Our Tools Equals Our Success

Its a new year and as much as we would like to start fresh we are still in the middle of quarterly grades, standards and goals.  After the holidays we can regroup and renew our approach to succeeding in school.  We are four months into the school year and whats so great is we should have a better understanding of what its going to take for our child to succeed in this year. For example,  we know homework patterns and we can support our children in building a stronger relationship with their teachers.   

Tool Box:

Great books to read for new ideas that are buzzing around the world!

I was talking to a fellow mom and she shared an important observation.  She thinks each year is going to be a great opportunity to teach our little scholars "Time Management Skills".  She thinks that teaching little students effective habits of successful people is the start to utilizing time efficiently and effectively.  By exposing our little scholars to new and effective ways of managing schoolwork and extra curricula activities we are building a strong foundation for success in the classroom and life.   It should create accountability, an awareness of what it takes to complete goals,  and how to prioritize.

Visual mapping:

Faithfulprovisions.com

Momstoolbelt.com

You might think what age is too young to get started? As I watch my daughter grow and stretch as a person I have learned their is value in good practice and an occasional challenge.   To my surprise my daughter is well suited to meet most of those challenges.  What a great confidence booster!

Time for Action

So, reflect upon what is working and what to enhance as you think with the end in mind.  Aim higher for a balance and effective lifestyle.  As parents we should model and or learn these new skills we are trying to encourage.  It absolutely renews my life and my ability to reinvent myself in all these wonderful areas that I'm trying to nurture in my child.  So lets make it a family affair by setting goals, broadening our interest levels, exploring new learning styles and becoming life long learners.  What a gift and a legacy to share with our children.  Good luck!

Parent Teacher Conference

I'm so excited to have started this blog about my daughter's and my experience with Board of Education schools and their teachers.  My first six to eight weeks have been bitter sweet.  Feeling excited daily about my daughters education and curious to what she is experiencing and how she is being assessed by others.  I have to admit I was looking forward to hearing how awesome and sweet she is.  The reality is she is sweet and quiet and that definitely communicated that she is not invested.    Problem with that is I consistently convince my child to listen and to behave for her teachers and I may have misread the demands of a Board of Education classroom.  Simply her teachers found no value in what I thought was important going into school for the first time.  What clearly needs to be happening is a drive to engage between teachers and students.  The teacher-student interaction almost needs to be competitive.   Mrs.Peters is a wonderful seasoned teacher who is full of smiles and full of valued experience and as a parent I intend to team up with her to help my child meet the common core benchmarks.   I thought "this is kindergarten how hard can it be?" but on the contrary its been a mystery for me.  I didn't realize how much of the changes in standards and criteria in grades across the state would impact kindergarten.  Kindergarten has not been excused from the growing demands on education and needless to say preschool prep is not only valuable but mandatory.   

So we had our first parent teachers conference and from the looks of  Our report card I made sure to see Mrs. Peters in the first session while she had all her energy. I came in prepared to tell her she made some mistakes in her evaluation of my daughter's progress. She explained that according to the core standards, she didn't make the marks. I saw folders, diagnostics, test scores and portfolio work which appeared to show progress but in Mrs. Peters perspective not enough.  Problem is if I use the 1 to 4 scale provided by the Board of Education her evaluation would be inconclusive because the evidence of work and test scores and Mrs. Peters opinion does not match.  As a parent I was shocked at how procedure, protocol and policy in this system really does not support the total experience for the student and teacher.  I felt my daughter in many ways had met the mark but Mrs.  Peters wanted to stay relevant in what she needs to happen moving forward.  I completely agree with that unfortunately the lines of communication were not established and she never once reached out to communicate her concerns and she did have ample opportunity since I stop in her classroom every other week to say "hi" and volunteer my time whenever she needs it.  Its unfortunate how the system does not support success for all parties.  In reflection having been in the teachers seat I completely understand we are two different people with different ideas.  

