Classroom Purchases- Part 3

 

Close to Home

It’s early June, and that means that any day now, there will be ads promoting Back-to-School sales for this coming September. I know it seems crazy to be even thinking about the next year for your school age children, but it’s going to happen and, although parents make other contributions to classrooms during the school year, it’s the purchasing of school supplies from the teacher’s list that carries the most weight in the classroom.

I don’t remember much of what I had to bring to school when I was a child except for 1 item. My Mom always bought me these really cool PaperMate pens, which were pretty classy. Now, teachers construct their list so individual students will have what they need for school, with other items included to address general classroom needs. Teachers add items to their lists that they were unable to purchase through other sources. For example, pencils and markers may be kept by each student for their own use, while boxes of tissues and white notebook paper may be kept as more of a classroom supply.

Tales From My Classroom

This may seem like a silly item to ask for, but tissues were on my list for the last number of my teaching years. When I began teaching, teachers sent students down to the nurse’s office for tissues when needed, but later on, nurses stopped supplying tissues. I then began asking each parent to send in two boxes and we often ran out before the end of the school year. By the way, we sometimes had students come in with boxes that were already opened.

Another weird item to ask for were baby wipes, which I used to clean my marker board. They worked pretty well (and smelled good) and when each student brought in a container, that gave me enough for about two years.

When I was in stores like Target, I could sometime hear angry parents voicing their “displeasure” with things that teachers had asked students to bring in. Usually, their complaints were related to costs and sometimes it was about a specific item. I usually walked away without saying anything.

I also asked for whiteboard markers because I used them constantly (this is pre smart board). I had kids up at the board all of the time, which they loved, and I always thought it was funny how they took a few seconds to choose the color they would use. I usually chose blue.

The first time I saw a teacher include plastic “shoe boxes” on their list I was surprised, but each student kept their personal supplies in one, with the shoe box stored in their cubby. When the class cleaned out their desks and cubbies every week or two, there was always this dash to throw all of the loose things into their shoe boxes.

What are the “oddest” items you’ve seen on a back to school list?

What changes could be made to forming back to school lists and going shopping for supplies that would improve the process?

Parental Responsibilities

Moderately Confused

 

When I was in elementary school, the issue when I got home each day was whether I had to do my homework before I could go outside and play or whether I could play first. I seem to recall that the time it got dark outside was part of the discussion. I do know I had to have it done and a note or call from my teacher wouldn’t be received well.

Most teachers and parents recognize the need for a partnership to exist in order for a child to be successful in school. The role of parents in this partnership seems to have changed over the years, even though teacher’s expectations for parents probably haven’t. Start with attendance. Teachers expect each child to be in school and on time each and every day unless the child is sick or has some type of medical appointment that can’t be scheduled outside of school hours. Children should be dressed appropriately for the weather, they should have what they need for school that day, such as gym clothes, their lunch or lunch money, and have their homework completed after being checked by a parent. If there is an issue that’s been brought up by the classroom teacher or parent, a written response or other method of contact should be followed up on. Finally, in case of an emergency, a parent must be available to pick up a sick child from school. In other words, parents need to fulfill their role in this home/school partnership. At least that’s the way it’s supposed to work.

In today’s schools and in today’s society, these expectations may be viewed as “pie in the sky”. For many reasons, including, but certainly not limited to, changes in the family structure and economic difficulties, parents in many schools aren’t fulfilling these responsibilities. Some would say these don’t define a parent’s role while others might say these just aren’t realistic expectations. On a typical school day, exactly what is the role of a student’s parents?

Tales From My Classroom…

I can’t tell you how many times kids came to school in the winter without hats, gloves, and jackets. Our nurse always had a stockpile of extra clothes and kids always wanted to head down to her office to borrow  things so they could go out for recess. Unfortunately, by the time  they went to the nurse, borrowed clothes, came back to the classroom, put the items on, and got outside, recess was usually over.

Even young parents have forgotten how to do some of the things in their kid’s homework assignments and even if they knew how to do the assignment, they may have learned different strategies then their child’s teacher taught. A lot of parents don’t remember how to multiply fractions and they probably don’t know much about the rivers in Europe.

