Hello Speech Language Pathologists
I have three topics I would like you to sound off on..........
1. Does your school have formal entrance and exit criteria? If so what is it and do you use it? Several years ago I was under the impression that you could not use specific entrance and exit criteria but I guess that changed with the new changes in the laws.
2. Do you have a problem with teachers and administrators understanding your role? I believe that most still think all we do is articulation, which could not be further from the truth. I also think that they do not understand that these so called artic kids could be shooting up red flags for reading and discrimination disabilities.
3. What is your district doing about RTI/co-teaching/integrating therapy (whatever you want to call it....it seems to be interpreted differently by many) ? What is their model and how will it effect your job?
Contact me through comments on this site or at tsdesignsandmore@comcast.net
Friday, March 6, 2009
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Here Come The High School Years
Even though we are still in the dead of winter most middle schools around the country have already began preparing their 8th grade students and their parents for High School. In my district, they have already hosted a parent information night and visited the High School. Next week our students take their placement test. Most private High School and alternative High School applications were due in December and students are anxiously waiting to see if they get in. Moving on to high school is a big deal for these kids and most are ready to move on. However, I guarantee that most kids are thinking about what their social status will be in High School, not “am I going to be able to do the work or will I be successful?”
Students will enter high schools at a variety of different academic and maturity levels. High School placement tests are fairly good at placing students in the proper academic level. Public Schools will usually offer 2-3 different academic levels for students to enter. Private Schools will often offer 4-5 different academic levels. Parents need to understand that just because their middle schooler was an honor roll or even high honor roll student that does not automatically mean that the student is placed in the highest academic level. “A” work in middle school is very different than “A” work in high school. So don’t be too concerned about your child’s initial placement but do keep an eye on your student’s progress. You and your child will realize quickly if the work is too easy or too difficult. At that point, your child can speak to their teacher or guidance counselor about moving levels. Always let your child try to work things out on their own before intervening, it is high school after all.
By the end of 8th grade, kids are starting to feel really grown up. Parents occasionally seem to think it is the right time to back off completely. Don’t think they don’t need you because they do. They still need guidance, support and supervision in High School. What they don’t need is hovering. It is a fine line but you still need to know what your child is doing in school and how they are doing in school. Supervision after hours is just as important. They are experimenting with new friendships. Keep tabs on who their new friends are and don’t assume every parent has the same rules and values you do.
Homework becomes more important in high school. Usually a good percentage of a student’s grade is based on homework completion. If your school keeps grades on line, continue to check assignment completion, often. Your child should be doing some homework at home if they are not I would check in with teachers or review teacher expectations (usually provided as an outline). Some district might even have a homework policy. There is some controversy among teachers and administrators around homework. Let’s face it not all parents can do calculus or even algebra for that matter. We are probably all a little rusty on our French or Spanish. The controversy is that students do not go home on an even playing field where homework is concerned. However, by High School shouldn’t expectations be raised and shouldn’t students be more independent around homework? If your child is having difficulty academically in high school, encourage them to get help from their teachers before you step in. At the same time make sure they are doing the work.
I think it is important for all parents to have a basic idea of the school curriculum. You need to make sure of what they are taking and when they are taking it. If you have a child who receives special needs services it is a lot more important for you to be involved. You need to know exactly what your child is suppose to get, when the services take place, who will be providing the services and a direct contact person for any special needs concerns. Most schools will go out of their way to review programs and educational plans with parents of special needs students. If your child’s high school balks at this, pay even closer attention to their services. Any school I have ever been involved with as a Speech Language Therapist or as a parent has tried their best to design appropriate service plans, listen to students and parents and respond appropriately. Schools are not always perfect but remember you also have to work at developing a good working relationship with them. Education plans should be ammended or updated to dovetail with the high school schedule.
Don’t be too worried about your baby going off to high school. They will probably be ok. It’s scary for us parents and I know I’ve been on pins and needles those first few days of high school…..just worrying and wondering if everything is ok. Rather glad I don’t have to go through that again. Try to know what is going on with your child. Keep talking to your high schooler even if they don’t want to. Find something you can both feel comfortable talking about or do together, and then sneak some serious discussions when you can. Let your child know your expectations for their academic performance and behavior in general. You don’t have to set expectations at an impossible or stress inducing level but set some expectations. I’ve seen one child through high school and off to college and enjoyed almost every minute of it.
