 
EDUCATORS:
It is extremely important that we do everything we can to
encourage our students to keep reaching for success. As they
begin to blossom as learners, we can help inspire them to
not only believe in themselves but expect more from themselves.
In order for our students to become better readers and writers,
we have to find creative ways to teach them the fundamentals
of learning. When children have FUN, they learn more. Our
job is to get them to store as much useful information as
possible. We can do that by building their mind skills. As
we know, there are three areas of our memory:
| 1. |
The
sensory memory (How we get the information. Ex. we either
see it, smell it, taste it, touch it, etc) |
| 2. |
The
short term or working memory(what we do with the info
that we receive. Ex. we either decide to keep the information
and possibly store it or we let it go literally, “in
one ear and out the other”. |
| 3. |
Long
term memory - this is the major storehouse - this is where
we keep the information that is important to us or the
information that we can possibly use at a later date. |
Perhaps the working memory is the most valuable to your students
because this is where teachers can get in and make imprints
in the mind. When I talk about imprints, I’m talking
about the things you can do that will make children say, “That
was fun, I think I’ll remember that!!” When things
like that begin happening, we have a better chance that students
will store this in their long term memory. Some of you may
refer to this as “teachable moments”. It’s
like taking a coin and pressing into a piece of clay, the
image is etched into the clay. When something interesting
or unique happens to us, we can make those etchings in our
memory. For this reason, it is vital that the activities and
lessons that we share with students are fresh, interesting
and worth remembering. I realize that sometimes it is hard
to make a boring subject interesting but if given to the wrong
teacher an interesting subject can quickly become boring!!!
Think about the way you teach and if you are making it as
great as it can be. The following suggestions will help you
find the energy and enthusiasm to lead your students daily:
| 1. |
Wake
up with a positive attitude - each day is a gift, treat
it as such!! |
| 2. |
Greet
each of your students with a positive word of praise -
negative statements can tear you down and ultimately destroy
the day!! |
| 3. |
Greet
your co-workers with a smile. When a whole staff works
as a team, great things will happen. The old saying, “One
bad apple can spoil the whole barrel” is very true.
Don’t be a bad apple!! |
| 4. |
Plan
each day as if it is your first - in other words, still
look for fresh ideas that you can share. Don’t get
stagnant - when this happens, you loose your zest for
teaching. |
| 5. |
Step
outside of the comfort zone!!! Do things that you wouldn’t
typically do. In other words, don’t be afraid to
try a new project, even if it fails - so what- you can
try something different. |
| 6. |
Really
listen to what your students have to say - a lot of young
people often complain that adults, “just don’t
understand”. If you teach yourself to listen more,
you’ll learn more!! |
| 7. |
Have
faith. If you believe that you are doing the best that
you can, you won’t get so frustrated. Know that
you are an educator because you CAN make a difference.
Have faith in yourself and in your students. |
| 8. |
Work
hard - teaching is not an easy job, but it is a rewarding
job. The pay may not reflect the invested time, but the
residuals you receive are never ending!!! |
These are a few of the interesting and inspirational
tidbits that you will find in my newsletter each month - take
a few minutes now to sign up for the free newsletter - it
will continue to motivate you!!!!
Also you will find interesting activities to try with your
students. These activities will help promote reading and writing
excellence!!!
SIGN UP!!! (WE NEED WAM PLUG HERE TO
SIGN UP)
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PARENTS:
You make your kids eat healthy, wear appropriate clothes,
and wear shoes that fit because these things are important
to the overall development of your child. The same applies
to their mind – we’ve got to feed and nourish
their minds just like their bodies. However, schools can’t
do it alone – they need your help.
The most important thing you can do to help children become
strong readers is to read aloud stories and poems. Books become
your friends when they are fun and interesting. I remember
when I was a little girl, my grandmother told the best stories.
She had a way of pulling our imaginations into whatever time
frame she chose to take us. Her love of poetry was a great
tool in my life. Perhaps her encouragement inspired me to
become an author. Telling stories to children is important.
You get an instant audience when you start out, “When
I was a little girl I used to…..” or “When
I was a little boy, I hated to….” Try telling
your children things about your childhood and see what happens!!
Books help children learn to read because they feed the imagination.
Helping children to imagine things in their mind – things
that are not physically present – is a great part of
reading. It is also a necessary part of writing skills. Think
about it – what good does it do to read if you can’t
close your eyes and imagine what you just read?
Reading fun phrases or lyrics encourage children to bounce
around or move while saying words. This helps make stories
come to life. Also, books are great tools for parents to use
to help ease the pain of explaining. For example, if your
child lost a tooth, has a doctor’s visit, is dealing
with divorce or illness – books can be found to help
explain these issues.