I had a third grade boy who was late almost every day. It was his job to get himself ready and to wake Mom, but he wasn’t always motivated to do that.

For a home project, my third graders had to build a castle. Some parents played no role in this for different reasons. One child knew nothing about her castle because she was sent outside to play while Dad did the building.

“Lost and Found” items were as common in school as socks disappearing from the dryer. Maybe that’s why the nurse kept such a stash of extra clothes. Maybe that’s where the clothes came from.

What role should parents play in their child’s education?

How about regarding attendance, making sure homework is completed, etc.?

 

Parent Teacher Organizations

PTA has been around forever it seems. As kids, our parents joined PTA, took part in bake sales, and volunteered on committees. Some parents even became “room parents”, helping the teacher with classroom chores. In many school districts, the role of the local parent teacher organization hasn’t changed in the work they do for schools. That’s too bad because the role that parents play in their child’s education has evolved in several ways and the coordination of parental efforts can help to improve the educational program.

If there is an official parent teacher organization, should they have an expanded role from the days of bake sales and other fund raisers? Should students be invited to be part of this group? When we look at determining budget priorities or hiring or curriculum, do we involve parents and, if so, how do we determine the parameters for parental involvement?

Tales From My Classroom…

Somewhere around my house I have a PTA pin that was given to me signifying lifetime membership. I thought it was impressive until I was told I would still have to renew my membership and pay dues each year.

I was the teacher representative for our school’s PTA at a time when the relationship between teachers and the community was very negative. With one hundred percent teacher membership being the goal, it took quite a bit of encouraging. I always thought some teachers joined because they felt sorry for me being the teacher rep, and I remember reaching our goal when the art teacher agreed to join just to help me out.

I attended a PTA conference at a resort one year, going to seminars related to the role that parents could play in school. At a general conference attended by approximately one thousand people, including speakers who referred to the need for teachers to be better role models, a parent interrupted the person speaking to call a “point of order”, or whatever part of Robert’s Rules allowed for an immediate interruption, to complain that someone had stolen bottles of liquor from her room.

Each school year the PTA would organize special events to show appreciation for their school’s teachers. This could be anything from a picnic to treats brought in to the faculty room to a catered luncheon. All were greatly appreciated by most!

Who’s Really In Charge?

 

When I was a kid, there was no doubt that teachers were in charge of the classrooms because that’s who gave me my grades and sent notes home or made phone calls. Principals were the real bosses in school although I don’t remember having much contact with them, other then when I broke seats with a piano…and when I knocked over a row of typewriters when wrestling. As to superintendents and school boards, I don’t remember them at all.

If we fast forward to the last five to ten years, I don’t know if school personnel are in charge anymore. For a variety of reasons, roles have changed with teachers, administrators, and school boards being challenged for what seems to be every action they take. Every district I know has lawyers on retainer. Parents and/or their children struggle for control over everything from dress codes and playground rules to field trip choices and what books are read aloud. Government involvement at all levels extends into the classroom, not only in regards to standardized testing, but also daily curriculum, teacher evaluation, the content of textbooks, etc. Who is in control of our schools? Who should be?

Tales From My Classroom…

A colleague of mine had a student whose parent sent her a seating chart detailing the desks arrangement and where each child in the class should sit. The note, which I read, wasn’t simply offering a suggestion- it was more of a “directive”.

I had a rule in my class that if a student did poorly on a spelling test, I would have them practice their words for five minutes at the start of recess. One parent complained to the principal about this so we had a meeting. A compromise was reached where the student would write the words that were missed ten times each for homework, each night, during the week until the next test.

During the last few years I was in the classroom, more and more standardized testing was added to the elementary grades. Students obviously didn’t want them and teachers didn’t see the need or believe in the value of them. Many lawmakers and companies that produced these tests supported them, and one result was that additional testing was accompanied by additional spending on test preparation materials.