Students will enter high schools at a variety of different academic and maturity levels. High School placement tests are fairly good at placing students in the proper academic level. Public Schools will usually offer 2-3 different academic levels for students to enter. Private Schools will often offer 4-5 different academic levels. Parents need to understand that just because their middle schooler was an honor roll or even high honor roll student that does not automatically mean that the student is placed in the highest academic level. “A” work in middle school is very different than “A” work in high school. So don’t be too concerned about your child’s initial placement but do keep an eye on your student’s progress. You and your child will realize quickly if the work is too easy or too difficult. At that point, your child can speak to their teacher or guidance counselor about moving levels. Always let your child try to work things out on their own before intervening, it is high school after all.
By the end of 8th grade, kids are starting to feel really grown up. Parents occasionally seem to think it is the right time to back off completely. Don’t think they don’t need you because they do. They still need guidance, support and supervision in High School. What they don’t need is hovering. It is a fine line but you still need to know what your child is doing in school and how they are doing in school. Supervision after hours is just as important. They are experimenting with new friendships. Keep tabs on who their new friends are and don’t assume every parent has the same rules and values you do.
Homework becomes more important in high school. Usually a good percentage of a student’s grade is based on homework completion. If your school keeps grades on line, continue to check assignment completion, often. Your child should be doing some homework at home if they are not I would check in with teachers or review teacher expectations (usually provided as an outline). Some district might even have a homework policy. There is some controversy among teachers and administrators around homework. Let’s face it not all parents can do calculus or even algebra for that matter. We are probably all a little rusty on our French or Spanish. The controversy is that students do not go home on an even playing field where homework is concerned. However, by High School shouldn’t expectations be raised and shouldn’t students be more independent around homework? If your child is having difficulty academically in high school, encourage them to get help from their teachers before you step in. At the same time make sure they are doing the work.
I think it is important for all parents to have a basic idea of the school curriculum. You need to make sure of what they are taking and when they are taking it. If you have a child who receives special needs services it is a lot more important for you to be involved. You need to know exactly what your child is suppose to get, when the services take place, who will be providing the services and a direct contact person for any special needs concerns. Most schools will go out of their way to review programs and educational plans with parents of special needs students. If your child’s high school balks at this, pay even closer attention to their services. Any school I have ever been involved with as a Speech Language Therapist or as a parent has tried their best to design appropriate service plans, listen to students and parents and respond appropriately. Schools are not always perfect but remember you also have to work at developing a good working relationship with them. Education plans should be ammended or updated to dovetail with the high school schedule.
Don’t be too worried about your baby going off to high school. They will probably be ok. It’s scary for us parents and I know I’ve been on pins and needles those first few days of high school…..just worrying and wondering if everything is ok. Rather glad I don’t have to go through that again. Try to know what is going on with your child. Keep talking to your high schooler even if they don’t want to. Find something you can both feel comfortable talking about or do together, and then sneak some serious discussions when you can. Let your child know your expectations for their academic performance and behavior in general. You don’t have to set expectations at an impossible or stress inducing level but set some expectations. I’ve seen one child through high school and off to college and enjoyed almost every minute of it.
The picture above is of my son's 8th grade graduation last June. I no longer have a middle school student. A little sad I have to admit.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Learning Middle School Vocabulary In A Different Way
A few weeks ago I searched for some more vocabulary development ideas. I looked for an established program that best fit my therapy style and could be easily translated into the classroom. I found this program developed by Dr. Edwin S. Ellis called the Clarifying Routine. The program emphasizes elaboration of vocabulary while teaching it and promotes adding a "knowledge connection". The "knowledge connection" is to help the children keep the word in their memory bank.
Here is the link to Dr. Ellis's ideas http://www.ldonline.org/article/5759
I have tried to contact Dr. Ellis and other agencys to get more information/instruction on his program but have not been successful.
Most middle school parents and teachers have seen children learn new vocabulary then immediately forget it once the test is over. They usually study for test vocabulary by creating vocabulary cards with a word on one side and a definition on the other. In his article Dr. Ellis shows a vocabulary template requiring a little more information, referred to as The Clarifying Table to replace the basic vocabulary card. This is the link to a sample Clarifying Table http://www.ldonline.org/images/articles/article5759clarifyingtable.gif
You will immediately see how this table would be a better tool to use when learning/studying vocabulary. The student may not use this elaborate table for every vocabulary word, maybe just a couple. What the table is really suppose to do is to teach the child how to make a knowledge connection with words to aid retention and vocabulary development in general.
I presented the Clarifying Table to some of our 7th grade teachers and they loved the idea. A couple were using a template referred to as a "vocabulary map" which was very similar.
Teachers and therapists, I believe you will find The Clarifying Routine and template simple, fun and beneficial. Parents I think you will find the concept interesting and helpful, especially if you have a student who struggles with vocabulary. I believe that learning the concept of attaching knowledge rather than memorizing a definition would be extremely helpful for all children but especially those who may be struggling with reading or who have struggled with reading in the past. These are the kids who tend to demonstrate a decreased vocabulary.
