Blog - GenParenting

Jan 22 2019

Overcoming the Winter School Day Blahs

School is back in session. The mornings are dark and the evenings are even darker. It is cold, windy, and snowing outside. How do we keep our energy up and our kids focused at school? Here are suggestions shared by parents at a recent workshop:

Have children wake up to an alarm clock playing happy music each morning.
Teach children how to breathe deeply each morning as we engage them in some morning stretching and yoga types of exercise.
Allow enough time for kids to get dressed, make their beds, and eat a nutritious breakfast.
Sing songs as we walk or drive our kids to school.
Help them pack a nutritional lunch and snacks for school.
Plan for outside play each day after school.
Balance the afternoon play with a nutritional snack.
Make time for homework in an organized workspace with limited distractions.
Engage your family in nightly family discussions during dinner.
Schedule quality time with each child and read to them at bedtime each night.

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Jan 15 2019

Is Your Child Reading Below Grade-Level?

At your last parent teacher conference did you discover your child was performing at below grade-level in reading? I know it’s January, but don’t despair. Hello, my name is Danielle Gentry and I’m a second- grade teacher in South San Jose. I’d like to give you some sound advice about what you can do at home to help your child and questions you can ask their teacher.

Questions to Ask the Teacher

First, let’s talk about valuable questions. How does my child read? What is my child’s reading level? Get specific answers. Most, if not all primary teachers have some kind of reading assessment that will inform the teacher of their student’s fluency, prosody, and comprehension. A deeper understanding of your child’s specific reading struggles can help you have a more directed reading experience with them at home. [Read more…]

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Jan 08 2019

Practical Homework Help – Tips for Math

Most parents are just getting acquainted or still getting used to Common Core Math. While it is easy to get intimidated by and frustrated with new approaches, the fundamentals of math will always remain the same. Here is what I keep in mind when helping my own children with their math homework.

What Is It Saying?

With Common Core math, word problems are emphasized. Most of the time, children have difficulty understanding what is being stated in the scenario. Make sure they understand the math terms introduced in the unit of study by looking up definitions and examples in the math glossary. You can also help your children understand the math problem by drawing pictures, diagrams or graphs. [Read more…]

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Jan 01 2019

How Can We Support Families Living Through Disasters?

Happy new year! Each year I reflect on all that is good in the world. I also ponder on what I can improve upon and how I can approach each day with integrity that contributes to improving the lives around me. As an educator, I find that I am most happy when I am helping a child learn a new skill. A child’s look of satisfaction and achievement is all I need as the payoff for teaching and nurturing success.

Coping with Community Disasters

As a community member, I am challenged on how I can best respond to the multitude of disasters surrounding our communities. As a California resident, we have suffered through horrific wild fires. Other parts of our country have struggled with tornadoes, hurricanes, and flooding. Our communities continue to be challenged with poverty, homelessness, and various injustices. [Read more…]

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Dec 25 2018

Practical Homework Help – Tips for Reading Comprehension

Did you know that parents have much more influence on their child’s reading comprehension development than they think may be possible? If you are struggling with how you might be able to help your child understand what they are reading, here are some practical homework insights that you can easily adopt at home.

Model Good Questioning Skills

If you are curious about a topic or you need more information, verbalize that question and ask it out loud when reading or talking with your child. Phrases like, “I’ve never heard about that before. I wonder where I can find more info?” or “I still don’t understand that. Let’s look it up” show your child that it’s ok not to have all the answers and that adults still learn new things every day. In turn, your child will adopt the same desire to dig deeper into understanding what they are reading. [Read more…]

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