I am looking forward to having your child in my class this year!
Some things to ponder for this year!
Guidelines for Helping With HomeworkDon't Work Harder Than Your Child!
by Dr. Charles Fay
© Set aside a time each day for family learning. Set aside at least 30 minutes, devoted to "family brain cell development." During this time, there should be no TV, video games, computer games, etc.Model your own excitement for learning by reading a book, writing letters, etc.Your child may learn by doing their homework, reading about something they love, writing stories, etc.© Help only when your child truly wants it. Some parents make the mistake of forcing help upon their kids. This only creates frustration, anger, and kids who believe they can’t learn without their parents’ help. © Help only when there’s an absence of anger or frustration. When either you or your child gets frustrated or angry, learning becomes associated with frustration and anger. © Help only when your child can describe what the teacher said. This ensures that your child continues to believe that it’s important to pay attention to teachers.Unfortunately, some kids learn that it’s best to "tune–out" at school and let their parents do all of the teaching at home. © Move away from your child before he/she "gets it." Some children believe they can only learn something, or "get it," when an adult is in the same room…or is guiding them every inch of the way. To prevent this dependency, avoid falling into the habit of sitting at the table as your child does their homework, especially when they are on the brink of learning something new. THE CARDINAL RULE FOR HELPING:Never Work Harder Than Your Child
STUDENT READING and why its important!
"WHY CAN'T I SKIP MY 20 MINUTES OF READING TONIGHT?"
LET'S FIGURE IT OUT --- MATHEMATICALLY!
Student A reads 20 minutes five nights of every week;
Student B reads only 4 minutes a night...or not at all!
Step 1: Multiply minutes a night x 5 times each week.
Student A reads 20 min. x 5 times a week = 100 mins./week
Student B reads 4 minutes x 5 times a week = 20 minutes
Step 2: Multiply minutes a week x 4 weeks each month.
Student A reads 400 minutes a month.
Student B reads 80 minutes a month.
Step 3: Multiply minutes a month x 9 months/school year
Student A reads 3600 min. in a school year.
Student B reads 720 min. in a school year.
Student A practices reading the equivalent of ten whole school days a year.
Student B gets the equivalent of only two school days of reading practice.
By the end of 6th grade if Student A and Student B maintain
these same reading habits,
Student A will have read the equivalent of 60 whole school days
Student B will have read the equivalent of only 12 school days.
One would expect the gap of information retained will have widened considerably and so, undoubtedly, will school performance. How do you think Student B will feel about him/herself as a student?
Some questions to ponder:
Which student would you expect to read better?
Which student would you expect to know more?
Which student would you expect to write better?
Which student would you expect to have a better vocabulary?
Which student would you expect to be more successful in school....and in life?