Since I was not able to get in touch with Dr. Ellis or find a way to obtain his materials/training we put together a template that was similar to the clarifying table but fit our needs.
(Can't seem to transfer it from excel or word. Let me work on it. You will obviously get the idea from Dr. Ellis's example)
Take a peek it is worth it
Teresa
Here is the link to Dr. Ellis's ideas http://www.ldonline.org/article/5759
I have tried to contact Dr. Ellis and other agencys to get more information/instruction on his program but have not been successful.
Most middle school parents and teachers have seen children learn new vocabulary then immediately forget it once the test is over. They usually study for test vocabulary by creating vocabulary cards with a word on one side and a definition on the other. In his article Dr. Ellis shows a vocabulary template requiring a little more information, referred to as The Clarifying Table to replace the basic vocabulary card. This is the link to a sample Clarifying Table http://www.ldonline.org/images/articles/article5759clarifyingtable.gif
You will immediately see how this table would be a better tool to use when learning/studying vocabulary. The student may not use this elaborate table for every vocabulary word, maybe just a couple. What the table is really suppose to do is to teach the child how to make a knowledge connection with words to aid retention and vocabulary development in general.
I presented the Clarifying Table to some of our 7th grade teachers and they loved the idea. A couple were using a template referred to as a "vocabulary map" which was very similar.
Teachers and therapists, I believe you will find The Clarifying Routine and template simple, fun and beneficial. Parents I think you will find the concept interesting and helpful, especially if you have a student who struggles with vocabulary. I believe that learning the concept of attaching knowledge rather than memorizing a definition would be extremely helpful for all children but especially those who may be struggling with reading or who have struggled with reading in the past. These are the kids who tend to demonstrate a decreased vocabulary.
Since I was not able to get in touch with Dr. Ellis or find a way to obtain his materials/training we put together a template that was similar to the clarifying table but fit our needs.
(Can't seem to transfer it from excel or word. Let me work on it. You will obviously get the idea from Dr. Ellis's example)
Take a peek it is worth it
Teresa
Monday, October 13, 2008
Pressure vs. Expectations
Over the past several years, many books have been written about how we as parents and we as a society put too much pressure on kids. I’ve purchased several, read a couple and scanned a few. The world is different these days and kids are under a lot more pressure to perform earlier than we ever were. Pressure to perform at school, on the athletic field and with peers have lead to anxiety, acting out and even suicide. Obviously, too much continuous pressure is not a good thing for anyone.
These days children grow up quicker, they are left alone more often and participate in organized activities sooner. So many kids are in divorce situations, splitting time between two busy and sometimes angry parents. If you think that does not cause pressure think again. My own theory is we expose kids to a lot of different experiences earlier than we ever were. Many of these experiences they are not ready for from a developmental standpoint. In these experiences, I include academics, family problems, dance, music, athletics, competitions, daycare till 5 or 6, organized everything. ( I posted earlier a lot of free play is missing). So typical little Billy, who is having trouble with in full day academic kindergarten (which I strongly oppose as a standard for all), may not be developmentally ready for a full day or even some academics in kindergarten, is now sent for special education testing when probably half the class is not developmentally ready to take on the academic challenges or the stress of a full day away from home.
I am saying earlier experiences have changed but child development has not evolved any differently. So right from the start we put too much pressure on them. I am not convinced that full day kindergarten makes your kid smarter or helps them to read that much earlier. By the way, most kid’s skills tend to catch up with each other by about 4th grade. So even if little Sally’s parents bragged about her reading at 4 she will probably turn out to be just an average student. Her experiences were different, exposed to pre-reading skills earlier and it worked for her. Perhaps, she was even pressured into reading so her parents could brag. I believe a lot of the pressure (but not all) emerges when children are expected to do things they are not developmentally ready to do.
So with pressure to succeed and to fit in especially at the middle school and high school level identified as a problem, the trend has been to decrease the pressure and to get help for kids if needed. Most parents have become aware of creating too much pressure and I think have backed off. However, in the quest to decrease the pressure many parents and teachers have also decreased or eliminated common sense expectations.
So what is the difference between putting on too much pressure on a child and having expectations especially high ones. Pressure, I feel, is pointing your child toward an almost impossible goal. Talking about that goal 27/7 and having their life revolve around that goal. The goal becomes so much of a focus that the kid ends up hating the goal and only does it to please their parents. Kids will also self induce pressure so a parent must keep a close watch on high achievers and intervene when the pressure looks like it’s too much.
