Articles on and for Parent Involvement 1. Mom’s Pledge To Her Daughter As long as you live in this house, you will follow the rules. When you have your own house, you can make your own rules. In this house we do not have a democracy. I did not campaign to be your mother. You did not vote for me. We are mother and daughter by the grace of God, and I accept that privilege and awesome responsibility. In accepting it, I have an obligation to perform the role of a mother. I am not your pal. Our ages are too different. We can share many things, but we are not pals. I am your mother. This is 100 times more than what a pal is. I also am your friend, but we are on entirely different levels. You will do, in this house, as I say, and you cannot question me because whatever I ask you to do is motivated by love. This will be hard for you to understand until you have a daughter of your own. Until then, trust me. 2. How to Monitor Your Kid’s iPhone or Android Text Messages Here’s some exciting news for parents looking to monitor their child’s text message activity. Child safety website TeenSafe has launched a new version of their app, which not only lets you view your child’s Facebook and Instagram activity, but also lets you read the text messages they send and receive on their Android or iPhone. Better still, you can even read text messages that have been DELETED on the phone! Text message monitoring has been of huge interest in recent years. According to a Kaiser Family Foundation study, kids spend an average of 7 hours, 38 minutes a day connected to some type of electronic device. The big worry for parents is that they don’t often know what their child is doing on their phone, online, or in the real world — and their kids aren’t always forthcoming with what’s going on in their lives. From sending friends seemingly innocent (but potentially provocative) photos, to online solicitations, sexting, or befriending some less-than-desirable characters, kids can make mistakes caused by youthful inexperience. Those actions can end up haunting a child and parent forever, but TeenSafe gives parents access and visibility into their child’s world. TeenSafe also works on an iPhone. According to the website, you don’t need your teen’s phone to set it up, and you can monitor the iPhone without needing to jailbreak it, which can invalidate the iPhone warranty. All you need is your child’s Apple ID and password. The application for Android smartphone installation is slightly different, but just as easy. Just enter some basic info, accept the app on the phone, and you’re good go. Visit TeenSafe.com - TeenSafe enables you to: View your Teen’s text messages, including deleted texts. See Your Teen’s Device Location. Monitor Calls.
Monitor Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Kik Messages, web activity and more.
Once you register with TeenSafe, the information gets downloaded to your private login page where you can read all the iPhone or Android text messages your child has sent and received. You can also view their phone call logs, phone contacts and web browsing history, as well as Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp activity. TeenSafe also uses the phone’s GPS to track its location on a map. And nothing shows up on your child’s phone, so they won’t know about it unless you tell them. Admittedly, it can sound a little sneaky, but as long as you are the parent or guardian of the child it’s legal. As for whether or not you should tell your child, TeenSafe goes the common sense route by explaining that the decision is up to you. Every family is different, and when it comes to protecting your children it’s sometimes good to open a dialogue. Other times it’s better to be discreet, such as when your child has already run into some trouble and you’re now trying to prevent him or her from encountering bigger problems. So, whether you’re giving your child a cell phone for the first time and just want to keep an eye on them or you have a teen exposed to more than they’re ready to handle, TeenSafe could be your way to safely and anonymously observe them without being a helicopter parent. 3. Questions Parents Should Ask During A Parent - Teacher Conference How is my child progressing in each subject area? 2. What is my child’s strongest area? 3. What is my child’s weakest area? 4. What can I do at home to encourage and support my child? 5. What are your expectations for my child based on the test results? 6. How does my child get along with his/her classmates? 7. Does my child have any noticeable leadership qualities or talents? 8. How does my child behave in and out of the classroom? 9. Is my child on time with his/her assignments? 10. What are your discipline rules? 11. Does my child follow the discipline rules and policies of the school? 12. Does my child participate in all the activities of the class and school? 13. Does my child have any special needs? 14. What should the test scores tell me about my child? 15. What extra-curricular activities would you suggest for my child? 16. Are there any certain books that I should encourage my child to read? 17. Have you noticed any changes in behavior, attitude, grades, peer groups? 18. Ask the teacher to call you at any time and provide contact numbers so you and the teaching/administrative staff can work together to enhance your child’s potential to learn and achieve.