I was a principal in a school that allowed parents to request their child’s teacher for the following year. I wasn’t allowed to eliminate this practice, but I gave three requirements. First, the request had to be in writing. Second, it had to be handed in by a deadline that was announced. Third, it had to be written with the same courtesy that was expected from teachers. One parent who had a long history of writing nasty notes with the word “sucks”  wrote her first pleasant note ever! By the way, it was made clear that the final decision in placing students would be made by school personnel.

Educators always say that they want parents to be more involved with their child’s education. What does this mean? What areas, if any, should parents control?

What should be the involvement of government? Should lawmakers determine curriculum? How about teacher evaluation?

Who really should be in charge of our schools?

Student Dress Code

Of all of the issues facing teachers and students, I’ve always felt that establishing dress codes for students was one of the silliest. Rules in this area are usually too subjective, kids who like to rebel are given a golden opportunity, and parents often react negatively to the  consequences given to their child. Then again, I was an elementary person.

The purpose of having a dress code, as I understand it, is to maintain an environment conducive to learning, the idea being that clothing that is a distraction to others can affect the learning environment. The problem is, of course, that you and I may differ on what is appropriate dress for school. This may be because of our ages or generations, or it may a cultural or geographic issue. I would guess that what is appropriate dress has changed because society has changed so much. I know I’m going to sound “ancient” here, but when  I see what’s on tv and in the movies, and kids walking in the mall, I see kids in elementary school dressing as middle schoolers and high schoolers did ten years ago.

So what should school personnel do? How about school uniforms, as some districts have done? How about establishing a “zero tolerance policy” with rules concerning skirt length, underwear showing, bare skin, etc.? Should hats be allowed inside? There has always been a divide when personal choices are involved and clothing styles fall into this category. The issue really is to what degree schools feel the need to establish student dress codes and then use consequences to address infractions.

Tales From My Classroom…

There was a girl in 5th grade who was about ten going on sixteen, as the expression goes, both in the way she dressed and the makeup she used. I remember sending her to the bathroom to wash her face one day when she had really overdone the makeup and suggested she have her parents call me if they had any concerns. They didn’t because she wasn’t applying all that makeup until she got to school.

In elementary schools, dress code issues don’t come up as often as in upper grades so common sense seems to be the rule. I’ve had students wear hats with beer emblems that they had to remove and one student wore a sweatshirt with a snake wrapped around a nude girl. That one had to come off, too.

When I was a kid, I had school clothes and play clothes. Other than the possibility of getting teased if your pants were too short or if you had a bad haircut, I don’t remember there being any issues with how we looked.

Should a school district put a student dress code in place and, if so, what guidelines would you suggest? How about consequences?

Is there a dress code in your school? How do you react to it as a student? How about if you’re a parent or teacher?

After School Programs

When I got home from school, the first thing I did was change out of my “school clothes” and change into my “play clothes”. Then, depending on the time of year, how my grades were, etc. I either was able to go play outside or I had to do my homework first. I guess I had a very 1960’s “middle class upbringing”.

So, the question regarding the school day in 2016 is…when school is over, why isn’t school over? Why are there programs set up in most schools, at least the ones I’m familiar with, for students to attend instead of going home? Maybe it’s because so many children would be coming home to an empty house or apartment. Is this because of there being so many single parent families? Is it because so many parents struggle financially that they have to be working during the hours that their children would be coming home after school? Is it more of a safety issue?

Now, there are certainly positives in students attending after school programs. Many have homework time set aside and adults who can assist with this, there may be a snack time when healthy snacks are included, and there is hopefully time when kids can play and/or socialize with others in a safe setting with adult supervision. The question here is not whether there is an advantage to after school programs. The question here is whether they should be provided in the first place.

Tales From My Classroom…

I worked in an after school program helping kids with their homework. Because I also taught in the same school, I checked with their teachers regularly to see how those kids were doing. By the way, some still tried getting away with saying they had no homework or had already finished it. Nice try.

As a teacher, I had quite a few students who attended after school programs in our building. Without fail, some took advantage of it and would stop in our classroom most days because they forgot something or wanted to ask me about a homework assignment. Some just wanted to visit.

As a principal, there were quite a few times when I had to get involved in a discipline matter with kids attending after school programs in my building even though there were staff hired to handle those situations. It was always hard to say no.