Expectations are the day to day rules and the life goals kids are suppose to follow whether a parent or teacher is reminding them or not. At home some expectations might be certain chores, doing homework without being told, going to bed at the proper time, preparing your self for school or other activities, doing your best at school, being kind to others, not bullying, speaking politely to adults, following the rules at school and other activities, telling parents important information, behaving yourself in public especially when unsupervised……the list of common sense expectations go on an on. Some of the expectations at school include being respectful to others, listening to adults, coming prepared to class, not throwing trash on the floor, following school routines without always having to be told to get moving, doing your work, working cooperatively, controlling anger, no bullying…..again the list is endless.
As my own children have gotten older, our expectations have changed and increased. We expect them to perform to the best of their ability at school. We expect them to put effort into extracurricular activities, volunteer activities and work. Our biggest expectation is that they will not drink especially if they are driving our car. Does that assure me they won’t? Of course not. But, they also know we do everything in our power to make sure that does not happen. They know we call parents to see if anyone is going to be home and we check their breath when they come in. They know there will be consequences at home for inappropriate behavior. They’ve missed a lot of parties because of our actions and I might add missed the near-death experience of a friend from too much alcohol.
I worked with a middle school teacher once, Mary we’ll call her. Mary called me naive to think my own middle school kids were not exposed to sex, drugs and alcohol. Mary implied that my kids probably were experimenting with all three. It is not that I don’t know those thing are out there but my expectations to my own children is that we do not want you around that kind of stuff or indulging in it. Needless to say, while Mary was spouting this to me, I knew that she had a couple of very wild teenage daughters at home. I assume she thought that because her girls indulged that that had to be the norm. See she was willing to accept their behavior as normal teenage behavior rather than tell them her expectations for behavior.
Kids with no expectations flounder, both at school and in their social lives. They tend to also grow up with an inappropriate sense of entitlement…. The ”I don’t have to do that” attitude. They goof around in school and disrupt things for others. Most of them know that their parents will not do anything if the teacher calls home. Parents seem to be too busy sticking up for their child’s bad behavior rather than giving them clear expectations for conduct. Some parents clearly do not care and I have to wonder about that. I see so many kids without clear life expectations and wonder what they will be doing in 10 years.
Teachers can provide clear expectations at school. However, if the parental expectations and follow up is not there it is almost impossible for the child to succeed to their potential. It is the rare student that can see school as their ticket to success and that can generate self expectations.
So parents, talk to your child. Let them know your expectations for them at home, at school and out in public . Be the parent you need to be and don’t let them run the house or make up the rules. Point out inappropriate behavior even if it is just little etiquette things. If there is a problem don’t make excuses for them, follow up with appropriate consequences. Basic expectations are life long lessons that will serve them well long after they leave the classroom.
These days children grow up quicker, they are left alone more often and participate in organized activities sooner. So many kids are in divorce situations, splitting time between two busy and sometimes angry parents. If you think that does not cause pressure think again. My own theory is we expose kids to a lot of different experiences earlier than we ever were. Many of these experiences they are not ready for from a developmental standpoint. In these experiences, I include academics, family problems, dance, music, athletics, competitions, daycare till 5 or 6, organized everything. ( I posted earlier a lot of free play is missing). So typical little Billy, who is having trouble with in full day academic kindergarten (which I strongly oppose as a standard for all), may not be developmentally ready for a full day or even some academics in kindergarten, is now sent for special education testing when probably half the class is not developmentally ready to take on the academic challenges or the stress of a full day away from home.
I am saying earlier experiences have changed but child development has not evolved any differently. So right from the start we put too much pressure on them. I am not convinced that full day kindergarten makes your kid smarter or helps them to read that much earlier. By the way, most kid’s skills tend to catch up with each other by about 4th grade. So even if little Sally’s parents bragged about her reading at 4 she will probably turn out to be just an average student. Her experiences were different, exposed to pre-reading skills earlier and it worked for her. Perhaps, she was even pressured into reading so her parents could brag. I believe a lot of the pressure (but not all) emerges when children are expected to do things they are not developmentally ready to do.
So with pressure to succeed and to fit in especially at the middle school and high school level identified as a problem, the trend has been to decrease the pressure and to get help for kids if needed. Most parents have become aware of creating too much pressure and I think have backed off. However, in the quest to decrease the pressure many parents and teachers have also decreased or eliminated common sense expectations.
