Avoiding summer knowledge loss

As the middle of summer approaches, parents and students alike are beginning to feel a certain doldrum. That is, without school in session, moms and dads are left wondering, "What do we do with junior now that he doesn't have any school work?"
Sure, there's always summer camps and creative community opportunities like library programs or summer art institutes, but sometimes choosing the most brain-enhancing opportunity can become a challenge. A few things to consider as a parent who doesn't want their child's brain to wither over the summer months:

1. What were your child's "trouble spots" last year during school? If it was math, perhaps there's a numerical activity that may help enhance your son or daughter in the area where they found difficulty. Likewise, if your child's reading or writing was weaker last year, maybe you will want to find a summer program that emphasizes those areas. Lots of communities have library book programs or even writing "clubs" where kids can express themselves without fear of a "bad grade," but the practice helps keep their skills sharp for the upcoming year. Plus, lots of these opportunities are just plain fun.

2. Was your child struggling with creativity? In other words, did he or she have problems generating original thought in classes like language arts or in elective classes such as ceramics? In an age where kids are served content on a silver platter, they are not charged with the responsibility of using their critical thinking skills outside of school very often. Video games, Ipods, text messaging, and the full realm of other techno-entertainments have this generation wired to respond and react, instead of teaching them to be unique and inventive. One way to encourage your child's creative side is through local classes in areas like cooking, art, or other endeavors that require an inventive spirit. By encouraging creativity, you are preparing them for the endeavors that lie ahead in the school year to come.

3. Tutoring is always available year-round. If your concern over your child's grades and progress is on the forefront of your mind, even at this point in the year, then certainly, tutoring is advisable. The great thing about tutoring services is that, unlike public or even private schools, tutors are willing to help at any point during the year, even if that's the doldrums of summer. Here at Academic Success Partners, we find that students sometimes learn best during the summer, as they are unhindered by the organizational and strategic stresses that accompany school participation. Their social reputations and the other peer-relations factors that sometimes plague students during the school year are now set aside, and they can concentrate better.

For more information on enrolling your child in summer tutoring, please use the contact information in the right hand column, and do not hesitate to contact an ASP representative today! Time is valuable, and tutoring is affordable. We look forward to helping your student reach his or her individual and academic goals!

Retaining what we've learned

Chances are good that once summer break is announced, your student of choice is going to put their brain on auto-pilot. That is, for three solid months, they will no longer contemplate anything academic, but rather, dwell in the world of video games, Ipods, and text messaging. To combat this, there are a number of different strategies that both parents and mentors can use to keep "mental freshness" at its peak.

1. Limit electronics time. Yes, this means you will have to establish and enforce rules or expectations. However, it also means that your student will be forced to pursue things that encourage creativity, be that art, writing, or some other area of interest such as athletics. Don't be afraid to shut off the Playstation for a while, and let your child breathe some fresh air.

2. Family game night. I know this sounds old-fashioned, but sitting down and spending time recreationally as a family has more proven benefits than just sharpening your playing skills. Board games open lines of communication, serve as a round-table for family enjoyment, and strengthen bonds that may have grown lax during the school year.

3. Vacationing with your student. Sure, sending kids to camp is a time-honored American tradition, but how much better will you get to know your child if you actually travel with them? Pick a familiar spot for grown-ups, and share your wealth of knowledge. The new experiences will be an opportunity for both the adults and the youths, and your child will value the time spent on them. You already ship them off all year to school; why not engage with them while you can?

By following these three tips, and increasing the time your child spends pursuing valuable experiences, when the traditional school year rolls around, the student will return refreshed, revitalized, and rejuvenated, ready to learn once more.

End-of-the-school-year blues

That's right; I said blues. As much as we teachers like to think that the end of school is liberating and a time for rejuvenation before another school year starts, it is equally a time of melancholy and bittersweet reminiscence.
Every year, there's another batch of kids that I grow close to. And every year, that group moves on and new students who have just as many positive assets come through my door the next fall. Even so, there are parts and pieces of every student that I will miss, though some moreso than others.
I think of Chris, who came to my classroom at least 10 minutes early every day before first period, just to talk and dissect life's issues. He'd come wheeling up on his California-style skateboard, his grown-out mohawk flapping in the breeze. Propping up his board against the back counter in my room, he'd then sit down with his unspilled cup of coffee.
Then, this 15-year-old caffeine addict and I would re-hash some of the recent campus events, and I'd weave him a few tales from my younger days that usually somehow related to our discussions. From water balloons to the negative side effects of smoking, there weren't too many topics that we didn't cover. Politics and religion, while taboo to most adults, were not unexplored by us, and we came to the consensus that, if everyone just sat down and talked things out like we did, we could manage to achieve world peace.
Yeah, I'll miss Chris, but next year is coming, and I'm sure there will be some new Chris, Joe, Lacey, or Mandy among the bunch that I will once again grow fairly attached to before June rolls around once more, and I have to bid them goodbye as well. Nonetheless, seeing your special kids move on is, in its own way, both rewarding and depressing. At least summer vacation will be here soon, and my mind and body will travel to other places. For now, a simple blog is the best I can do to commemorate those students who have been more than just pupils, they've also been some of my best teachers. Thanks for the lessons, guys, and best wishes for the future.

