VOLUNTEER

Despite the political conflicts and budget deficits stifling the Bay Area’s educational community, your child still deserves a quality education. Now may be a good time to check in and make sure that learning is still the priority. Also, with support staff eliminated, teachers can certainly use a helping hand. Volunteering at school can assuage both these situations.

Be a room mom (or dad)! This is the most effective way to view your child’s work habits and school behavior. It also keeps them on task and focused, and in some instances secure, knowing you’re there. If the teacher is reluct

ant to have you volunteer, there is most likely a legitimate reason – just ask! For example, there may be some school or district policies that need to be adhered. If she does not need volunteers at this time, you still have the right to drop in and observe your child at any time. You can also check with an administrator about any volunteer policies, and see if you can be useful in another way.

In most instances, teachers are thrilled to have an extra hand to set up art and craft projects, file papers, or make copies. You may even be asked to work with a small group of kids.

If you can’t do a regular, weekly stint, then a one-time wonder will suffice. You can volunteer to speak at career day, help run the book faire or chaperone a class party or field trip.

If you enjoy the outdoors, there is always need for extra yard duty during recess time, and crossing guards are vital to the safety of our children. Let’s face it; running-late parents in SUV’s are dangerous!

If you do not have time during the day, or you feel anxious about being around rambunctious youngsters, how about working from the office or home? Grading papers is very much appreciated. Paperwork is always a challenge for teachers and the more grades they can complete, the more insight they have into their class, and the more information they have on your child’s progress.

The best way to find out about all of the volunteer opportunities and get in some great networking is to join the PTA (Parent Teacher Association). The name may vary from school to school, but the concept is the same. These are the folks that work together to make your school one of the finest around and help create a warm, safe and enriching educational experience for all the students. They are in charge of many, many fundraisers, and are a strong political force as well. These activists often fight for legislation to ensure every child gets a high-quality education.

Accordingly, if the school staff recognizes you as an involved, caring and knowledgeable parent, they will in turn become more caring and involved with your child’s education. Everyone benefits!

SPRING FEVER

Spring has finally sprung and the anticipation of summer vacation is seeping into classrooms and homes all over the bay area. Eager students plan their summer escape to pools; parks and playgrounds while anxious teachers squeeze out the last drops of curriculum, wrap up projects and assess summative coursework. It can be difficult for kids to academically persevere when warm fresh air beckons them to play outdoors. However, teachers and parents can join forces to keep them focused in class and endure homework just a little longer. We must adhere to Franklin D. Roosevelt’s advice, “When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.”

Classwork

If you want to know if class time is being used wisely, just ask your kids. Even the youngest pupils are surprisingly astute when reflecting on their behavior, and they also have a good idea about their grades. Double check with teachers and see if your child needs to complete or make up any missing assignments. Also inquire if any assistance is needed for end-of-the year projects, field trips, parties, etc. Volunteering is a tremendous help for teachers and gives you a birds-eye view of your child’s behavior as well as the whole class climate.

Homework

If the weather is too beautiful to finish homework indoors, take it out! Create a homework space on the patio or in the backyard. It doesn’t need to be anything fancy, a card table and folding chairs or even a blanket and a lap desk will suffice. Make sure all needed supplies are handy (crayons, pencils, folders, etc.) and loose papers are secured with paperweights. Check in frequently and keep a timer handy so everyone knows how much time is being used, and how wisely.

If silent reading or studying is part of the homework, you can do it together - anywhere. It will be so painless; you’ll feel like you’re cheating. But don’t worry; reading aloud and studying together is perfectly acceptable to and even encouraged by teachers. It also has other advantages. It saves time, boosts comprehension and makes reading and studying much more enjoyable. So grab a great book or unfinished assignment that requires reading, rehearsing, or memorizing and head to the park, or nestle under a favorite tree. Invite classmates and have a play-date when you’ve achieved your goals.

Homestretch

To keep morale from floundering, start planning an end-of-the-year party. Ubiquitous calendars throughout the house marking the final days will keep the light at the end of the tunnel clearly in sight. Frequent, physical rewards (a Friday night movie, or trip to the ice cream parlor) will also hearten reluctant workers. To keep the expectation bar high and your frustration level low, insists that any compensation be honored only for thorough completion of all assignments with minimal protests.

When the work is done, go back to planning your escapes and conjuring up your summer excursions, for summer is - at last - right around the corner. Perhaps Henry James summed it up best, “Summer afternoon - summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.”

Contact Margaret Lavin at elementarydays@gmail.com.

P.S. I LOVE YOU, MOM

Excited students wiggle like puppies when they bestow gifts upon their teachers. Their whole countenance reflects the true meaning of gift giving - it really is better to give than to receive! I have gushed over many a # 1 teacher mug, chocolate bar and ceramic apple. However, my most valued “present” was from a third grader who scrawled on a piece of scratch paper, “I promise to bake you a cake because I love you.” I never received the cake, but have framed the note.