Dismissal from after school programs is as much of a problem as regular school dismissal. This is because there are kids who may ride a late bus, walk home, or are picked up. It’s never easy to make sure every child gets to where they are supposed to be.

Why should schools or other organizations provide after school programs for children?

What should be the goals of these programs?

What would happen to children if these programs were eliminated?

 

Home School Communication

Sometimes on Facebook someone will share one of those “back in the day…” posts about what school was like when they were growing up. Included might be a comment about the trouble you’d get into if a teacher called home or wrote a note about something you did or didn’t do in school. After all, a teacher’s word was law when it came to school.

Communication between home and school seems quite different now than in previous decades. I’m not referring to parent conferences or open houses, which I’ve written about in previous posts, but the day to day communication. One difference is in the methods used. Instead of the occasional note or phone call, email (or texting, to an extent) is the more common tool. In districts I’m familiar with, not only are homework assignments and reminders written in a notebook or agenda, they also are explained on a teacher’s webpage. Parents still write notes, but also rely on newer technologies to communicate with their child’s teachers and school personnel. Another difference is who teachers and parents communicate with. A teacher often needs to know who the child was with the night before or where he/she is going after school. This may involve a babysitter, an after school program, more than one home because of a split family or work hours, a grandparent, etc. It may sound silly, but this is today’s society. Finally, the type and frequency of communication has changed. Instead of just a note about behavior or homework, medical information,  pills/inhalers, custody information, etc. are sent back and forth between home and school, and more parents are asking for, or expecting, weekly or even daily communication with teachers.

Tales From My Classroom…

Later in my teaching career, I gave my home phone number to my students and their parents and encouraged them to call with any questions or concerns. Some families never called, but I did hear from many parents and students about specific assignments, field trips, etc. Some students called quite often, and one used to call to sing Christmas carols to me over the phone.

As a principal in a new district, I was appalled when I realized that the only phone teachers could use to call their student’s parents was on the counter in the main office. I pushed to get phones installed in classrooms during a current renovation project, but I don’t think I made many friends in high places.

One of the most embarrassing occurrences was when I would call a student’s home to speak with a parent and use the wrong last name. Between divorces, boyfriends or girlfriends, grandparents, etc. it was hard to keep track of who the adults were in the home.

How often should teachers and parents communicate?

What are the best methods to use?

 

Bullying

 

If he hits you, hit him back…. Bullies are just looking for attention- ignore her and she’ll leave you alone….Tell the teacher….Maybe he just wants to be friends with you….If you stand up to a bully, she’ll back down.

Most of us growing up were affected by bullying in some way. Maybe we were bullied, maybe a good friend of ours was a victim of bullying, or maybe we were the bully. Regardless, bullying is one of the most harmful experiences a child in school lives through, and often is remembered well into adulthood.

Teachers and administrators, as well as parents, often communicate a simple strategy intended to help a child who is the victim of bullying. In my experience as a teacher and principal, something as simple as “if he hits you again, hit him back” just doesn’t work. The reasons for this range from social media to the levels of violence in society to the changes in family structure- most situations involving bullying now are more complicated and include a number of factors that didn’t exist when today’s adults were in school.

Tales From My Classroom…

When I was in middle school, there was a big kid who used to pick on a lot of us before school started. He shoved us around, put us in headlocks, twisted arms, etc. I remember not wanting to go to school because he stood by the bus doors waiting for us so we couldn’t run from him. I was pretty quick so I could usually get away, but I hated seeing friends get picked on- I just didn’t have the courage to do anything about it. Well, one day at dismissal, he came up and closed my locker as I was getting my stuff out to go home- another favorite past time of his. I guess I just lost it because I was so mad, I took this wooden horse I had just finished in shop class and hit him with it, breaking it on him. I then started shoving him and screaming at him all the way down the hall. Teachers were watching this spectacle, knowing that he had to have done something awfully bad for this little kid (I wasn’t the tough, macho guy I am now) to be shoving this big bully down the hall, and although he tried to look innocent, I don’t think anyone was fooled. That was the last time I ever had trouble with him. *The funny thing is, and I know it sounds like a sitcom episode, we became friends in high school.

