Principal Blog

Four Questions to ask your child every day...

5/22/2015

Talking to your child is the most important thing you to do, but it's not always easy, especially as kids get older and aren't as forthcoming with information. I found an article I though I would share that might make it easier! It will definitely let the kids know that you are ready to listen.

1. How's life?

I've been asking her this question since she was old enough to talk. When she was little, she used to answer this one with things like, "very purple." Or, "tastes like chicken." But now that she's almost 10, sometimes I get somewhere with this one. "Sucky" is what she says when she wants me to ask a more direct question or pry for more details. But when I get a "fine," I know that question isn't going to get anywhere, so I don't press it.

That's the key with these questions; you don't have to press your kids to answer. If they need to talk, these questions lead them to an opportunity to confide in you.

2. What's up with your friends?

Occasionally, I will ask about a specific friend if I know a kid has been going through something, or if she's told me about a disagreement she's trying to work out, but most of the time, I pose this question in general terms. You'd be surprised how, when you take the spotlight off of your kid and shine it on friends, your kid will be more likely to talk.

3. Anything cool going on?

OK, so I'll be honest, this is more for me and my absent-mindedness than it is for her. Sometimes, I forget about things coming up, and if I ask this question, she usually reminds me. But sometimes, she tells me all about her secret Harry Potter club or a new project at school.

4. Do you need help with anything?

This is my favorite question of all. And I think it might be the most important. My kid knows I'm there for her when she needs it, but we all know how hard it can be to ask for help. So I just do the heavy lifting for her on this one. Most of the time she says no, and sometimes she just says, "Cleaning my room is a lot today. Could you maybe help a little?" (And sometimes, I help, sometimes I say no.) But this question can go a lot deeper than that. Maybe she's having trouble trying to fix a rift between two friends, or she doesn't understand a concept they're working on at school. Asking if she needs help every day gives me the chance to be there for her when I didn't know she needed it.

These four questions keep the conversation flowing between my daughter and I, and they keep me in the loop when it comes to the goings on of all things tween.

This post originally appeared on TotallyTheBomb.com. Follow Jamie on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

The Race to nowhere

11/16/2014

Interested to know your thoughts on this article about over-involvement...

The Race to Nowhere

Borrowed from "Miss night's Marbles" THat Kid.

11/12/2014

Dear Parent: About THAT kid… by Miss Night on 10 November, 2014
http://missnightmutters.com/2014/11/dear-parent-about-that-kid.html

Dear Parent:

I know. You’re worried. Every day, your child comes home with a story about THAT kid. The one who is always hitting shoving pinching scratching maybe even biting other children. The one who always has to hold my hand in the hallway. The one who has a special spot at the carpet, and sometimes sits on a chair rather than the floor. The one who had to leave the block centre because blocks are not for throwing. The one who climbed over the playground fence right exactly as I was telling her to stop. The one who poured his neighbour’s milk onto the floor in a fit of anger. On purpose. While I was watching. And then, when I asked him to clean it up, emptied the ENTIRE paper towel dispenser. On purpose. While I was watching. The one who dropped the REAL ACTUAL F-word in gym class.

You’re worried that THAT child is detracting from your child’s learning experience. You’re worried that he takes up too much of my time and energy, and that your child won’t get his fair share. You’re worried that she is really going to hurt someone some day. You’re worried that “someone” might be your child. You’re worried that your child is going to start using aggression to get what she wants. You’re worried your child is going to fall behind academically because I might not notice that he is struggling to hold a pencil. I know.

Your child, this year, in this classroom, at this age, is not THAT child. Your child is not perfect, but she generally follows rules. He is able to share toys peaceably. She does not throw furniture. He raises his hand to speak. She works when it is time to work, and plays when it is time to play. He can be trusted to go straight to the bathroom and straight back again with no shenanigans. She thinks that the S-word is “stupid” and the C-word is “crap.” I know.

I know, and I am worried, too.

You see, I worry all the time. About ALL of them. I worry about your child’s pencil grip, and another child’s letter sounds, and that little tiny one’s shyness, and that other one’s chronically empty lunchbox. I worry that Gavin’s coat is not warm enough, and that Talitha’s dad yells at her for printing the letter B backwards. Most of my car rides and showers are consumed with the worrying.