So what is the difference between putting on too much pressure on a child and having expectations especially high ones. Pressure, I feel, is pointing your child toward an almost impossible goal. Talking about that goal 27/7 and having their life revolve around that goal. The goal becomes so much of a focus that the kid ends up hating the goal and only does it to please their parents. Kids will also self induce pressure so a parent must keep a close watch on high achievers and intervene when the pressure looks like it’s too much.
Expectations are the day to day rules and the life goals kids are suppose to follow whether a parent or teacher is reminding them or not. At home some expectations might be certain chores, doing homework without being told, going to bed at the proper time, preparing your self for school or other activities, doing your best at school, being kind to others, not bullying, speaking politely to adults, following the rules at school and other activities, telling parents important information, behaving yourself in public especially when unsupervised……the list of common sense expectations go on an on. Some of the expectations at school include being respectful to others, listening to adults, coming prepared to class, not throwing trash on the floor, following school routines without always having to be told to get moving, doing your work, working cooperatively, controlling anger, no bullying…..again the list is endless.
As my own children have gotten older, our expectations have changed and increased. We expect them to perform to the best of their ability at school. We expect them to put effort into extracurricular activities, volunteer activities and work. Our biggest expectation is that they will not drink especially if they are driving our car. Does that assure me they won’t? Of course not. But, they also know we do everything in our power to make sure that does not happen. They know we call parents to see if anyone is going to be home and we check their breath when they come in. They know there will be consequences at home for inappropriate behavior. They’ve missed a lot of parties because of our actions and I might add missed the near-death experience of a friend from too much alcohol.
I worked with a middle school teacher once, Mary we’ll call her. Mary called me naive to think my own middle school kids were not exposed to sex, drugs and alcohol. Mary implied that my kids probably were experimenting with all three. It is not that I don’t know those thing are out there but my expectations to my own children is that we do not want you around that kind of stuff or indulging in it. Needless to say, while Mary was spouting this to me, I knew that she had a couple of very wild teenage daughters at home. I assume she thought that because her girls indulged that that had to be the norm. See she was willing to accept their behavior as normal teenage behavior rather than tell them her expectations for behavior.
Kids with no expectations flounder, both at school and in their social lives. They tend to also grow up with an inappropriate sense of entitlement…. The ”I don’t have to do that” attitude. They goof around in school and disrupt things for others. Most of them know that their parents will not do anything if the teacher calls home. Parents seem to be too busy sticking up for their child’s bad behavior rather than giving them clear expectations for conduct. Some parents clearly do not care and I have to wonder about that. I see so many kids without clear life expectations and wonder what they will be doing in 10 years.
Teachers can provide clear expectations at school. However, if the parental expectations and follow up is not there it is almost impossible for the child to succeed to their potential. It is the rare student that can see school as their ticket to success and that can generate self expectations.
So parents, talk to your child. Let them know your expectations for them at home, at school and out in public . Be the parent you need to be and don’t let them run the house or make up the rules. Point out inappropriate behavior even if it is just little etiquette things. If there is a problem don’t make excuses for them, follow up with appropriate consequences. Basic expectations are life long lessons that will serve them well long after they leave the classroom.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Dealing with Bullying in the Middle School
During our teacher prep days at the beginning of school, our guidance counselors hosted a three hour introduction to our school’s new anti-bullying program. After much research, the program they chose to adopt is called “Steps to Respect”. For years, the schools I have been involved with have talked about anti-bullying campaigns. However, this is the first time I took part in any education around bullying and how it plagues our schools.
This introduction to “Steps to Respect” highlighted many truths and common myths around bullying. I am going to try and highlight the ones that stood out for me.
1. Studies are beginning to show that bullying is not normal behavior. The acceptance of boys will be boys, she is just going through a rough time or it is hormonal is just wrong.
2. Adults would not put up with bullying from a co-worker or anywhere in the workplace so why should we accept the bullying of children at school.
3. Bullying usually takes place outside of the site or earshot of adults. That is why it is important to make children feel safe to report bullying.
4. Some bullying is obviously blatant but often it can be more subtle. We use differential diagnosis a lot when identifying speech and language issues. It seems you also need to use a differential diagnosis to identify some bullying behaviors. Some of the behaviors to look for/ rule out included: was there an intent to harm, was there a power imbalance and was it a repeated activity. Some other things to consider would include was it attention seeking, facial expressions during the incident and what was the relationship of the children involved before the incident(s).
5. Cyber bullying is on the rise. It relatively new and could be whole other discussion in itself. I have seen cyber bullying spill over into school and create gigantic problems. We hear about it happening on the news but only when dire consequences result. The big question posed is who is responsible since most of the cyber bullying happens at home on home computers. Parents it might be time to look at your kid’s computer. I know that I am very lax myself about this.
