First day hardest — for Mom
I will not cry. I will not cry.
Who am I kidding? I’m gonna cry.
This is a week of goodbyes and new beginnings. Today is my daughter’s last day at the daycare she’s attended since she was five months old.
She started in the baby room at one end of the building and has moved up through every classroom, now finishing a year in pre-kindergarten.
Her teachers have advised me (how to get a breastfeeding baby to take a bottle), admonished me (where did Adi learn that “bad” word?), and helped me adjust to all the wonderful and bewildering changes of a child growing, learning and loving.
I don’t know Adi’s new teacher yet. I meet her today. I’m sure she will be wonderful and kind and enthusiastic.
I hope she won’t wonder why there are tears in my eyes. They are happy tears. My baby is growing up.
Susan Simpson, Education Writer
Wake Up! It’s time for school!
For many families, Back to School time means a change in schedules. But getting everyone up and ready in the morning doesn’t have to be stressful. Here are a few tips from http://family.go.com/
Cut out caffeine during the day.
Too much caffeine can wire kids up and make it difficult for them to drift off to sleep at night. As a result, they are tired and cranky when the alarm goes off in the morning.
Keep your routine as consistent as possible — even on the weekends.
While it’s fine to let them catch up on a little sleep, it’s not smart to let them sleep their Saturdays and Sundays away. If you do, they’re going to have a hard time adjusting back on Monday morning.
If your child normally gets up at 7 a.m. on a weekday, don’t let her sleep any later than 8 or 8:30 on the weekend.
Don’t expect a young child to be able to use an alarm clock.
Most experts say that alarm clocks aren’t really useful until a child is around 12 years old or in the sixth grade. Before that, you’ll need to go in and get them up. (And, unfortunately, even after age 12 you still may need to go in and make sure they get up after their alarm clock rings.)
Use the night before to get organized.
Pack the backpack, set out the bowls and spoons for breakfast, and pick out the clothes your child will wear. Remember, the less surprises you have to deal with in the morning, the less hectic it’ll be for everyone.
What tips do you have?
Susan Simpson, Education Writer
A reporter’s SparkNotes, Part II
Two weeks ago I blogged about interesting education news from across the country. There are more that have grabbed my attention recently, so here’s another installment, with some personal perspectives.
*PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT ON SCHOOLWORK: Failed your test? Just try again. Forgot to turn your homework in on time? Your teacher can’t give you a zero just yet. Those are the new rules in Dallas schools, policies the district says will help level the playing field but that others say will undermine teachers’ work. My parents live in the DFW metroplex, and tell me that discussion is abuzz with talk of trying to raise the graduation rate and reduce the impact of the state’s no-pass-no-play athletics rule, while debating whether the outcome will help or hurt students. Full story.
*TEACHERS ARMED WITH MORE THAN A RED PEN: Forget those “gun-free zone” signs in Harrold, Texas, not far over the Oklahoma border. Teachers there are now allowed to carry concealed firearms if they are properly licensed and trained. The 110-student campus is a half-hour from the nearest sheriff’s office but only 340 feet from a major highway, a situation the superintendent says leaves the school in a vulnerable position. My in-laws in Massachusetts brought this up over the phone this weekend, so I know it’s already stirring discussions far from the Lone Star State. Full story.
*MEDIA CALL COULD SET OFF GAME OF TELEPHONE: A superintendent in Rapid City, S.D., is pushing for a new protocol that would obligate school board members to call him whenever they are contacted by the media. The superintendent says the protocol would help ensure the media gets accurate information, but some board members say it would institute a control over the publicly elected body. I got to know the reporter covering the story at a seminar for education reporters in New York in July. Original story. Follow-up story.
Wendy Kleinman
Education Reporter
The wheels on the bus go round and round…
The wheels on the bus go round and round, round and round, round and round, the wheels on the bus go round and round, all through the town.
I couldn’t help but find myself thinking of that tune as I wrote a collection of stories about school buses for today’s edition of The Oklahoman.
The articles touch on bus safety, the impact of fuel price hikes and the drivers themselves, and there’s a graphic, a photo gallery and a video to tell even more of the story.
We also ventured into a new type of multimedia with a news game.
If you haven’t tried it yet, click the image below and see if you have what it takes to safely deliver a bus load of children to school. (Make sure your audio is on.)
Then share your stories about riding the school bus here on NewsOK’s Education Station, as well as your thoughts on the school bus news game.
Wendy Kleinman
Education Reporter
School supplies shopping can be educational
Shopping for school supplies can be more than an errand, it can be a great learning experience for your child.
Parenting expert Michele Borba recommends having your child help you make a list of supplies, then look for store flyers to find the best deals. Younger children that can’t write can cut out photos of the supplies they want.
Together you can make a budget with your child, and then hit the store to gather the goodies. Borba said allowing your child to pay for the items (using a gift card or your credit card) also can help teach them financial responsibility.
