It looks like Spring is really upon us now.  Although the temperature outside today is still chilly, the flowers in my garden are pushing themselves up through the brown earth.  Daffodils are nodding in the breeze.  Branches of the trees and shrubs are bulging with chubby buds ready to burst.  It has seemed like a long winter and I am ready to enjoy the beauty of the flowers and the warmth of the sun.   I hope that in your part of the world you are enjoying this special time of year also.

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Woven firmly into our culture and into the philosophy of education is the implied idea that part of the purpose of education is to prepare each person to take his or her place in the world of work.  Work is part of a person's identity.  We value working people, we admire a job well done, and we expect everyone to work.  Working at a job is as American as apple pie and the flag.  As the number one job of student, education must come ahead of all other activities, other jobs, and other demands on the child's attention.

It is our task to see that the child's job is suited to his or her abilities and that working conditions are suited to the task.  We must constantly hold high standards of performance for our children, challenging each one to make the effort needed for success.  We must see to it that every child's work is meaningful and purposeful and that every new learning experience is preparation for the next job.

Every child has a job in the educational process.  Giving a quality performance in that job is a part of the challenge of growing up in our society.   Early learning is the beginning step toward the adult world of work.  Every child needs our support and encouragement in this first job.

The face is the mirror of the mind, and eyes without speaking confess the secrets of the heart.

Saint Jerome

Light tomorrow with today.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Teaching Students About Parenting

Parenting is a tough job.  Many students have no idea how hard it is to raise a child.  Older students can begin learning parenting skills by "shadowing" the parent of a toddler or an infant.  For several hours, they follow the parent around.  They observe and record everything they do.

During this time, they can ask the parents (who volunteer to share their experiences) about what it feels like to be a parent.  Have the students record their observations.  Later in class, they can share what they've learned. 

In the Wauwautosa, Wisconsin, school district, one student described a two-year-old as "slippery as butter."  Student marveled at the energy level of young children....and wondered how parents ever found any time for themselves!

The Parent Institute

Making a Team More Effective

To improve your team's performance, the next time you meet, post on the wall or on a flip chart this statement:

"A group does not instantly transform into an effective team.   The transformation is a gradual, continual process that involves becoming more of this and less of that."

Give team members a little time to absorb the statement. And then:

• Explain that "this" refers to the positive behaviors needed for smooth teamwork and "that" refers to the negative ones that hamper good teamwork.
• Divide the group into subgroups of three or four members each.  If the group is small, ask each person to do this next step alone.
• Ask them to write "more of This" at the top of a sheet of paper and to brainstorm behaviors that the team should increase to improve its performance.  Suggest that they consider issues such as communication, trust, commitment, goals, morale, quality of work, and procedures and processes.
• Have them label another sheet "Less of That" and brainstorm behaviors the team should decrease to improve its performance.
• Give the groups time to share their lists.   Then compile items that appear on most lists onto one list headed "THIS" and another headed "THAT."
• Have the team discuss which items are most important. And have them decide which ones the group should tackle first to ensure that the team's performance will improve.
• Keep the lists posted in your meeting room.  Or type the lists and distribute copies to everyone.

James Kinneer, The 1997 Annual, Vol. 2: Consulting, Jossey-Bass Inc., Publishers 350 Sansome St., San Francisco, CA 94104

Page 4

Nothing strengthens the judgement and quickens the conscience like individual responsibility.

Elizabeth Cody Stanton

Encourage Your Child's Reading Skills

Studies show that children who are good readers do better in school than those who are poor readers.  As a parent, you can make a vital contribution to your children's reading skills.  "Learning to read begins at home,"   says the U.S. Department of Education in Becoming  A Nation of Readers:   What Parents Can Do. "Just as your children naturally learned to talk by following your example, they may naturally learn a great deal about reading before they ever set foot inside a school building."

Much of what you do with your children at home parallels and reinforces good reading instruction, says the Department of Education's Commission on Reading.  These experts offer the following pointers on helping children of all ages improve reading skills:

READ ALOUD TO THEM, beginning when children are a year old or even younger.

HAVE THEM READ to you.  Beginning readers thrive on having someone value their emerging skills.

ASK QUESTIONS when you or your children have finished reading a story, making sure the questions require something other than a "yes" or "no" answer.

TALK ABOUT EVENTS, especially past and future events. Such conversations require children to use their memories and reflect on experiences, which in turn helps them learn about concepts and build vocabulary.

PRACTICE PHONICS. Have small children label objects such as the clock, dresser, chair, curtains and toys to help relate the sound of the word to the written word.  All children like to find the letters in their names.

LET THEM PRACTICE their writing. 

MAKE WISE USE OF THE TV SET.  While too much random viewing takes away from reading time (and other useful activities), educational programs can encourage learning.

VISIT THE LIBRARY. 

TAKE THEM OTHER PLACES as well.  Children who go on trips, walk in parks, and visit museums and zoos get good background knowledge for reading.

USE RECORDS AND TAPES.    

GIVE BOOKS OR MAGAZINE subscriptions as gifts.

SET REGULAR READING TIMES aside at home.  Let your children know how important reading is by suggesting it as a leisure-time activity, or setting aside an established reading hour every night.

LET YOUR KIDS CHOOSE their own reading materials.  

SET AN EXAMPLE.  Children who read well come from homes in which there are plenty of books, magazines, and newspapers and in which everyone reads.

Illinois Association of School Boards, School Public Relations Service

Page 4

What the best and wisest parent wants for his own child, that must the community want for all of its children.

John Dewey

Great Links for April

The repaired Hubble takes pictures
http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/pr/2000/08/pr_photos.html

An index of biographies
http://members.home.net/klanxner/lives/

Four expeditions will be based on the sources of our planet: Water, Earth , Air and Fire.
http://www.originxpedition.com/

Teach you students about Jazz
http://www.jazzkids.com/

Art Sparkers - What gets you going on making art?
http://www.arts.ufl.edu/art/rt_room/sparkers.html

The Hunger Site - Make a free donation of food.
http://www.thehungersite.com/

Enjoy the warmth of a new season!

From the Staff at Strategic Studies Corporation

 
 
Copyright © 2001 Strategic Studies Corp.
http://www.strategicstudies.com