6. Bullying is being taken more seriously these days. Someone in our meeting mentioned that there is current legislation being created. I assumed that was at the state level but it might be at the federal level
7. Bullying can be physical or verbal
8. Every school has some type of bullying problem and more bullying goes on that we as parents and teachers realize.
We also talked about profiles of victims and those that bully. We think of bully victims as being weaker but when we brainstormed, we realized that just about anyone could potentially be a victim.
This is taken from the “Steps to Respect” training Manual p.63
Children who are bullied tend to:
Experience further rejection from peers
Have lower self-esteem than other children
Feel more lonely, anxious and insecure.
Avoid and dislike school
We think of bullies as being stronger, tougher and maybe even smarter than the kids they bully. Bullies tend to be somewhat popular in Middle School but that is about where it ends. Many end up with real problems later on.
This is also taken from the “Steps to Respect” training Manual p.63
As children who bully grow up, they tend to:
Commit more crimes
Commit more driving offenses
Receive more court convictions
Report higher incidents of alcoholism
Experience more antisocial personality disorders
Use more mental health systems
Commit more spousal abuse
I thought these facts were interesting and wondered if bullying behaviors were addressed earlier in life would it make a big difference at least for some kids. Personally, I think that most kids who bully have other factors, outside of school, affecting their behavior. Some not all. Still with guidance they might have a better sense of appropriate behavior in public and more compassion.
The “Steps to Respect” program has a strong focus on helping the kids identify bullying behaviors, empowering bully victims and their friends to report bullying behaviors and to let them feel secure that adults will intervene and effectively deal with bullying situations. Basically, making children feel safe to report bullying behaviors. Part of the problem with reporting bullying is that a child might be labeled a tattle tale. This program tries to emphasize to the children and the entire school, they are reporting rather than tattling.
How adults respond and intervene will go a long way in making the child feel safe. We learned the basic Four-A response outlined in the program
Affirm the child’s feelings
Ask questions
Assess the child’s safety
Act-basically do what you have to do to report this situation to the administration, parents, other teachers. Make sure something is done about the situation. Explain what you can to the child reporting about what will happen next.
This actually sounds like a thorough and effective program and I look forward to attending further training. However, as a staff we posed many questions that I hope will be answered sooner rather than later.
Will bus drivers and lunch room aids receive some training on this program?
What happens to the kids once they leave the building?
How will bullying behaviors be tracked?
What will be the consequences for bullying behavior? (Almost every school system I have ever worked in had little or no protocol to deal with bullying behaviors effectively)
Will parent notification be standard procedure when their child is demonstrating bullying at school no matter how great or small?
Will parent notification be standard procedure when their child is the victim of bullying at school?
How will the “Steps to Respect” program be implemented through out the school?
Will consequences be consistent?
How much time will be allotted to this program?
How supportive is the administration of this program?
We still have a lot of questions and concerns to work out. Since we only had an introduction/overview, the whole program may answer many of our concerns. So we will see how it goes during the first few months of the school year. Teachers seemed to be very much on board with this program. Many seemed committed to posting information from the “Steps to Respect” program both in their classroom and in the hall bulletin boards. Our 6th graders were introduced to this program last year and will receive further instruction this year. I believe all students received some information around no tolerance for bullying during our opening day assembly. Hopefully, this will all make a difference.
An overview of the “Steps to Respect” program and be found at the link: http://www.cfchildren.org/programs/str/overview/
Sunday, July 27, 2008
The Summer Reading Blues
Every summer I argue with my kids about summer reading. I did this for seven years while at least one of my kids attended middle school and countless number of years before and after that. It seemed that no matter what approach I took it backfired. I often caught them reading other things so it is not like they hated reading.
Every summer I posed the following questions to myself….Does summer reading really foster a love of reading? Is summer reading just a chore that kids hate to do? Why does summer reading have to be so structured?
I happen to believe that more students hate summer reading than love it. My kids are so sour on the subject that they will not even discuss possible solutions to make it better. Based on Mom observations, I can cite several reasons why students learn to hate summer reading and maybe reading in general.
Just like adults, most children do not like being told what to read.
Do you like being told what to read? I don’t. If I start a book and don’t like it, I am not obligated to finish it. With summer reading, students have to finish the book. It does not matter if they like it or not. Yes, sometimes you have to read things or do work you do not like but remember this is summer reading I am talking about.
Some of the teacher’s book choices are really out there.
I don’t know who recommends book lists for teachers but I can guarantee they do not deal with middle school children on a regular basis. Same goes with award winning book lists. In my opinion, many books that receive recommendations or win awards do so because the subject matter appeals to adults.