Borba also recommends that families stock up on supplies that are real bargains. Sure you may only need five notebooks, but if they are 5-cents each, why not buy 50?
What advice do you have for buying school supplies? E-mail me at ssimpson@oklahoman.com or comment here.
Susan Simpson, Education Writer
Principals as ‘transformers’
Education Week recently posted an interesting commentary on school leadership, separating principals of struggling schools into “copers” and “transformers.”
Those in the “copers” camp are struggling, too, overwhelmed by the challenges they face in straightening out their school. Those in the “transformers” camp have a vision and a plan to get it accomplished.
You can read the full article here.
Then share: Which camp does your school principal fall into? Can a “coper” be changed into a “transformer,” and might “transformers” be jaded over time into “copers?” And does it affect student performance?
Wendy Kleinman
Education Reporter
Will Q-W-E-R-T replace A-B-C?
Crayons? Check.
Lunchbox with hidden note from Mommy? Check.
Pink Backpack? Check.
Notebook computer able to run Windows, Word and Webkins? Ummm…. not yet. After all, my child is only 5.
So I didn’t get her a computer this year — nor was I asked to. But there could be a time when elementary school children tote laptops to school as easily as they now pack lovenotes and lunchables.
Already, many high school students rely on laptops to keep up in class, and you’d never dream of sending a college student to campus without a computer.
What do you think? Will old-fashioned “paper” notebooks become a relic someday?
Comment here or e-mail me at ssimpson@oklahoman.com
Susan Simpson, Education Writer
Saving Dimes on Dorm Decor
If you’ve got a teen heading to college this month, you’ve probably also got a lengthy shopping list of must-haves he or she will need for dorm living.
Extra-long sheets for the school-issued bunk bed, mini-fridge and snacks, alarm clock.
But retail economists say many families are cutting back on other less-necessary items, like designer comforters and fancy electronics. Families are expected to spend 7 percent less each year, or about $600 per child on school supplies, clothing and furniture. They say the summer jobs market was weak and national economic worries are taking toll.
What about you? What are you shopping for, and what are you passing on? What does your teen want/need/must have?
Comment here or e-mail me at ssimpson@oklahoman.com
Susan Simpson, Education Writer
A reporter’s SparkNotes
I remember CliffsNotes in middle school – the little yellow and black study guide books.
By high school, the online equivalent SparkNotes became a student’s more likely safety net for the day a chapter went unread or for a quick review before a test.
Their purpose was the same: give a short overview and a short bit of insight into a longer work.
So here’s the SparkNotes version of a few interesting education articles I’ve read recently, along with the links for the original stories.
*CHICAGOANS URGED TO SKIP CLASS: Community leaders in the Windy City have urged students in poorer areas to skip the first day of classes on Sept. 2 and try to enroll in schools in more affluent areas. The idea behind the call is to draw attention to what organizers say is a problem of unequal funding and unequal opportunity. Opponents say telling kids to stay out of class is counterproductive. Read the whole article here.
*FOUR-DAY WEEK BENEFICIAL IN UTAH: Some school districts in Utah went to four-day weeks two years ago to save on energy and transportation costs. Now, one of the state’s smallest districts, named Tiny Rich, wants to stay on the schedule for another reason. They say the change has upped instructional time because extracurricular events are limited to Thursday nights, Fridays and Saturdays, instead of at times that might force students to miss class. Read the full story here.
*LAPTOP INITIATIVE REACHES STUDENTS: Instead of an apple for the teacher’s desk, Maine is outfitting all middle school and some high school students in the state with their own Apple-brand laptops. The state is spending $90 million through 2010 with the company for computers, infrastructure, technical support and related needs. Feedback so far has found that students attend class more often, and are happier and more engaged in class, but that the computers’ impact on test scores is still unclear. Read more about it here.
Wendy Kleinman
Education Reporter
Springer, Ballard: Subject to the same process?
Oklahoma’s two largest school districts both will have new superintendents by the end of the calendar year.
Last night, the Tulsa School Board voted to offer a contract to Keith Ballard to take the place of Michael Zolkoski.
But some people in the district are disgruntled over the process, or what they say is a lack thereof, that led to his selection. (The board brought up the possibility of hiring Ballard the same day it agreed to part ways with Zolkoski.)
When the Oklahoma City School District was faced earlier this year with a similar situation — hiring a new leader after the old one departed before the end of his contract — it took a different approach of soliciting community feedback first.
The Foundation for Oklahoma City Public Schools held meetings and compiled a report with patron suggestions.
How about some more feedback now that it’s over?
Do you think that input sincerely influenced the Oklahoma City School Board’s decision to hire Karl Springer this summer? Do you think Tulsa should have taken the same route as Oklahoma City?
Share your thoughts on the superintendent selection processes here.
Wendy Kleinman
Education Reporter