This got me to thinking about the power of the written word and the passion evoked from a hand written letter. Knowing this Sunday is Mother’s Day, how about writing one to mom? This is the woman who has reared you or is raising your children. It does not necessarily have to be a biological relationship.

Husbands, when was the last time you wrote your wife a love letter? If you’re feeling especially imaginative, pen a poem, or song! The mother of your children will enjoy seeing your penmanship on something other than the grocery list. You can get ideas from some well-known, amorous poets like Langston Hughes, Lord Byron or Emily Dickenson. Hallmark is good, but your feelings of love and gratitude inscribed on elegant stationery will become a treasured keepsake.

Grownup children can memorialize a pivotal memory in where mom played the lead role. Did she teach you how to ride your bike or drive the car? Was she there in the delivery room, or principal’s office? What about the time she dried your eyes when you scraped your knee or rescued you from that tricky scrape with the law?

Teens and tweens might be keen on listing ten things that make their mom number one and/or brainstorming some flattering adjectives that describe her. Get a little academic and pull out the thesaurus. Then, use each worshiping word in a sentence. Don’t forget to add why she is indeed: pretty, caring, loving, courageous, etc. Add some artistic flair by rummaging through family pictures and making a collage.

Even very young sons and daughters can write letters to their beloved mother. Dad or older siblings can help. Ask little ones a few prompting questions and record their answers. Try, “What makes mommy beautiful? What makes mommy special? What’s your favorite thing to do with mommy? Why do you love mommy” Or, opt to help with a fill-in-the-blank card. For example, “My Mom and I play ___, My Mom and I eat ___, My Mom and I go to ___, My Mom and I read___, My Mom and I watch ___, My Mom and I like to ___.” Write down their endearing answers and leave the artwork to them. Encourage a ‘signature’ with pictures of mommy and the rest of the family.

Still bring on the flowers, candy, and other tokens of appreciation. Make dinner, massage her shoulders and paint her toes. All will be accepted with much gratitude. However, your made-with-love letters dripping with expressive, heartfelt sentiments of love and admiration will fill mom’s heart with contentment and joy. Be prepared for oceans of kisses upon receipt! 

Contact Margaret Lavin at elementarydays@gmail.com.

NETIQUETTE

As if television wasn’t difficult enough to monitor, parents now have video games, texting, instant messaging, cyberbullying, online gambling, as well as exploitive advertising to worry about! A child’s interest in exploring cyberspace depends in a large part on their age group; eight year-olds are going to be content with fun kid’s sites, while a twelve


year-old will be pushing the cyber limits just as they do in the “real” world.

The good news is that kids respond to positive modeling. In the news recently,

Dr. Meg Moreno, a pediatrian and lead researcher, emailed teen MySpace users and suggested they reconsider posting and boasting about their negative and destructive social habits like drinking and doing drugs. Forty-two percent of those contacted edited their pages to reflect a more healthful lifestyle. Reconsidering how they portray themselves online will lead them to reconsider the behavior itself and cease those habits. Fingers crossed.

But let’s not leave it to luck. These strategies will support your child’s developing capacity to assess the online world.

First of all, use filters to complement, not take the place of, your supervision and guidelines for internet use. And speaking of supervision, allowing computer access only in the family room will further solidify the healthy idea that the internet should be viewed as a tool and a resource.

Get input from the kids to come up with a list of online rules that you can both agree upon. Most schools have internet contracts that parents and students have to sign off on at the beginning of each school year. On our blog, you can find links to some helpful websites, including one that has a simple family internet contract you can download. In addition, learning a few common text message abbreviations like: POS (parent over shoulder), MOS (mother over shoulder), and TOS (teacher over shoulder) will help bring you up to speed. And we have a link to a text message translator for those gossipy phone and instant messages you’re dying to decode!

Get your own TikTok, Snapchat, and Instant Messenger accounts and put your kid’s name on your “buddy list”---you can then read their profiles. And when asking your son about the neighborhood boys he hangs out with, be sure to ask him about his “online friends.” Being watched doesn’t feel good and we walk a fine line between encouraging kids to be independent by trusting them and leaving them vulnerable to influences that undermine the values we are trying to teach.

Lastly, and most importantly, the best remedy is to keep an open line of communication. Talk to your child about being civil, about being a friend, about privacy issues, about ethics and morality, and about sexuality (because if you don’t the internet will). No matter how tech savvy a parent becomes, he or she will never match the intuitive abilities of a generation that grew up in cyberspace. The responsibility lies with us all to give our impressionable youth a firm foundation upon which to make wise and healthy choices and the gift of trust to strengthen their ability to do so.