My question is how do we pull together to help my child meet those benchmarks?  How do we utilize this school and teacher to meet the demands of this awkward system where there are far too few breakthroughs?  Well for starters communication is essential in building relationships in support of the common goal.  The common goal is success.  I wanted to throw my hands up but I thought about every parent I met and every teacher I will meet.  A very good friend of mine inboxed me, her name is Mrs. Grier she is an administrator for the Brooklyn Preparatory School in New York.   I want to share what she was thinking

" involvement is vital and crucial to children's success in school. I have learned from our school's visionary and Principal.   that "Involvement [certainly] leads to increase".  As an administrator and early educator involved in  both the classroom and school management process combined at now almost 21 years, I am finding that from year to year you will have what I am now coining, parents and guardians in one of two categories: Fans  vs. Followers. You will have those who will one day praise your institution until you've dropped the ball that one time after a lengthy period of consistency in support of their child's learning and growth  or they will rally with you until the end respecting and cooperating with the educational standards, protocols, procedures, and practices set in place in the spirit of advocacy for their child's whole development. As one in facing this dilemma, I would have to ask them which one are you? A Fan or a Follower.   Is your overbusy-ness and day to day affairs affecting your ability to build resourceful relationships with your child's surrogate parent – the teacher?  Think about it…."

I immediately considered how difficult it is to be thrown into a working relationship with someone I don't know.  How important the relationship is to the future success of my child and how awkward it is to work in a system that has created a spirit of division and mistrust.  Luckily, I have other plans for my daughter school year.  I intend to bridge the gap in communication.  Also, I will work closely with Our school and Our teacher to meet the reading, writing and math goals created by the help of Mrs. Peters.  Since she is an experienced professional in this industry I will trust her expertise to get US to where we need to be.  Finally,  I do consider myself a partner in education and while your reading this think about how you will partner up with your team of teachers to win this school year!  Good luck!

Our History

My name is Shaunette and I'm an educator, entrepreneur and a single mom. I'm proud to be a mother to a fabulous, sweet and energetic kindergartner. I love watching her grow into a self confident, secure and curious student.  I wish nothing but the best for her and the sky is the limit.  I started her education early as most parents do and should.  Before the age of  two she was painting, listening to nursery music daily, watching the preschool channel, visiting the Brooklyn Museum, and other local attractions.  I immediately started a daycare in my house where I could schedule activities for my little one afraid any other place would not stimulate the growth of my child.  It would be great that other babies could benefit from our nurturing environment as well.  

I eventually put my daughter in Brooklyn Preparatory School  a fabulous Christian based school for ages 3 to 6 and it proved to be a valuable experience. After the church dissolved kindergarten and first grade I was forced to investigate alternatives to my daughters future education. Honestly not as receptive to the idea of public school I asked around, I panicked and finally I thought public school classrooms are the best alternative at this point.  These classrooms have technology,  these schools have libraries, the premises are newly renovated and equipped with gyms and spaces for recreation right!?  

I have decided to create this blog for families like myself  who may be experiencing the same anxiety and frustration like I may be feeling at times.  I intend to sift, illuminate and change my view of the classroom.  I'm going to reshape my approach to relationships with my daughters school and teachers.   It will be interesting to see how building a line of communication with teachers and administrators may enhance my child's school performance and experience in a NYC public school.  A place where there at times is a veil of secrecy,  a break in  the line of communication between teachers and parents, and goals and outcomes are not clarified between teachers and parents.

So firstly, the goal of this blog is to break through a barrier of misunderstandings between teachers and parents.  Next, it would be great to redefine the role and purpose of the parent teacher relationship for many who don't know where to start or who may carry some bad experiences of their own into the new year.  Finally, all of this is to help myself strategically plan a school year where I can support my lovely child to grow and succeed in a system where there are too few a break through.  

So come along with me on my year to year journey where my daughter's school is now also my school and my daughter's teacher is now my teacher.  We are in this together.