Keep Kids Reading during the Summer

By: Contributing Freelance Writer Ree Shapiro

  

You have made it through another school year!  As a parent and a teacher,I understand that it’s time to take a deep sigh of relief.  Let’s all take a moment to bask in the satisfaction of another school year completed.  We can now take a break from the pressure of making sure homework and projects are done and with keeping up with all the school events and expectations.  It was a lot, I know, but let’s not take a break from learning.

In the summer, many students regress in their learning and then need to catch up in the fall.  Do not let your child be one of these students!  You do not need to assign work every day, but do incorporate reading and writing during your child’s day.  One of the easiest ways to do this is to take advantage of your local library.  It is amazing how many activities the libraries offer and all for free!  The activities vary from book clubs to puppet shows to free tutoring, all centered around reading and writing.  Children love to keep track of the books they read on the fun charts the libraries use, all leading toward prizes for amounts of time spent reading.  There are also night and weekend programs, for children who go to day camp.

Many other places also have enrichment programs going on in summer.  Museums, parks and science centers have lots of great educational classes available.  They also have weekend programs.

 If you are taking a vacation this summer take advantage of the local learning opportunities available wherever you visit.  Many of these are also free!   I have been fortunate to be able to travel in the summer with my family.  I would always take advantage of free museums and libraries.  Not only do you save money,but you really get a sense of where you are, not just the tourist parts.  As my kids got older,I would have them research on line the places we were visiting to find their own activities they would like to do.  Maybe the place you are visiting is famous because someone special grew up there. Maybe a certain product is made in that state. It would be great to have your child learn about the product before you get there. 

 I would also encourage my own kids to keep a journal of wherever we visited, and give them a disposable camera to take pictures and document their trip.  These are both fun writing activities.

As I say in my end of the year letter to my students and parents, have a safe and happy summer!  Take time to relax with your family and enjoy the adventures that the summer brings; including some academics along the way!

About the author Ree Shapiro

Ree enjoys working with young children. In her teenage yeas, she was a baby-sitter and camp counselor.  To help offset her college tuition, she worked in different pre-schools as a teacher assistant.  It was no surprise to her family when she decided to major in early childhood/elementary education.  She is in her sixteenth year of teaching and is certified in early childhood/ Elementary education, Varying Exceptionalities, English Speakers of Other Languages and Art.

This is her seventh year teaching kindergarten.  She has also taught first grade, pre-school for students with special needs and have worked with students with learning disabilities, both as a tutor and a teacher. 

Ree is married with two children; her oldest is in College and her youngest is in High School.  As both a parent and a teacher, she has some very interesting insight into the world of education! She hopes her knowledge can ease your own child’s educational experiences.

Getting Ready for College- A Parent's Journey

By Contributing Writer and Teacher-  Ree Shapiro 

     It's that time of year many seniors have accepted or are making their final decisions on what school they will attend in the fall.  It is an exciting, scary time for seniors and their parents.  I hope by sharing my daughter’s journey it will help with your choices, or at least let you know you will make through.
     We have been preparing for this day since she was in kindergarten.  It was 2010, my daughter Rachel’s senior year, and she had begun to apply to colleges.  Her father and I were financially ready, if not mentally ready.  She could go to any state school without worries.       The problem; she was not applying to Florida schools.  She wanted to go to the northeast.  We found this out after she began filling out applications online.  Her sights were set on Manhattan, New Jersey, and Philadelphia.  I was taken back. My daughter wanted to go to those same places which I both loved and feared.  Excitement for her getting to live my dream combated the reality of her leaving.  
     My fear made me insist that she apply to some Florida Schools and as we looked through their websites, I reiterated the positive reasons to stay closer to home: she could come home on weekends, still see her friends here.  Her response was to show me the out of state school websites she was interested in.  I could not hide my excitement and was in awe of what some of these schools offered.  We would exclaim together and discuss going to see a Broadway show or the ballet at Lincoln Center!  She knew all the city had to offer and I could not deny it.  We compromised and she sent applications everywhere. 
     Once that first application sending excitement wore off, I again got nervous and sang the praises of Florida schools; look how affordable they were and how they also offered excellent opportunities, I would say, and she wouldn’t need to use any of her own money.  Rachel of course had no problem investing all her money into making her college dream become a reality.  I needed to find a new tactic, but it was difficult for me to stay steadfast on Florida, and my daughter knew it.
     I had my reasons for being so wishy-washy. My daughter wanted to head down an unknown path that I had wanted to take so many years ago.  When I was ready for college, it seems so long ago now, I was also all set for adventure. I had so many dreams, but fear, insecurity and family pressure were too much for me.  Without even exploring any other options, I chose the local Florida College my brother was already attending.  I often wondered where I would be now if I had made different choices.
    We went north for Thanksgiving week and stayed with my sister, who ironically ended up in New Jersey.  We hoped the flight and distance would make it more real and scarier for Rachel.  We went on all the college tours.  It was very strange for me.  These were the tours I had never taken.  I was caught between a present and past self as we took the tours.  I was the mother and also that long ago enthusiastic college bound student. It was a cathartic experience.  The old urge laid to rest.
    Then the college letters came and her father and I felt so proud when she was accepted to them all with scholarships, which really made the out of state schools a possible reality.
     We went again in the spring.  We attended the accepted student day of her three top schools, all in New Jersey.  What an exhilarating experience!  Again, I felt a cleansing of past regrets and lost choices as they washed away.
     Up until the end of the acceptance period, I varied day to day on what I wanted her to do.  Her father was also not sure.  Family and friends urged her to stay in Florida.  My daughter’s made of much stronger stuff than me and did not waiver under pressure.  She knew that underneath my indecisiveness, I so wanted this for her.
     Rachel chose a school in northern New Jersey right on the border of New York City.  She takes the bus into Manhattan frequently either with her friends or with the clubs she has joined.  Rachel is in an honors program that also includes travel as part of the curriculum.  In her freshman year she spent part of her winter break in England.  She has met and had dinners with ambassadors, as part of her international studies program and has been to briefings at the United Nations.  Last spring she went to Washington D.C.   She is the assistant editor of the schools magazine, and works as a student ambassador for the school.  Right now she is studying abroad for the spring semester in England. 
     And as for me?  The college bound student inside me is finally content, as she happily goes along for the ride.
     For those juniors in high school who will experience all this next year, I have included some things I found helpful through the process.

