to mind giving me an hour an week. Besides, at the end of the lesson, there's always a Popsicle or a box of Smarties as a reward for hard work.

I never assign Homework for summer lessons, with one exception. Every child chooses a book of fiction to read, one that catches his interest and is well within his comfort level for word recognition, vocabulary and comprehension. We spend the first few minutes of each lesson discussing the plot and the characters in the book. He is responsible for reading at least one more chapter before the next lesson. Those who finish the whole book will receive a new one at the next lesson. All books are theirs to keep.I really hope, through the summer lessons, to foster a love of reading in the children. I believe literacy is the basis of all education.

You may wonder why a parent cannot do what I do with the children. It is certainly not rocket science. Believe it or not, I've had parents who were university graduates who could not prevail upon their child to sit and complete a homework assignment within a reasonable time, never mind attempt to teach them anything new. Sometimes, children just work better for a stranger, especially one who can pull a stern "teacher" look, when it is called for.

Are summer tutoring lessons helpful? Yes, I believe they are. For the good and average students, they will keep the knowledge and skills of the previous grade fresh and sharp and provide a head start on next year's work. For a struggling student, they can be a life raft, saving him from sinking into a morass of new work for which he is not prepared.

Tutoring lessons need not be expensive. Seek out a college student saving up for an education, who is perhaps planning to become a teacher. You might even find a retired teacher who misses her contact with children and is anxious to practice her craft on your little one. With a little luck, all the parties involved will enjoy the experience, and it will be a memorable summer for everyone.

Should schools ban Hallowe'en parties?

What are some of your favorite memories of Autumn when you were attending public school? If you're like many people, you'll mention the class Halloween party near the top of the list. Everyone enjoyed it, and it was good for the children for many reasons. Here are a few which spring to mind:

There may have been new children who entered the school during the summer. This was one of the first opportunities for them to socialize for an afternoon with their classmates, without the specter of schoolwork looming in the background.

Some children exercised imagination and creativity in coming up with original costumes. Those who didn't care to, could just throw an old sheet over their heads and be ghosts. No one was excluded from the excitement.

Often the party included a walk around the neighborhood in costume. The teacher could review all the safety rules beforehand to a motivated class, because everyone was anxious to leave the confines of the school yard and show off. The neighbors liked it too. They would sit on their porches and smile and wave as the Halloween parade passed.

The upcoming party provided an opportunity for lessons on nutrition and the best choices for healthy snacks. Everyone knew there would be lots of candy around at the party, but what other treats would be better choices for snacks at other times of the year?

Depending on the grade level, the teacher might use the party as a springboard to introduce a unit of study on the digestive system. What happens to the candy after you swallow it?

The walk around the neighborhood provided the children with an opportunity to notice signs of Fall: colored leaves falling, gardens being readied for Winter, birds flying south, and cooler weather, among other things. These observations provided the bases for Science classes in the following days.

The party and Halloween itself provided motivation for enthusiastic literature appreciation. Everyone loved spooky tales throughout the month of October. The anticipation of a class party on the last day of the month added to atmosphere of expectation. From "Casper the Friendly Ghost" to "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow", every scary library book was signed out as quickly as it was returned during October.

The party and the neighborhood parade required parent volunteers to ensure safety and to help with supervision of the children. It was often the first chance for teacher and parents to meet on an informal basis, certainly a less stressful occasion than at the first report card interview.

School offers few occasions that the children will remember in later years as just plain fun. Halloween parties are just such celebrations and certainly should not be banned. The students needn't be taught about the darker traditions surrounding the occasion, they wouldn't care anyway. To them, October thirty-first means costumes, treats, a party with friends, escaping the school yard and exploring the neighborhood. They should not be deprived of this special day before the long, dull days of winter arrive.