4. Tips for Parents starting another year of high school…. Know your child’s teachers. If you have questions or concerns with your child’s academics, contact your child’s teacher(s) (email addresses and phone numbers are available on the LHS website). 2. Get to know your child’s counselor. 3. Help your student get ready and organized so that he/she can start the semester on the right foot. Creating a routine is also important for success. 4. Monitor your child’s progress through the online grading program. 5. Watch for flyers regarding upcoming Parent Nights. These events can help answer crucial questions you might have. 6. Help your student learn which study methods work best for him/her (i.e. studying in silence or with music; at a library or at the kitchen table, etc.) 7. Above all, call the school when you have questions or concerns. We are here to help your student succeed, and we look forward to working with you. 5. 7 things teachers wish you knew…. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/08/25/teachersecrets/2693775/ - Coaches, advisers play valuable roles, too. I am sure you know by now how important it is to attend Back to School Night and parent-teacher conferences. These meetings are used to review course expectations, explain grading policies, distribute important documents, share contact information and discuss your child's progress. But did you know this is also a good time to address potential problems at home that may interfere with your child's success at school, such as family illness, divorce or economic struggles? Though it may feel like oversharing, these details can help a teacher better communicate with your child. And don't just rely on teachers — get to know coaches and extracurricular advisers. These adults are role models and confidants to your child, and they are in a unique position to fill parents and guardians in on academic, social and emotional problems that arise. They could be your most valuable link to your child's personal life. - Stay in the know with social media. How often did you tweet, post an update on Facebook, or upload an image to Instagram today? Social media and the Internet are changing the way society communicates, and many teachers are embracing new technologies as a way to engage parents. They want you to interact with them on their websites, social media spaces and blogs. I use my blog as a forum (esheninger.blogspot.com) to give a shout-out to the great work my teachers and students are doing. Becoming familiar with these tools will put you in a better position to monitor your child's online activity and ensure that he or she is being digitally safe. E-mail is still the preferred mode of communication for most teachers, but please be patient when waiting for messages or phone calls to be returned. In the business world, instant replies to an e-mail are common; for a teacher, it may be hours before we can check the computer. Rest assured, we will get back to you. - Change is hard but essential. Josh Stumpenhorst, a sixth-grade English and history teacher in Naperville CUSD 203 in Naperville, Ill., wishes parents knew how hard it is to change traditional thinking about learning. Too often teachers are held back from doing what they know is best for kids because of a district, state, or federal mandate. At his school, Stumpenhorst has made significant changes. He has helped redesign the grading scale, banned homework and even challenged the traditional roles of school administrators. "Most teachers are not willing to change because they are under so much pressure to uphold tradition and frankly they fear for their jobs," he says. The lesson: Don't be quick to judge a teacher if he/she is not teaching the way you were taught; new techniques will better prepare students for success in today's society. - We are all on the same team. The key to student success is the ability and willingness of parents to be partners in education with teachers. When problems arise, parents should not be so quick to defend students before hearing both
sides. Following the chain of command by not going over a teacher's head to an administrator goes a long way in establishing this partnership. Remember: Decisons are often made for the good of all of the students in a class, not just a particular child. Teachers also need parents to support learning through a regular review of assigned work, due dates and grades. No, we don't need you to teach your children yourself, but we do need you to stay on top of their progress and remind them to study. This is especially important when it comes to online grades. Access to grades in real time is valuable only if parents check it frequently. (And we can see if you have logged on to the site.) - At-Home Projects are important. Really. Contrary to popular belief, teachers such as Dykes do not assign these to torture parents. "I assign projects a few weeks ahead of time, but students often forget about them until the weekend before," Dykes says. To make the process easier (on everyone), she advises this: When you see the project assigned, set up a timetable for your child's completion. First, if there is a choice of projects, let your child decide, even if it is not the choice you'd make. E-mail the teacher with any questions. The next week, gather materials; if it is an online project, play around with the website. Use the remainder of the time for your child to complete the project. As the due date approaches, resist the urge to step in and finish the project yourself. Though it may seem like "helping," it cheats the child out of the learning experience. - Respect goes both ways. Principal Judith Wilson, of PS 3 in Staten Island, N.Y., knows the pressures of a new school year very well. "The expectations of a new school year are high for the students but even higher for the teacher. The teacher gets it from both ends -- from the administration and from the parents," she says. Getting some parents to support the teacher is often an arduous task. PS 3 fifth grade teacher James Laieta speaks with candor and sincerity when he says:, "I would like to tell my parents that trust and respect go hand in hand. If they trust and respect their child's teacher, their child will reflect on this like a mirrored image!" The teacher is another caretaker in a child's life. "We provide emotional support and positive relationships that give children resilience to face new challenges," says Wilson. When students see that their parents trust us and respect us, the student will follow. "We are not the enemy, notes Laieta. "We are very often the super heroes in their child's life!" - Your words can foster a love for learning. Research suggests that one of the best things parents can do to support a child is to help him/her develop a motivation to learn. Larry Ferlazzo, a teacher at Luther Burbank High School in Sacramento, has identified three key ways to do this, supported by studies from the National Research Council and the Center on Education Policy: • Praise effort and specific work instead of native intelligence. Try saying: "Boy, those two hours you spent working on the essay last night really paid off. I loved how you described the characters in the novel" instead of "Wow, you are a natural-born writer." • Connect what children are studying to what is happening in their life and in the world. If he is learning about the Middle East, discuss a newspaper article about issues in that region. • Avoid using rewards and punishments for academic work. If you give your child a dollar for every book he reads, it's less likely he will want to read books for pleasure after you stop paying him.