Thursday, October 2, 2014
Talking with Teachers - Allison Heiduk
Guest: Allison Heiduk
2014 Teacher of the Year
Vieja Valley Elementary School
2014 Teacher of the Year
Vieja Valley Elementary School
Promoting culture of reading
Radio Commentary
What can parents do to excite their children about school and learning? A former national Teacher of the Year provided the following suggestions.
First, he said, promote a culture of reading at home. Reading is the gateway to all knowledge and is fundamental to academic excellence.
Computers are wonderful tools, but they cannot replace books. Reading stimulates the imagination and encourages creative thinking.
So read with your children. Discuss a book or an article in the car, while walking to school, and at the dinner table.
Turn reading into a pleasant event by taking children to libraries and bookstores once a week.
Give them an allowance and let them choose the books they want without questioning what they’ve chosen.
Don’t insist that they always read “educational” material. A lifelong love of reading can start with almost any book or magazine.
Stimulate your children’s curiosity. Children need to be encouraged to ask “Why?” when they don’t understand something. Learning is a constant process, and children sometimes think this process is over once they have an answer.
They need to be taught to prove and push for more answers. So when children ask “Why”? -- Don’t respond with a pat answer. Ask, “What do you think? Or “Why do you think that’s so?” Or, “I’m not sure; let’s look it up.”
The goal is to spark their curiosity so that it becomes fun to learn new information.
What can parents do to excite their children about school and learning? A former national Teacher of the Year provided the following suggestions.
First, he said, promote a culture of reading at home. Reading is the gateway to all knowledge and is fundamental to academic excellence.
Computers are wonderful tools, but they cannot replace books. Reading stimulates the imagination and encourages creative thinking.
So read with your children. Discuss a book or an article in the car, while walking to school, and at the dinner table.
Turn reading into a pleasant event by taking children to libraries and bookstores once a week.
Give them an allowance and let them choose the books they want without questioning what they’ve chosen.
Don’t insist that they always read “educational” material. A lifelong love of reading can start with almost any book or magazine.
Stimulate your children’s curiosity. Children need to be encouraged to ask “Why?” when they don’t understand something. Learning is a constant process, and children sometimes think this process is over once they have an answer.
They need to be taught to prove and push for more answers. So when children ask “Why”? -- Don’t respond with a pat answer. Ask, “What do you think? Or “Why do you think that’s so?” Or, “I’m not sure; let’s look it up.”
The goal is to spark their curiosity so that it becomes fun to learn new information.
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Time management skills
Radio Commentary
Many students aren’t fully prepared to make the jump from elementary to secondary schools because they lack time-management or other organizational skills.
In elementary school, students typically spend most of their time with one teacher, at the same desk every day. In middle school or junior high, however, they begin moving from class to class, and must take responsibility for their own time management.
Here’s how students can be helped to make the transition:
Consolidation is the key. Give students the proper organizational tools. A weekly planner and the right notebook can make a bigger difference than you might imagine.
Recommend that students use a three-ring binder for all subjects, with dividers to separate the subjects, and plastic pockets to hold loose papers and items like pens and pencils.
A weekly planner is also helpful for recording assignments. Parents can sign off on it once a week. The planner should contain a section for recording grades. This way both students and parents can keep track of progress.
Be sure to set up a proper work environment. Children need a quiet work space. Music and TV are both distractions, whether students realize it or not.
Create a schedule to replace daily reminding. The act of reminding students to do the same things over and over again becomes tedious and can waste valuable time.
These practices really help.
Many students aren’t fully prepared to make the jump from elementary to secondary schools because they lack time-management or other organizational skills.
In elementary school, students typically spend most of their time with one teacher, at the same desk every day. In middle school or junior high, however, they begin moving from class to class, and must take responsibility for their own time management.
Here’s how students can be helped to make the transition:
Consolidation is the key. Give students the proper organizational tools. A weekly planner and the right notebook can make a bigger difference than you might imagine.
Recommend that students use a three-ring binder for all subjects, with dividers to separate the subjects, and plastic pockets to hold loose papers and items like pens and pencils.
A weekly planner is also helpful for recording assignments. Parents can sign off on it once a week. The planner should contain a section for recording grades. This way both students and parents can keep track of progress.
Be sure to set up a proper work environment. Children need a quiet work space. Music and TV are both distractions, whether students realize it or not.
Create a schedule to replace daily reminding. The act of reminding students to do the same things over and over again becomes tedious and can waste valuable time.
These practices really help.
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Children and crises
Radio Commentary
Whether it’s a hurricane, tornado, or an earthquake in a far-off place, or a fire or a shooting closer to home, or an airplane crash, parents and other caregivers must meet the challenge of reassuring children during times of crisis.
The way caregivers respond has a huge impact on how children will be affected.
To help, a booklet from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Johnson & Johnson Pediatric Institute, called When Terrible Things Happen: A Parent’s Guide to Talking with Their Children, offers some good advice.
For example, infants and toddlers, ages zero to three, can’t understand how a crisis or a loss has changed their environment.
But they can recognize and respond to changes in adult behavior.
The best thing you can do for infants and toddlers is to keep a routine and resume normal activities as soon as possible.
Pre-school children, ages three to five, may not talk about their feelings openly. Talking while playing games can help children of this age group express their thoughts more easily.
School-age children, five to 12 years old, have more understanding of how and why things happen. They will want to ask questions. Parents can help by talking, listening and answering their questions honestly and directly.