When I was a principal, there was a parent who stopped in to visit once in a while who liked to brag about the time he put the high school principal up against a wall in his office. Was this an attempt at bullying?

One day, a student from another class approached me about one of my third graders. He said that my student took money or candy away from him at the end of the day when they were on the bus. The girl he named was always well behaved, never in trouble, and had lots of friends. Turns out he was telling the truth.

Were you ever bullied at school? What were the circumstances?

How did you handle the situation?

Was any help given to you by adults?

Gifts For The Students

I love to buy gifts for people anyway, so giving gifts to my students was a very enjoyable task for me. It actually began on the first day of school when I presented each student with a book and continued throughout the year with holiday pencils, special treats, and other assorted “goodies”.

My favorite gift to give was always books. Scholastic Book Club, the company that many of us ordered from when we were kids, always had special offers in their monthly flyer which I took advantage of to buy class sets of books. These sets stayed in my desk until a holiday or special occasion and I would then give copies to my students.

This time of year, I would first put together a gift bag for each child with pencils engraved with their name, maybe a candy cane and Hershey kisses wrapped in red or green, a book of course, and another item or two. Then, on the day we celebrated Christmas in class, I would have two or three items I had purchased for the room. It may be games that the kids could use during indoor recess, or it may have been something as unexciting as a new electric pencil sharpener (which they actually loved). Regardless, they loved opening presents, as I do, and were quite appreciative!

Tales From My Classroom…

One year we had a visit from The Zucchini Brothers, two gentlemen who were both storytellers and musicians. At the end of the performance, my kids wanted to purchase their CD for our classroom, but I think I had one dollar in my wallet. The next thing I know, kids were pulling money out of their pockets until we had enough to make the purchase.

Each year we had a grab bag of some kind for Christmas and I always bought a couple of extra items (toys or books, depending on the type of grab bag we were doing that year) to have in case a student forgot or a parent called to say they couldn’t participate because of finances.

One thing I was always terrible at was remembering to give something to a child on their birthday. Some years, I even had placed a birthday pencil, book, and a treat or two in a special bag, and then forgot to give it out.

What are examples of gifts that teachers can give students?

Should teachers give gifts to students for birthdays or holidays? Why or why not?

Holiday Projects and Parent Volunteers

Teachers have a balancing act this time of year, making sure their students continue to work hard in math and reading, complete homework assignments, and study for that Friday spelling test, but also doing holiday projects- hopefully with parent volunteers.

Not even close to being the “artistic type”, one of my favorite traditions this time of year was to visit my local AC Moore store. There, I would wander the aisles looking for ideas and the materials I would need for Christmas projects. Most years, I would corner a salesperson to help me plan these projects and make sure I had everything I would need- especially the knowledge of how to complete the ornament or attach the photo. It was an expensive visit, but was always worth it.

My students’ parents also played a key role in these projects. I guess they really played two roles. The first was in supplying many of the items we needed in class to complete the projects. Bags of candy and “icing”, hand tools, and newspaper all came in from home. The second role parents played was coming into school to provide “hands on” instruction, guidance, and modeling for students. Without my parent volunteers, my projects wouldn’t have been possible- and they added to a wonderful holiday atmosphere in our classroom!

Tales From My Classroom…

Gingerbread houses were one of my favorite activities- not because they came out well, as many collapsed under the weight of all of that candy, but because of how much fun they were to make. Not only did many of us sample the “construction materials”, but there were always one or two kids that didn’t like getting messy- thank goodness for parents!

Glass ornaments were my favorite activity. They looked great (if they survived) and were simple. Just pour a little paint in and swirl it around, add another color or two, and set it out to dry and drain. Every year, though, at least several kids poured in too much paint and their ornament never made it home.

Even with coupons and my teacher discount, AC Moore made a lot of money off of me. On the other hand, considering my limitations, they made me look at least average.

Using photos of the kids in ornaments was always a good idea because they were great family memories. The photos I enjoyed most were of each student by our classroom tree wearing reindeer ears. Blackmail material for when they get older!

What holiday projects do you remember from your classroom days?