Parenting Advice from a Teacher

It's back to school time again!  Time for my annual advice to parents of school age children.  As someone with no children, I feel fully entitled to give parenting advice...because I'm an educator.  I've interacted with hundreds of children and their families and these are the problems I see year after year.

1. Put the iPads down.  I know it's free babysitting and free entertainment but you know how your eyes feel after staring at a computer screen all day? Why would you do that to your children.  Also, kids these days aren't developing the fine motor skills of children of yesteryear.  Why? Because swiping an iPad left or right doesn't require dexterity.  And they'll need that one day to, oh I dunno, tie their shoes.
2. Bedtime is important. Putting your children on a routine is paramount.  All kids crave structure.  And, did you know children's bodies require 10-12 hours of sleep? So, this going to bed at 10 PM and waking up at 6 AM nonsense might work for you, but not for them. Also, kids with bags under their eyes are statistically less cute than kids without.
3. Turn the cell phones off and talk to your kids. Most schools have a NO PHONE ZONE at school and lemme tell you why.  Too often, parents come to pick their kids up from school all with a phone attached to their ears.  They don't speak to or acknowledge the child, the teacher, or anyone else in the building.  Put your cell phone away and spend that quality time with your child.  You can get back on Twitter and talk to your friends at 7 PM, when your kids go to bed. (See what I did there...)
4. If you feed your kids McDonald's, they will crave McDonald's. Basically, you have to watch what your children eat.  I know parents who make separate meals for all of their children.  Who got time for that? I also know kids who refuse to eat green vegetables but will only eat McDonald's french fries.  As the parent, you set the tone for what your children will and won't eat.

Ok...go forth and have a wonderful school year!

It's never too late

As an avid sports fan and educator, I often see the intersections of these two fields as problematic.  It's usually that colleges and universities put too much emphasis on the sports side and not enough on the education side.  We all know of the Calipari's out there who run 'one and done' factories but the fact of the matter is, most male professional athletes haven't completed their college degree.  Most female athletes have their degrees (and even Masters degrees) as they can't enter the league early. 

Now, there are a few exceptions to this rule:

• Shaquille O'Neal ~ He's got a PhD.  It's weird, but he's Dr. Shaq.
• Ben Roethlisberger ~ Graduated from Miami University in Ohio 9 years later.
• Vince Carter ~ He was criticized for missing a playoff game to attend his college graduation at UNC.  Clearly, some people have the wrong priorities.

So, I'd like to propose a national campaign for professional athletes to go back to school and graduate: "ITS NEVER TOO LATE TO GO BACK AND GRADUATE".  Imagine the effect this could have on the kids who look up to these players.  Imagine how this degree could change the future of retired athletes.  Imagine professional athletes using their off-season to finish a degree instead of getting arrested.  Imagine if the sports world publicly put this emphasis on education.  I think the possibilities are endless.

#NeverTooLate

Evaluate Me

With the end of the recent teachers strike in Chicago, I wanted to jump in and offer my two cents on one of the issues the union was grappling with: teacher evaluation.  Shh, don't say that too loud, it might get you murked in some circles.

Let's do a quick tour through some of the teacher evaluation highlights:

• Merit-Based pay, when teachers are given bonuses based on their students exceptional test scores
• Value-Added, when student's standardized test scores are used to indicate the effectiveness of a teacher
• The US Department of Ed's Teacher Incentive Fund, a competitive grant to develop the next wave of teacher evaluation systems  

As a former teacher, it's not that I'm against evaluation.  As a matter of fact, I think teachers welcome comments on their job performance and ways they can improve.  I also think that good teachers will do whatever they need to do to make sure their students are successful.  The problem comes when teachers' jobs are tied to student performance or, in the case of California and New York, teachers are publicly lambasted for their test scores.  While I do not advocate for bad or ineffective teachers keeping their jobs, there are too many human capital factors (special education needs, family income, living situation, etc.) that go into students and their test scores.

So, here's my suggestion (in case you were wondering):  A certain percentage should be tied to student growth, not test scores.  Another percentage should be tied to principal and master teacher observations, both formal and informal.  And a final portion should be assessed based on the teacher setting and meeting certain attainable goals.  

In my opinion, a teacher's worth cannot be determined by some stanine score on a standardized test.  We must come up with thoughtful and fair evaluations.  After all, is the purpose of evaluation to help teachers improve or throw them under the bus?  

The First Day of School!

Yaayyy!  It's the first day of school for your little one!  Aren't you excited?!?  Probably nervous too? It's totally natural.  You raised this child from Day One and now you're sending them off to the big bad world of kindergarten.  As a former teacher, the first day of school is exciting for us too.  We love to see our new students' faces and learn their little personalities.  And you know what makes our year go by even smoother...cooperative and helpful parents.  Here are some DO's and DON'Ts for you first time school-age parents.

DO communicate with your kid's teacher.  If things are changing at home (new sibling, divorce, etc.) let the teacher know.

DON'T think you know more than the teacher.  She has gone to school for education and knows what she's talking about.

DO have a bed time for your kid.  No kindergartner should be watching the opening credits of Leno.

DO read with your kid.  Just because your kid is in school does not mean your teaching responsibility is over.  As the parent, YOU are your kid's first teacher.

DON'T go behind your kid's teacher's back.  If you have an issue with the teacher, address it with her first.  If she's uncooperative or unresponsive, then you can go to the principal.

DO ask to visit your kid's classroom.

DON'T randomly show up at your kid's classroom demanding a visit.

DO go to parent-teacher conferences and open-house nights.  Whether right or wrong, this goes a long way with impressing teachers.

I hope this is a great school year for all you teachers, parents, and kiddies!

Love, Ms. Crystal