Tips on applying to Colleges:

1.   Apply to many schools.  Application fees are small compared to not having enough choices after acceptance letters arrive.
2.   Choose schools that reflect your child’s interest and needs (I knew Rachel would not have a car so I wanted to make sure transportation was easily accessible.)
3.   Have your child fill in applications and state all enrichment and volunteering they have done.  This could make the difference between acceptance and not.
4.   You can visit colleges before or after you have sent applications.  We did it both ways.  Actually Rachel got her first acceptance letter while visiting one of her chosen colleges.
5.   Make sure to complete FAFSA by due dates.  Rachel got an extra $1000.00 toward tuition that way.
6.   Enjoy all parts of the experience!

Parent/Teacher Conference

By contributing writer and teacher Ree Shapiro

Conferencing with your child’s teacher can be a nerve racking experience.   I am nervous when I go to my children’s conference, and I know what to expect! 

Most teachers want the conference to go as smoothly as possible. Teachers really do not like to give bad news. Many of the academic policies discussed are beyond a teacher’s control.  Teachers follow either State or County guidelines when assigning grades.  Student expectations are extremely strict and must be adhered.

One of the most difficult conferences to have is when a child qualifies as a potential retainee.  Teachers know how scary that is for parents to hear.  This is especially difficult in kindergarten.  Who wants to hear that there child may fail kindergarten?!

Usually though, if this was a possibility, for a child in any grade, your child‘s teacher would have been preparing you for this earlier in the school year.  At your fall conference, the teacher may have expressed concern about your child’s lack of progress or slow progress.  The teacher may have given you skills to work on with your child, or discussed how your child would be given extra help at school.  If your child’s initial assessment scores were low, your child may have been put on a progress monitoring plan.

Even with all this help, expectations are high and your child may still have difficulty meeting them. 

Teachers must decide by late February whether a child has a possibility of being retained and then that child must be made a potential retainee.  There are guidelines to help us with this decision but it can also be a judgment call. 

If your child is identified as a potential retainee, the teacher will have you sign a paper stating this fact.  The teacher should also explain that even though you sign the paper this does not mean your child will be retained.  The term potential is a little misleading.  It means that there is a possibility that your child can be retained, not that they definitely will be.  

Many times a student will blossom in the spring and will all of sudden catch on.  I have had this happen before.  It is always wonderful when that happens.

Try not to enter your child’s conference on the defensive, but do ask lots of questions!  Especially questions on how to help your child’s progress.  Most (I would almost say all) teachers want your child to do well.  Honestly, teachers feel  so wonderful when a struggling student “gets it.”

Go into your child’s conference with the attitude that you and the teacher are a team.  Strategizing together is the best way to help your child succeed.

The Survey Says.....

(Article by contributing writer Ree Shapiro, a teacher in Pinellas County)

Throughout the school year many teachers like to send out parent surveys.  A survey may be sent a couple of times a year or more, depending on the teacher.  I like to send out a survey sometime toward the end of January.  This is the halfway point in the school year.  The answers to the survey let me know what I should focus on in the second half of the school year.

My surveys consist of questions based on family expectations.  I ask questions such as: How do you feel about the progress your child has made this year?  Do you feel there is good communication between the classroom and home?  How do you feel about my expectations for your child this year?  How do you feel about the monthly homework? Family projects?

Some parents may feel anxious about putting their name on the survey, so I make the name optional.  It does make it more helpful to have a name on the survey especially if you have academic concerns.  If you phrase your answers in a positive way most teachers are happy to help solve any areas of concerns families may have.

I always find the answers on the surveys very informative.  Last year I was surprised how many surveys stated that they would like to see more family projects assigned during the school year.  I increased the amount of family projects I assigned and kept that change through this school year.  I will be interested to see how families respond to the survey this year, especially where family projects are concerned!

If your child’s teacher sends home a survey, please take a few minutes to fill it out.  Teachers really want the input and use the information to help enhance your child’s school year.