Thanksgiving

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If you live in the United States, next week we will celebrate Thanksgiving. It is probably the first holiday of the year observed in your child’s class. Parties have shifted over the years as sensitivity to what really happened and to Indigenous peoples has grown. In my classroom, I emphasize sharing, being kind to each other and thankful for the people and “good things” we all have in our lives.

We do this in lots of ways. In Literacy, we write whom and what we are thankful for on placemats that the children then decorate. I laminate and send them home to be used next week. In Math, we make loaves of corn bread using beginning skills to figure out how many eggs and milk to add to make 4 loaves at a time. (Of course, it’s lots of fun to mix bread in class!) I then take the bread home and bake it .Each student gets one to bring to Thanksgiving dinner and share with the special people in their lives. Of course, we read lots of books about being thankful and sharing. And our theme projects reflect the same.

While you are talking to your little one about whom/what they are thankful for at home, maybe remember to add in their teacher? We care so much about all the students in our class. For those 6 hours each day, they really are “our kids”. We worry about them, try to encourage them, try to help them both academically and socially and try to instill traits that will help make them good citizens of the world. (Our families can probably name each child from hearing so much about them. Lol)

So, during this season of sharing, let’s continue to work together as families and educators to make this first holiday in school a happy one for your children. Let’s all be thankful for each other and for the students who make up our classes!

Take Care. 🙂

Conferences

Post 258

This is usually the time for the first Parent Teacher conferences of the year. Depending on your district this may be the only one or there may be others scheduled. Report cards may or may not be given out…again depending on your district.

First of all, don’t be nervous. This is a time to connect with your child’s teacher and find out how your student is doing socially and academically. You will learn how your little one seems at school, whether they have friends, are doing what is asked of them and generally how they fit in. You may also be asked to share how they seem at home and any feedback about school you are getting from them. This is the perfect time to bring up any concerns…no matter how small…you may have about your child’s adjustment to school and/or their progress. Educators welcome your input as it gives us a more rounded picture of the children we spend the day with. And that helps us gear our program more for them.

Be aware, though, that most conference schedules are pretty tight. In my district, we are only allowed 15 minutes/conference and no time in between. So if you need to go more in depth discussing your child, use this time to set up a time to meet or talk about your little student. Also, please be on time. With that tight a schedule, any delay really throws everything off. And, unless you are told otherwise, if you can please don’t bring your child with you. This is a time to speak frankly about them with their teacher and we all know they will listen. Lol.

Finally, remember you and your child’s teacher are on the same side…your child’s! Working together, you can both ensure that your little one has the best possible school year. And that’s what it’s all about!

Take Care. 🙂