Some parents may say, “Oh, I’m so glad that James
is reading by himself now, it sure saves time.” Remember
parents, it doesn’t matter how long your child has been
reading, they still need to hear and see you read with them.
Sitting down together and picking up a book creates a close
bond between readers! You are saying to your child –
“We are doing something valuable together, we are both
learning together.” Don’t underestimate this fact:
Children are much better at “listening” to sophisticated
or complicated stories being read to them than reading those
books alone.
*Encourage your children to build listening skills –
Describe a picture to them and ask them to draw it.
Ex. “Drawn a tall tree that has six branches on
it. Color the branches and the tree brown. Draw a small kitten
sitting next to the left of the tree.
As children become stronger listeners, they begin to comprehend
better, therefore, leading to improved reading skills. This
comprehension builder will allow children to store words.
As children listen and learn new words, they store them. When
children understand that they can pull words from their storehouse,
they become confident in picking different types of books.
Be willing to take the time to explain things to your children.
Re-wording information will make them great listeners and
readers.
*Bring stories to life – Reading aloud allows you to
breath life into ordinary stories. When you “become”
the characters in the books, children will listen and enjoy
the overall story. Not every character has to have a unique
voice, but squeaky voices, gruff voices and silly sounds encourage
children to follow the actions of those characters. Allow
everyone involved with the story to take part in the story
– this builds creativity. In other words, PARENTS
HAVE FUN WITH BOOKS AND BOND WITH YOUR CHILDREN!!
There
are 5 important reasons that reading bond
1. |
It
allows you to pass reading and storytelling from generation
to generation. The great stories that my grandparents
told are passed down every time I do a storytelling event.
Reading works the same way, great books are always passed
down. |
2. |
Reading
teaches children about the world. If children aren’t
able to travel to interesting and adventurous places,
books serve as a magic carpet. This wonderful passageway
will create a foundation for many ideas that can become
great stories. |
3. |
Reading
allows children to see how others think and feel. Children
begin to understand the culture and history of people
around them when they have opportunities to read about
diverse cultures. Open the world to your children by helping
them understand that not all people are alike! |
4. |
Reading
helps make your child independent. As children learn to
find their way around the world by being able to read
signs or even warning labels, they begin to mature and
prove that they are well on their way to becoming successful
adults. |
5. |
Reading
with your child helps give them an educational advantage.
They learn that reading and writing go hand in hand and
as they begin to develop one skill, the other takes shape
and develops as well. |
WRITING
Parents often ask me, “How can I help my children become
better writers?” I first tell them that the key is to
encourage them to pick up a pencil. Much like reading you
must also serve as a model. Let your child see you writing
a grocery list, a note to a friend, reminders for the day
ahead.
Children are sometimes inhibited by what they DON’T
know (that can be solved by improving reading skills –
the more everyone reads the more they know!!) Encourage children
to write down what they are thinking. Even if it may seem
silly or insignificant to them –it’s information
that can possibly be developed into a great story. (Keep journals
or notebooks at home in places that are easily accessible
– you never know when a great idea may strike!)
To ensure writing abilities, help children build their vocabulary.
If they build a solid vocabulary, they won’t get into
the habit of using the same old, boring words over and over
( ex. good, nice, big, etc). When they hear you use “big
kid” words, they will try the same. In turn, they may
experiment with these words when they are writing. The boring,
“The house is big” sentence can easily become,
“The mansion is humongous.” Never underestimate
how much children can learn. If they are given the tools they
can create phenomenal things!
*Play lots of writing games with your children. Ex. Grab
a stuffed animal and place it on a table – see which
one of you can come up with the most creative words to describe
the animal.
Bear – furry, huge, vicious, frightening, hungry, etc.
This practice will allow children to see how detail words
can add magic to writing.
Children also get to practice spelling skills when they write.
Remember parents, give children time to feel comfortable with
their spelling skills. Often children will revert to using
boring words if they are not comfortable enough attempting
the spelling of new words. This whole reading and writing
thing is about building their confidence and self-esteem.
When children believe that you support their growth and will
not criticize, they gain the desire to show you what they
know!!!
PARENTS: The goal is to show children that
reading and writing are fabulous and fun!!! Don’t place
unnecessary pressure on your children. This gives them a sense
of failure and low self-esteem. When children begin feeling
that way about themselves, they feel that they are substandard
as learners!!! Praise them and help them realize that they
are the BEST learners around!!! |
