It’s that time of year again when leaders, educators, families, and students head back into the classroom bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, ready for a chance to “reset” after the past few long years. Our students need us more than ever. Now is the perfect time to
Welcome back from hopefully the most restful, relaxing, and rejuvenating break you’ve ever had as an educator. You deserve it! These past two years have truly been some of the most challenging in my professional career and I assume yours, too. One bright spot I
Since the COVID-19 pandemic shut down schools around the world in March 2020, teachers, other educational leaders, and students have faced what may be the toughest and most challenging 12 to 18 months of their academic careers. In addition, parents, caregivers, and families were put
In March of 2020 life came to a SCREECHING halt. For a brief moment I think we all kind of looked at the “two-week quarantine” as an opportunity to slow down for a minute and count our blessings. That is, of course, only to quickly realize that
When the governor of Massachusetts declared that learning would continue while schools are closed, he added that the creativity of teachers would get us through this quarantine. Indeed, the creativity and hard work of teachers keeping students focused and engaged with learning has been impressive. However, we all have to shift our thinking in order to make distance learning work for each student. Teachers are only one third of the equation. Teachers must rethink how to structure learning so that parents and students can develop routines and apply self-direction skills to accomplish
Each fall teachers struggle with how to support parents who are helping their children with math homework. When conducting back-to-school meetings with parents, teachers typically summarize the math curriculum by course content. Sometimes, teachers will hand out a list of resources, study aids, and games
As the new school year launches in August, teachers and administrators have the opportunity to once again invite and train parents to become actively engaged in their children’s classrooms. The research of the effectiveness of using parents to support student learning has consistently indicated that
Well the school year might be over but school is still on my mind. As summer seeps into our families, thoughts of next year’s classes and teachers may creep into your mind. We may wonder which teacher our child will have next year, what their
When should kids get their first cell phones? How can I keep kids safe as they use the internet? How much screen time is too much? These are just some of many common questions parents and caregivers have about technology in their kids' lives. Parents
When celebrating Teacher Appreciate Week activities, teachers can reflect on the very successful partnerships they have formed with parents during the school year. Here are several best practices shared by teachers and parents during thirty years of providing parent engagement support to school communities: Best Practice