But I know, you want to talk about THAT child. Because Talitha’s backward Bs are not going to give your child a black eye.

I want to talk about THAT child, too, but there are so many things I can’t tell you.

I can’t tell you that she was adopted from an orphanage at 18 months.

I can’t tell you that he is on an elimination diet for possible food allergies, and that he is therefore hungry ALL. THE. TIME.

I can’t tell you that her parents are in the middle of a horrendous divorce, and she has been staying with her grandma.

I can’t tell you that I’m starting to worry that grandma drinks…

I can’t tell you that his asthma medication makes him agitated.

I can’t tell you that her mom is a single parent, and so she (the child) is at school from the moment before-care opens, until the moment after-care closes, and then the drive between home and school takes 40 minutes, and so she (the child) is getting less sleep than most adults.

I can’ tell you that he has been a witness to domestic violence.

That’s okay, you say. You understand I can’t share personal or family information. You just want to know what I am DOING about That Child’s behaviour.

I would love to tell you. But I can’t.

I can’t tell you that she receives speech-language services, that an assessment showed a severe language delay, and that the therapist feels the aggression is linked to frustration about being unable to communicate.

I can’t tell you that I meet with his parents EVERY week, and that both of them usually cry at those meetings.

I can’t tell you that the child and I have a secret hand signal to tell me when she needs to sit by herself for a while.

I can’t tell you that he spends rest time curled in my lap because “it makes me feel better to hear your heart, Teacher.”

I can’t tell you that I have been meticulously tracking her aggressive incidents for 3 months, and that she has dropped from 5 incidents a day, to 5 incidents a week.

I can’t tell you that the school secretary has agreed that I can send him to the office to “help” when I can tell he needs a change of scenery.

I can’t tell you that I have stood up in a staff meeting and, with tears in my eyes, BEGGED my colleagues to keep an extra close eye on her, to be kind to her even when they are frustrated that she just punched someone AGAIN, and this time, RIGHT IN FRONT OF A TEACHER.

The thing is, there are SO MANY THINGS I can’t tell you about That Child. I can’t even tell you the good stuff.

I can’t tell you that his classroom job is to water the plants, and that he cried with heartbreak when one of the plants died over winter break.

I can’t tell you that she kisses her baby sister goodbye every morning, and whispers “You are my sunshine” before mom pushes the stroller away.

I can’t tell you that he knows more about thunderstorms than most meteorologists.

I can’t tell you that she often asks to help sharpen the pencils during playtime.

I can’t tell you that she strokes her best friend’s hair at rest time.

I can’t tell you that when a classmate is crying, he rushes over with his favourite stuffy from the story corner.

The thing is, dear parent, that I can only talk to you about YOUR child. So, what I can tell you is this:

If ever, at any point, YOUR child, or any of your children, becomes THAT child…

I will not share your personal family business with other parents in the classroom.

I will communicate with you frequently, clearly, and kindly.

I will make sure there are tissues nearby at all our meetings, and if you let me, I will hold your hand when you cry.

I will advocate for your child and family to receive the highest quality of specialist services, and I will cooperate with those professionals to the fullest possible extent.

I will make sure your child gets extra love and affection when she needs it most.

I will be a voice for your child in our school community.

I will, no matter what happens, continue to look for, and to find, the good, amazing, special, and wonderful things about your child.

I will remind him and YOU of those good amazing special wonderful things, over and over again.

And when another parent comes to me, with concerns about YOUR child…

I will tell them all of this, all over again.

With so much love;

Teacher.

Why read?

10/30/2014

Take a look at what the simple act of moving your eyes across the page can do for your child. It's NEVER too late! Readers are leaders. Take the 20 minute reading challenge and see what happens.

Back pack Giveaway

8/16/2014

What a wonderful event today! New Hope Assembly of God and Fellowship Alliance sponsored a free backpack giveaway for the entire Elizabeth Forward Community. They gave away hundreds of free back packs and school supplies! In addition they had Rita's Italian Ice, hot dogs, chips and drinks, free manicures for young ladies and free haircuts for young gentlemen. There were bouncy slides, crafts, a prayer tent, and great music from DJ Rockin Bob. This was a fantastic community event and I cannot thank everyone who volunteered enough. If you need a back pack please let me know and I will hook you up! What a great community.

