|
|
|
|
|
|
Parent's Corner |
|
|
|
Getting Ready for School
A Reprint from the Parent Journal
Your first contact with your child's teacher is
probably the most important. In this contact you
are building rapport and developing a relationship
of trust. The time and setting are important and
the first contact should be brief.
During the first week of school is a good time and
face to face is best. It can be a note or a phone
call, but keep it short. Introduce yourself and be
positive. The teacher hasn't had time to get to
know your child and she will not yet be able to
tell you very much. If there is something that is
vital for the teacher to know, tell her at this
time and arrange to have a formal meeting at a
later time.
It is always a question as to whether you need to
impart detailed information about deficits.
Sometimes, it is better to allow the teacher to
see your child from a fresh perspective. The
principal, school psychologist or resource
specialist can guide you in this matter. Let the
teacher know from the start that you want to work
with her, that you are truly concerned that your
child receives a good education and that you want
to help.
After your child has spent a few weeks in school
(sooner if your child has needs that would require
immediate planning), call or drop a note to check
on your child's progress. If there are mild
concerns, set up a meeting time before six weeks
pass and even if your child is not receiving
special education, make some joint plans for what
might be helpful. Discuss what the teacher will be
doing, and what you as the parent will be doing.
If your child is in preschool or child care, some
of the questions you might ask are:
-
Is my child able to get along with others?
-
Can my child participate well in group
activities?
-
Is my child able to spend time on an activity of
interest alone?
-
Are there activities I should help with to
encourage school readiness or to develop better
social skills?
-
Is there anything you notice about my child that
I should be aware of or we need to plan for?
If your child is in kindergarten you might ask the
above questions, and:
-
Do you think my child has sufficient readiness
skills ?
-
Are there any things you notice about language
development, motor development or maturity that
we could work together on to facilitate
readiness for written language and math and the
more formal structure of the coming year?
In the second or third grade you may want to ask
these additional questions:
-
I want some assistance in validating my child,
because he calls himself "dumb." Can you help
me?
-
Is my child experiencing difficulty with any
specific skills? If so, what are they?
-
How can we help him with these skills?
-
What can I do to encourage or help my child
learn to read? Are there some materials I could
use at home?
-
Is my child experiencing any difficulty that may
hinder learning in the future?
It is very important for you and your child's
teacher to work together as a team. You may ask
your child's teacher to make suggestions about
possible supportive academic activities, whether
to provide tutoring, or to ask for study team
involvement or an evaluation. If difficulties are
to be effectively overcome, parents and teachers
need to be active teammates and appreciate the
difficulties of each other's roles.
A Reprint from the Parent Journal, Autumn
1993
|
|
|
|