Some parents are curious enough to read their child’s summer reading books. . Occasionally I was one of those parents. Chatting with these parents at the beach, many loved the book selections so they expected their kid to like it too. They could not figure out why their boys (especially) were having such a hard time getting into what I considered “chick books”. There are a lot more “chick books” out there than books that appeal to boys. Face it there are a lot more female teachers out there and they tend to recommend books that have more girl appeal. Get a teacher (male or female) with a social cause and all their book recommendations will slant that way.
They dread the follow up project.
If I had to do a project or write a follow up paper every time I read a book, I would never read again. There are at least three sides to this piece. Some children come from a home where parents end up doing a lot of the project because they just want to get it over with. (I admit I was one of those parents) Then you have children who come from homes were no one even cares and they have no support with home work even during the school year. Then there are children where school is just so hard for them that even with help, it is stressful and they fail summer reading too.
I have often wondered what the kids do if they spend the summer at camp. Sure, they could get the reading done but what about the projects. Some summers we have had more than one project per kid.
No time for fun reading.
Some summers my kids had to read more than just 1 or 2 books for summer reading. That left little time for any fun reading choices.
Parents have to police summer reading.
I love spending the summer asking/ arguing with my kids about whether they did their summer reading. I have enough to argue with them about. Just kidding, but it does effect some family harmony.
Please do not get me wrong, as a Speech Language Pathologist I know how important reading is. Kids need to read during the summer. My point is being forced to read can not foster a love of reading. I have no magic thoughts on how to do this. The best success I ever had was when my kids were going into 6th grade. We were given lists of books from different genres and they had to pick one from 2 or 3 genres. We made a special trip to the book store, talked about the selections, went out to lunch and went to the mall. I was lucky I could do that. The library would not have as many choices. I remember those summers were fine (for that one kid) until the projects came along.
For children with reading challenges summer reading can be torture. Perhaps the required reading can be modified but then come September, when projects are due, everyone knows they’ve read different books.
Other than bribery, does anyone have any other solutions to deal with summer reading? I think book groups would be great but accountability would be a problem. It would be difficult for every child to participate in a group unless they met at school. A more diverse choice of books might be a good first step.
Parents your not off the hook either. You need to set a good example by reading a lot yourself. Read lots of different things. Make time to read.
Send me your suggestions, concerns and complaints about summer reading. I would love to hear from middle school Language Arts teachers as well as parents. What are other schools around the country doing to make summer reading more enjoyable? There has to be a better way to motivate children to read. Let me know what you think.
Teresa
Every summer I posed the following questions to myself….Does summer reading really foster a love of reading? Is summer reading just a chore that kids hate to do? Why does summer reading have to be so structured?
I happen to believe that more students hate summer reading than love it. My kids are so sour on the subject that they will not even discuss possible solutions to make it better. Based on Mom observations, I can cite several reasons why students learn to hate summer reading and maybe reading in general.
Just like adults, most children do not like being told what to read.
Do you like being told what to read? I don’t. If I start a book and don’t like it, I am not obligated to finish it. With summer reading, students have to finish the book. It does not matter if they like it or not. Yes, sometimes you have to read things or do work you do not like but remember this is summer reading I am talking about.
Some of the teacher’s book choices are really out there.
I don’t know who recommends book lists for teachers but I can guarantee they do not deal with middle school children on a regular basis. Same goes with award winning book lists. In my opinion, many books that receive recommendations or win awards do so because the subject matter appeals to adults.
Some parents are curious enough to read their child’s summer reading books. . Occasionally I was one of those parents. Chatting with these parents at the beach, many loved the book selections so they expected their kid to like it too. They could not figure out why their boys (especially) were having such a hard time getting into what I considered “chick books”. There are a lot more “chick books” out there than books that appeal to boys. Face it there are a lot more female teachers out there and they tend to recommend books that have more girl appeal. Get a teacher (male or female) with a social cause and all their book recommendations will slant that way.
They dread the follow up project.
If I had to do a project or write a follow up paper every time I read a book, I would never read again. There are at least three sides to this piece. Some children come from a home where parents end up doing a lot of the project because they just want to get it over with. (I admit I was one of those parents) Then you have children who come from homes were no one even cares and they have no support with home work even during the school year. Then there are children where school is just so hard for them that even with help, it is stressful and they fail summer reading too.
I have often wondered what the kids do if they spend the summer at camp. Sure, they could get the reading done but what about the projects. Some summers we have had more than one project per kid.
No time for fun reading.
Some summers my kids had to read more than just 1 or 2 books for summer reading. That left little time for any fun reading choices.