We cannot control a natural disaster or local catastrophe. We can only control how we react to them, especially with our children.
Whether it’s a hurricane, tornado, or an earthquake in a far-off place, or a fire or a shooting closer to home, or an airplane crash, parents and other caregivers must meet the challenge of reassuring children during times of crisis.
The way caregivers respond has a huge impact on how children will be affected.
To help, a booklet from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Johnson & Johnson Pediatric Institute, called When Terrible Things Happen: A Parent’s Guide to Talking with Their Children, offers some good advice.
For example, infants and toddlers, ages zero to three, can’t understand how a crisis or a loss has changed their environment.
But they can recognize and respond to changes in adult behavior.
The best thing you can do for infants and toddlers is to keep a routine and resume normal activities as soon as possible.
Pre-school children, ages three to five, may not talk about their feelings openly. Talking while playing games can help children of this age group express their thoughts more easily.
School-age children, five to 12 years old, have more understanding of how and why things happen. They will want to ask questions. Parents can help by talking, listening and answering their questions honestly and directly.
We cannot control a natural disaster or local catastrophe. We can only control how we react to them, especially with our children.
Monday, September 29, 2014
Teen search for identity
Radio Commentary
Limiting children’s exposure to objectionable material is a top priority for parents. A good start is to resist putting TVs or computers in your children’s bedrooms.
Instead, put the TV and computer in areas of the house where everyone has access to them. Choose a place where you can talk with your pre-teens and they can talk with you about what they’re watching on TV or doing online.
There is little doubt that TV and Internet content can overload preteens with violent, confusing images.
By having the TV and computer in a common area, you can all enjoy them and discuss content together.
Don’t underestimate the power of your influence. Children will rarely thank you for your sound advice or act grateful when you set limits, but chances are really good they will listen and act accordingly.
Children want to know the opinions and values of their parents. They are only likely to tune out when adults lecture, preach, or scold. For this reason, it can be helpful to express opinions indirectly.
For example, in commenting on a sit-com character’s behavior, you could say, “It looks like she’s being awfully irresponsible about her friend’s safety.” See what kind of discussion you can generate with your child.
When you’re just talking about a TV character, your children are less likely to get defensive. Success is more likely if you approach these topics in a non-threatening, open manner.
Limiting children’s exposure to objectionable material is a top priority for parents. A good start is to resist putting TVs or computers in your children’s bedrooms.
Instead, put the TV and computer in areas of the house where everyone has access to them. Choose a place where you can talk with your pre-teens and they can talk with you about what they’re watching on TV or doing online.
There is little doubt that TV and Internet content can overload preteens with violent, confusing images.
By having the TV and computer in a common area, you can all enjoy them and discuss content together.
Don’t underestimate the power of your influence. Children will rarely thank you for your sound advice or act grateful when you set limits, but chances are really good they will listen and act accordingly.
Children want to know the opinions and values of their parents. They are only likely to tune out when adults lecture, preach, or scold. For this reason, it can be helpful to express opinions indirectly.
For example, in commenting on a sit-com character’s behavior, you could say, “It looks like she’s being awfully irresponsible about her friend’s safety.” See what kind of discussion you can generate with your child.
When you’re just talking about a TV character, your children are less likely to get defensive. Success is more likely if you approach these topics in a non-threatening, open manner.
Friday, September 26, 2014
Voting essential
Radio Commentary
With political campaigns in full swing, we know that education will continue to be a primary focus for candidates.
Polls show the public considers education a very high priority, and candidates will be quick to zero in on these concerns. Much will be said about how to support and improve our schools.
But campaign words will not solve the challenges our schools face. How do we hold politicians accountable for their sound-bite promises and lofty rhetoric?
Recent history shows that we must do a far better job of demanding accountability for our children.
With all the promises, the task forces, the reform measures, and the best or worst of intentions, what kind of real progress and results have we seen in the past few decades?
Are American schools better off than they were before all these efforts?
Have we committed the necessary resources and leadership to our nation’s classrooms so that problems can be truly overcome?
Have we provided even half the needed funding for key early childhood programs that prepare our children to succeed in school?
In the long run, ensuring a positive future for our kids depends on each of us doing our part as individuals.
We must learn the facts about the candidate’s actual records on these issues, and we should vote accordingly.
In addition to supporting family values, we must also support community values. Our future, and that of our children, depends on our own accountability in this area.
With political campaigns in full swing, we know that education will continue to be a primary focus for candidates.
Polls show the public considers education a very high priority, and candidates will be quick to zero in on these concerns. Much will be said about how to support and improve our schools.
But campaign words will not solve the challenges our schools face. How do we hold politicians accountable for their sound-bite promises and lofty rhetoric?
Recent history shows that we must do a far better job of demanding accountability for our children.
With all the promises, the task forces, the reform measures, and the best or worst of intentions, what kind of real progress and results have we seen in the past few decades?
Are American schools better off than they were before all these efforts?
Have we committed the necessary resources and leadership to our nation’s classrooms so that problems can be truly overcome?
Have we provided even half the needed funding for key early childhood programs that prepare our children to succeed in school?
In the long run, ensuring a positive future for our kids depends on each of us doing our part as individuals.
We must learn the facts about the candidate’s actual records on these issues, and we should vote accordingly.
In addition to supporting family values, we must also support community values. Our future, and that of our children, depends on our own accountability in this area.
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