How Parents Can Support Their Children’s School Successes
Providing students and staff with challenging opportunities can bolster their confidence. This can improve their desire to excel when they experience success.
Writing a Novel
Our middle school’s teachers have dedicated themselves to promoting literacy in all subject areas this year because many of our students are not reading and writing at grade level. Our 7th grade teachers decided to have their students participate in the NaNoWriMo National Novel Writing Month last November.
Each 7th grade student wrote an 8,000-word novel about a personal experience, hope, or dream by completing the following steps:
- Research a topic.
- Outline the novel’s fictional or non-fictional contents.
- Write the novel in 30 days.
- Peer review and self-edit through feedback.
- Use the Hemingway software application for writing feedback.
- Professionally assemble the novel.
- Learn how to sell a self-published book at a local book fair.
Many students were surprised that they could complete the assignment. They also began pursuing more writing challenges that allowed them to be creative.
Expanding Rigorous High School Course Selections
We added a couple of Advanced Placement courses to our high school course catalog because some high performing students wanted these courses listed on their transcripts. Although we prefer our students take the early learning college courses, we want to ensure that all students have access to courses that nurture and showcase their skills.
Ongoing Teacher Training
We sent our high school teachers to the University of California Curriculum Integration Institute to ensure that they integrate traditional academic subjects with career and technology education. One intriguing course was titled DiVinci Algebra. These courses include University of California approved content that integrates the common core standards with applied studies.
Student Support
A significant effort was made to ensure rigorous training for teachers so they could support diverse learners. In applying the material presented at the UC Curriculum Integration Institute, we decided to expand many of our counseling and student support programs to fully engage students. By having the students monitor their college and career goals through self-assessment measurements, the students began taking more responsibility for planning their path to success. We also hired an academic counselor with a marriage and family therapy license to support the students’ social emotional learning.
Much success supporting your children’s academic growth!
Yvette
Copyright (c) 2018 by GenParenting
Yvette King-Berg, is the Executive Director of Youth Policy Institute’s Charter Schools. She was the former California Charter Schools Association Vice-President of School Development and Outreach-Southern California. Ms. King-Berg has over thirty years of experience working with teachers, students, parents, and organizations in a variety of positions including Director, Assistant Director, Curriculum Advisor, Bilingual, and Title 1 Coordinators, classroom teacher (K-12) in Pasadena and LAUSD. She has been married for twenty-three years, and is the proud mother of her son, EJ, who attends UC Berkeley.