Parents have to police summer reading.
I love spending the summer asking/ arguing with my kids about whether they did their summer reading. I have enough to argue with them about. Just kidding, but it does effect some family harmony.
Please do not get me wrong, as a Speech Language Pathologist I know how important reading is. Kids need to read during the summer. My point is being forced to read can not foster a love of reading. I have no magic thoughts on how to do this. The best success I ever had was when my kids were going into 6th grade. We were given lists of books from different genres and they had to pick one from 2 or 3 genres. We made a special trip to the book store, talked about the selections, went out to lunch and went to the mall. I was lucky I could do that. The library would not have as many choices. I remember those summers were fine (for that one kid) until the projects came along.
For children with reading challenges summer reading can be torture. Perhaps the required reading can be modified but then come September, when projects are due, everyone knows they’ve read different books.
Other than bribery, does anyone have any other solutions to deal with summer reading? I think book groups would be great but accountability would be a problem. It would be difficult for every child to participate in a group unless they met at school. A more diverse choice of books might be a good first step.
Parents your not off the hook either. You need to set a good example by reading a lot yourself. Read lots of different things. Make time to read.
Send me your suggestions, concerns and complaints about summer reading. I would love to hear from middle school Language Arts teachers as well as parents. What are other schools around the country doing to make summer reading more enjoyable? There has to be a better way to motivate children to read. Let me know what you think.
Teresa
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
New Material Coming Soon
New Material Coming Soon!!!
If I have any faithful readers out there, I am sorry for the lapse of new material. I have a few good reasons but basically, life happens. In May, my oldest graduated from High School. I enjoyed the day so much and was so proud. It was a beautiful day the sun was out and all the pictures came out great. We spent the next several weekends attending graduation parties. In addition to the graduation hoopla, my son’s volleyball team won the Massachusetts State Championship. What fun that was.
During volleyball season, I took the opportunity to learn how to use my camera better. So I have spent a lot of time on line getting support and guidance around that. I am using some new software, and learning that takes time too. I was able to give the volleyball parents many decent action shots of their kids and I put together collages for all the players. The pictures are far from professional but I was happy with the results. If anyone wants to see my volleyball shots, the link to my web album is http://picasaweb.google.com/sportsmamaT . I am shooting with a Nikon D80 and a 50 mm lens.
My youngest also graduated from 8th grade this spring. I am no longer a middle school parent. I hope this doesn’t mean I will loose that connection with who middle schoolers are. I really feel that having kids in middle school while teaching middle school gave me an interesting perspective. Having an inside view of what they liked/disliked, how they talked, how they dressed, learning what was cool and even more important knowing what they thought was babyish has helped me so much as a therapist.
Luckily, my school year ended on an easier note and the paperwork was manageable. If only we public school therapists could spend more time with the kids and less on paperwork. We are finally done with school and I plan to update my blog a little before going to relax at the lake for a week or so.
I know I have asked before but if there are any specific topics related to middle school or speech and language development in general let me know. I am always looking for ideas.
Hope you are enjoying the summer
Teresa
If I have any faithful readers out there, I am sorry for the lapse of new material. I have a few good reasons but basically, life happens. In May, my oldest graduated from High School. I enjoyed the day so much and was so proud. It was a beautiful day the sun was out and all the pictures came out great. We spent the next several weekends attending graduation parties. In addition to the graduation hoopla, my son’s volleyball team won the Massachusetts State Championship. What fun that was.
During volleyball season, I took the opportunity to learn how to use my camera better. So I have spent a lot of time on line getting support and guidance around that. I am using some new software, and learning that takes time too. I was able to give the volleyball parents many decent action shots of their kids and I put together collages for all the players. The pictures are far from professional but I was happy with the results. If anyone wants to see my volleyball shots, the link to my web album is http://picasaweb.google.com/sportsmamaT . I am shooting with a Nikon D80 and a 50 mm lens.
My youngest also graduated from 8th grade this spring. I am no longer a middle school parent. I hope this doesn’t mean I will loose that connection with who middle schoolers are. I really feel that having kids in middle school while teaching middle school gave me an interesting perspective. Having an inside view of what they liked/disliked, how they talked, how they dressed, learning what was cool and even more important knowing what they thought was babyish has helped me so much as a therapist.
Luckily, my school year ended on an easier note and the paperwork was manageable. If only we public school therapists could spend more time with the kids and less on paperwork. We are finally done with school and I plan to update my blog a little before going to relax at the lake for a week or so.
I know I have asked before but if there are any specific topics related to middle school or speech and language development in general let me know. I am always looking for ideas.
Hope you are enjoying the summer
Teresa
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