The volleyball in the fountain

At the school where I teach, we have a large reflecting pool near the middle of the campus. In its center, there is a fountain that shoots water straight up into the air, and around that, there are all kinds of water lilies, weeds, and cattails.
As I was walking past it the other day, I noticed something rather strange: A white, leather-clad volleyball was buoying about in the pool, jostling its way from lily pad to lily pad. I'm not exactly sure how it got there; after all, the volleyball courts are tucked away on the far north side of campus, and there are a few in the gym, which is on the far south side. So, for the volleyball to be there, someone had to have transported it a good distance from its original home.
A thought occurred to me as I stared at that volleyball: How many of our students feel exactly like that? How many of them see themsevles as a strange, alien presence in an otherwise placid location?
The interesting thing about learning disabilities is their complexity -- they take all different forms, and exhibit themselves through various manifestations. Our students sometimes experience the propensity to have the "fish out of water" syndrome. They don't really "fit in" wherever they may be, and so they are a bit like that volleyball: very functional when used for its given purpose, but very obtuse when displaced.
I fetched the volleyball out of the pond, and took it back to the north side volleyball courts. Lying there in the middle of the white sugar sand, it seemed to breathe a sigh of relief from the rigors of the fountain. In my schools' classrooms, teachers make it a point to "rescue" kids who seem to feel like they're in a similar situation -- putting them at ease by using their strengths and their knowledge to prove that they, too, have a valid purpose and a function. In the end, no child should feel like they are the volleyball in the fountain, and as educators, we need to make it our mission to see that they don't.

Teaching responsibility

"I don't need to do this work right now," Jose told me one day. "I can just make it all up at the end of the nine weeks, and it'll still count the same." He reclined back in his desk chair, proud of his ability to manipulate a charitable and generous system.
"You're right, Jose. You can make this up at the end of the nine weeks," I stated. "But how are you going to make this up when you already have fourteen missing assignments over three weeks?"
He looked consternated. "Man, I ain't gotta worry about that. I'm good," he rationalized.
Jose would not do the work that day, or any other. The end of the nine weeks came, and he did not make any of the work up. He would repeat ninth grade English again next year.
To give the student credit, Jose's faults were not entirely his own. The United States educational system at large has generated an entire class of students whose belief is that, "If I don't do it now, they'll always give me the chance to do it later."
This mindset all started innocently enough. A few compassionate teachers decided that some of their unmotivated students would thrive better if they were allowed extended time to complete assignments. That notion, in and of itself, is not incorrect. The problem arose when, street-smart and system-savvy kids realized that they could exploit the good intentions of their teachers. Why even come to class if I can get all the work at the end and still get good grades?
Teachers and parents have got to work together to overcome this prevalent attitude among today's students. We have exercised our compassion long enough, and now is the time for a return to the ethics of personal accountability and responsibility.
How will our students ever be prepared for the "real world" if they are led to expect reward for procrastination? In any job, the expectation is that you will dutifully perform your task, and that you will do so promptly. By enabling our students with this "do it later" lethargy, we are setting them up for failure.
In every place and time within our society, there are boundaries and limits; concrete rules that are widely known and observed out of a sense of safety and well-being. Such boundaries should exist within the classroom as well -- time limits for make-up work, a given number of points deducted for tardy assignments, and other measures help students grasp the idea that for every bad decision, a negative consequence is attached. This is not to say that we should return to the days of finger-smacking with rulers or other antiquated disciplinary measures, but it is intended to be a wake-up call. If we don't set our kids on the course toward personal responsibility today, our modern-day recession will look like a Sunday picnic in comparison to the world that lies ahead. Prepare them today for the future of tomorrow.

Student Organization: It can happen!

