GenParenting

Parenting resources for all who love and care for children

Preparing for High School and Beyond

Preparing for High School and Beyond

This summer, my oldest is preparing to enter her 8th grade year of school. While it is certainly a milestone year and we will celebrate the end of the middle school years, we don’t want high school to arrive and then be caught off guard that we weren’t prepared! So, even while one stage in life ends, we are looking forward to the next. This summer, we are getting her prepared to know what to expect for high school and beyond.

Remediation

Our first step is to look back and think about her weaknesses. Looking at her educational path, are there areas that may need more review or support? Will she need more repetition in an academic area so she doesn’t lose skills over the summer and be a victim of the “summer slide”? [Read more…]

Education and COVID-19: Pressing the “Pause Button”

Education and COVID-19: Pressing the “Pause Button” 

As I write this blog entry, we are about a couple months into shelter in place due to the pandemic caused by COVID-19. Even as we are ending the school year and planning what our family’s summer will look like, there are still many uncertainties and undecided factors surrounding what the re-opening of schools will look like in the fall. I wish there could be a “pause button” so we could evaluate some of the issues and consider the best way to move forward. On top of the obvious health risks with opening up schools and increasing exposure, here are some of the issues that I have been thinking about, and maybe you have, too. [Read more…]

Supporting Your Child’s Schedule for Distance Learning

Supporting Your Child’s Schedule for Distance Learning

It’s worth acknowledging here that our world has changed drastically since sheltering in place due to COVID-19. From an education standpoint, teachers frantically raced against the clock to transition all their lessons to online distance learning, while simultaneously learning said online platform. On the home front, parents faced the new reality of spending 24/7 with their children all while trying to manage working from home. We’re in a topsy-turvy situation at best! Now that school districts across the nation have announced distance learning for the remainder of this school year, how can parents best support their children’s schedule while at home? [Read more…]

Distance Learning Best Practices for Middle and High School Students

Distance Learning Best Practices for Middle and High School Students

California’s parents continue to feel overwhelmed as they become their child’s primary classroom teacher for the rest of the school year. While parents feel overwhelmed, they can take comfort that schools are implementing supports for their children. As a leader of two middle schools and a high school in Los Angeles County, our team has instituted the following best practices to ensure that all of our students have equal access and adequate support to succeed this current school year:

  1. All students have been issued computers and online access to all classes.
  2. Each class is staffed by a certificated teacher with a paraeducator to provide individualized instruction to students as needed.
  3. Students log into Goggle Meet for three hours of classes each day in addition to completing two hours of projects and independent study assignments.
  4. An afterschool program is available to students from 3 p.m. until 6 p.m. each day. The program offers homework support through small group discussions. Creative clubs provide college guidance, physical fitness, and performing arts activities.

[Read more…]

I Don’t Help My Child with Homework

I Don’t Help My Child with Homework

I hate homework. No, here’s a better statement: I loathe homework. I suppose that’s a pretty bold, maybe even a hypocritical statement to make, considering I was a former classroom teacher! Allow me to clarify: I believe there’s value in homework, either to practice what was learned in class because our brain’s muscle memory benefits from repetition, or to continue the learning process by applying what was learned much like revising an essay for better word choice or for better organization.

Ok, so a more specific statement is: I loathe doing homework. More accurately, I loathe doing my children’s homework. The truth is, only the person doing the homework can reap the benefits of doing the exercise, so I have resolved never to help my children with homework. Instead, I equip them to be problem-solvers. I ask a series of questions that enable them to take responsibility for their own learning. Here’s what I ask them: [Read more…]