DRESS FOR SUCCESS

Spring has sprung and kids are shedding outerwear. A change in weather requires we go through closets and wardrobes, pack away boots and bulky sweaters, and plan appropriate school attire for the rest of the year. In addition to following school dress codes, kids need to wear functional, practical, and comfortable clothes.

Dress your kids so they are able to play on the playground safely and feel comfortable in class. Save the absolutely adorable outfits for picture day. Unencumbered appropriate clothing also has a positive affect on student behavior and even grades. A child’s dress expresses his preparedness, which contributes to better scholastic performance. So, let’s boost our boys’ and girls’ education with these, easy-to-follow, rules of thumb.

Hats – not in class (unless, of course, it’s crazy hat day!) If your child has a favorite baseball cap, have him tuck it in his backpack during school hours. Hats for chilly mornings should stay with the jacket; tucked in a pocket or sleeve.

Shirts – Make sure they are not too big or too tight, and for junior high girls, make sure everything that needs to be covered is covered. Certain colors, slogans, or images may be prohibited, so check with school before spending your hard-earned cash on new, “cool” shirts.

Light Jackets, Sweaters and Hoodies – are essential for the occasional windy or rainy day. Print your child’s name (not just initials) on an inside tag in case they get misplaced. Hoods are off in class.

Pants – not too tight, and not too loose. Junior high boys, pull them up! No revealing boxers please! Belts are the perfect solution. Also, make sure the pockets are empty of any distracting objects, toys, or candy.

Skirts/dresses – again, not too tight, too short, or too fancy. Shorts or tights can be worn underneath to ensure comfort and security.

Shoes – no open-toed shoes, flip-flops or high heels. Gym shoes are ideal. Also, check the laces. We often see kids tripping over 10-foot long filthy, and tattered shoestrings. Velcro for the little ones is a wonderful option.

Hair – We enjoy seeing our students’ bright smiling faces, so if your son or daughter has long hair, please have it pulled back from their face so it is not a distraction to them or anyone else.

Accessories – Keep it to a minimum. No big chains or dangling earrings. They are dangerous and distracting. Keys should be pinned to a jacket or kept in a zipped pocket in the backpack. If your child is responsible enough to carry a cell phone, it should remain in their lockers or back packs, turned off during school hours. Any other electronic games or devices should be left at home.

One last tip, put outfits together in the closet or have the kids put out their clothes the night before. This saves time and headaches in the morning.

With school guidelines and these practical tips, your child will be dressed for school success! So enjoy the spring and your good-looking, well-dressed kids.

FENG SHUI IN THE CLASSROOM

Recently, some local schoolteachers placed bits of red paper around their classrooms following the strategies of Feng Shui. Their aim was to help create a “focused learning environment” by using color to promote a feeling of well-being. The ancient practice of Feng Shui has, in recent years, been a feature of interior decorating, and is now being used in classrooms! The goal of Feng Shui is to allow “Chi” to move freely. Chi is what creates balance and harmony in our lives---so if obstacles are in its path, disharmony reigns. By following the suggestions in the Bagua, a diagram that tells what aspects of life are governed by which areas of a room, it is easy to begin creating change. Honoring numerology, certain five animals, and the five elements (fire, earth, metal, water, and wood), are ways to open up pathways for Chi. Here are three simple Feng Shui tips to help create a more tranquil classroom or home.

1. Decluttering is one of the key components to letting Chi flow freely. Most teachers accumulate far more than they will ever need! How does a cluttered and disorganized classroom affect the ability to learn? As writers, we know that we have to have our work environment neat and organized. Not in an OCD way, but just straightened up so we know where things are. This applies to students as well.

2. Another key component of Feng Shui is furniture placement. The teacher’s desk must be in a “commanding position” away from the door. For optimal Chi flow, put desks in rows---yes, just like in the old days! Children who face each other are naturally more interested in their classmates than the teacher. When a lesson calls for grouping, just move the desks.

3. And lastly, color! The most important area in a classroom is the south wall, and red should be used in this area for fame and fortune. The north wall should be decked out in blue or black to help students envision and achieve career goals. The west wall should be white to encourage creativity and joy. The east wall is all about health and family and its color is green. Try this in your child’s room.

Nancy Lundy, who teaches first grade at Clifford Elementary School in Redwood City saw a definite change. “I moved my desk and put a tall vase with marbles and water along the north wall and in the beginning it was very calm.” She notes that the kids are less chatty, and because everything is organized simply, it is easier to hold them accountable for their stuff. She

takes fifteen minutes at the end of her work day to weed out and organize. “Parents see the difference, too, and that’s nice.” said Lundy. “What I would like to do now is get one of those fountains!” she adds.

For full-on Chi flow, pick up a copy of A Light Touch of Feng Shui: A Teacher’s Guide for Creating Balance and Harmony in the Classroom by Susan Catalano and Evie Bolante.