As a former student myself, I always dreaded hearing that tired old phrase at the beginning of every school year: "This year, you will be keeping a folder of your work." Have me do the work, have me correct the work, have me help others with their work, but please, please, PLEASE don't make me manage my work by organizing it.
As an overtly right-brained pupil, organizing anything (my room, my school supplies, my time) was a great challenge. I would much rather have simply done the assignment, and then forget its existence.
This attitude remains pervasive among today's students as well: "I'll do the work, but do I have to keep up with it?" is a common question I'm asked at the outset of every year. In my classroom, however, we don't keep folders. We generate portfolios, and the contents of those portfolios are a source of pride at the end of every school year.
Work that demonstrates real progress or proficiency is kept inside a brightly-colored and labeled file folder, and that folder is kept in the classroom among everyone else's. This eliminates the "I left it at home" excuse, as well as the "I forgot to put it in there" excuse. The whole process is overseen right there in class.
For parents struggling with a student whose lack of organization is becoming problematic, here are a few solutions:
1. "A place for everything, and everything in its place." This was a favorite expression of my great-grandmother, and it still holds truth today. Many times, students don't organize because they fail to understand the expectations. If you want a child to put shirts in one drawer, pants in another, underwear in a third, and socks somewhere else, then this process and its outcomes should be thoroughly explained and modeled for the child in question. I would not expect my students to know which tray their work is turned into at the beginning of year, especially if I had never told them what our system of organization requires. Likewise, parents should not expect their children to hang up dress clothes or place items into a hamper or basket if such an expectation has never been made clear. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, the old saying goes.
2. Those in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. Look around your own computer area, family room, kitchen, or elsewhere. Are the items there neatly packaged and stored, or is it an area of chaos and bedlam? One cannot expect children to maintain standards that are not realistically followed by the adults who assert them.
3. Label it. By providing labels on drawers, storage units, and other available spaces, your child will know what goes where, whether they're six or sixteen. There are age-appropriate ways to do this -- You wouldn't for instance, use Disney princess font to label areas in the room of a 13-year-old boy. Therein is a formula for total meltdown.
4. Be consistent. If the expectation has been made clear that item A will go into storage space B, then follow through with that expectation and enforce it. The time has never existed when we could rationally expect our kids to be self-monitoring. They still need guidance, they still need help, and they still need to know that you're in control of every situation under your roof, even if it seems minor. It's called a sense of stability, and children of today need it badly.

By following these few tips (and others from organizational experts), your child can excel at becoming the ship-shape model citizen that you envision him or her to be. No, it won't happen overnight. No, it might not always happen the way you'd planned. But yes, children will gain a greater sense of security and a feeling of contentment from the knowledge that their world is orderly, structured, and sound. It's never too early to begin laying a foundation for success, and this is one positive way to start.

Summertime Blues

Experts have asserted that students lose up to three months worth of learning over the summer break. Part of this has to do with the fact that students spend a majority of their summers in a sedentary and lethargic state, with their posteriors parked in front of their computer, their video game console, or loitering somewhere pointless with friends (the front entrance of Wal-Mart or the mall are likely candidates).
There was a time in our great country's history when summer meant swimming, baseball in the neighborhood, and big pitchers of lemonade, usually being sold by kids in front of their house. It also meant a lot of time spent outside, getting dirty. This post is not meant to become a rant about how "today's generation of kids" won't dare to get active, but in many cases, such a statement contains resounding truth. When I assign an essay at the beginning of the year about my kids' interests, inevitably the phrases "chilling" and "hanging with my friends" predominate any written matter.
So how does all this "chilling" affect students academically, you ask? Quite simply, time spent outside the academic environment is usually time spent unengaged -- that is, doing nothing that enhances one's cognitive functioning. How do we as parents and teachers prevent this scholastic atrophy? One way is by providing kids of all ages with the opportunity to flex their thinking muscles. I am not in any way advocating year-round school; to me, that seems like cruel and unusual punishment for both students and teachers. However, I am advocating that parents take the responsibility of providing their child with the occasional chance to demonstrate what they've already learned.
How can we do this? Summertime tutoring is one way -- if your student has an area where they face particular challenges, summer is a great time to get him or her caught up before the new school year begins. Should this tutoring diminish children's recreational time? Certainly not. In fact, summertime instruction should simply be a supplement to the season's larger objective: fun. No child wants to be subjected to the rigors of the classroom during a season intended for rest and relaxation. By the same token, though, no parent wants their child's brain cells to wither and diminish just because school isn't in session. Finding a happy balance between the two can make for a pleasant summer for both students and their parents.