January 28th, 2014

1/28/2014

This is JJ and me in December. I was so happy to see a bunch of My "old" kids now in 6th grade while I was at the middle school for the food drive, but it was especially great to get a hug from him. While at Mt.Vernon JJ was a great student, a quiet kid and a friend to everyone. During his 5th grade year JJ learned that he was fighting a brain tumor. Recently he was hospitalized for what they found was another tumor at his brain stem and some more evidence of issues along the spine. He's in for another fight and we want him to know how very much we all love him and are fighting for him. PRAYERS AND HUGS for you JJ! We love you!

Happy birthday to me!

1/23/2014

Tuesday was my birthday and it was also National Hug Day. I can't think of a better way to celebrate than with tons of hugs from the kids. Well I get that every day but that's neither here nor there. Miss Bleil's class made me cards, and these were just a few of the awesome thoughts. Truly these are the most precious gifts that make me remember just how lucky I really am.

These are first graders who just learned to write last year so I am very proud of them! If you don't recognize a word just sound it out. For example har=hair. A card that tells me I have beautiful har? Move over Hallmark!

Faith in humanity restored

1/16/2014

We had a phone call at Mt.Vernon yesterday that was a little unusual and left me smiling. A woman who lives in New York City called to ask if we had a student named "Jane Doe" (names are changed to protect the innocent). In fact we did have a student by that name but she is now at the middle school, but we don't just hand that information out! The woman went on to tell us that she found a camera in a taxi labeled with this student's name. To track down the owner she clicked through some pictures and saw that in several pictures she was wearing either an Elizabeth Forward or a Mt.Vernon Elementary t-shirt. She put two and two together to reach us. Long story short we were able to put our former student in touch with this kind stranger who then mailed her her camera. The moral of this story? Wearing your Mt.Vernon shirt is a safe bet no matter where you go! There are lots of really good people out there.....

Distinguished News

1/15/2014

I started teaching at EF in 1995 so I've been with the district for 19 years now. In that time I have seen the district go through ups and downs. We struggled to shake the "Betsy Backwards" label that haunted us. Well the struggle is over and there is no one who can say that EF is backwards now!

At tonight's school board meeting we were given the distinction of being named an Apple Distinguished District. Only 240 educational institutions from elementary through college have received that distinction. Think about that. That's a lot of schools. EF has always had a strong belief in technology and we have always been ahead of the curve, but things are different now. Our kids are leaving each grade with new job-ready skills. Kindergarteners work collaboratively and print in 3-D. 3rd graders use Augmented Reality. It's incredible!

It is such an exciting time to be a part of the amazing things happening at EF. Our kids use technology as a tool to accomplish learning the way that they will work and consume information for the rest of their lives. It used to be that we were preparing kids for a world that they wouldn't be living in. What I mean by that is that while the world grew and changed with technology education continued to stagnate, buried in worksheets and papers. Now we are giving kids the skills to adapt and change with the world, using technology that will drive jobs, entertainment, and daily life. Our students have an edge that very, very few other districts are able to give.

Why do schools cancel or delay?

1/10/2014

Hi friends, here are a few answers to the question, "Why are we closed AGAIN?" Feel free to share.
Q. Who makes the decision to close or delay? Usually it is the superintendent of a district. They usually confer with one or more of the following people: bus garage, police, road crews, other local superintendents.
Q. Is there a magic temperature when schools must close or delay? No. But many things are taken into account such as what kind of bus garage you have and what kind of fuel your buses use. If the buses are kept outside and use diesel fuel, the fuel turns to gel at around -4. Capability and man power of each garage to warm the vehicles and get them de-iced varies, so that is a major factor. You also have to look at bus runs. If there are buses that go many miles to pick up students there is a greater possibility the kids will be left standing outside for extended periods, subjecting children to the cold. On Monday I had a chid come to school with no coat. You also have to think about those parents who don't dress their kids appropriately or the fact that even little ones sometimes get themselves off to the bus each day, esp. when there is a delay.
Q. The roads don't seem that bad so why the delay/cancellation? Keep in mind that many districts like EF are between 26-45 sq. miles. In other parts of the state the districts are over 100 sq. miles. Your roads may look fine, but there are rural roads in other parts of the district where plows or salt trucks cannot reach to make a safe way for the bus. Also later in the season municipalities may run out of salt or non-skid.