Communicating with your teachers and other adults in school

One thing I've been noticing is that many students have trouble communicating with their teachers in writing, in an appropriate and formal-enough way.

The way you communicate with your teachers can make a big difference in how (and if) they respond to a question, suggestion, or request.

For example, if one of my students emailed me and wrote

i dont know what the homework is can u tell me?!?!

my response, if I chose to respond at all, would probably be about a couple of things other than what the students wanted to know. I would want to respond that a.) their messages to me need to have some element of formality, and b.) that they should write the homework in their planner during class when prompted, check the website if needed, and ask a friend before reaching out to me. In short, to use their resources!

However, if they had already done those three things, and still needed clarification about an assignment, a much better way to go about asking for help would be to write

Hi Ms. Keenan,

I forgot the details of what the homework assignment is. I should have written down more  detail in my planner. I will plan to do that next time. I also checked the website and asked Student B already, but I'm still confused. Could you please let me know the details of the assignment? In the future, I plan to write down the homework in detail as soon as you tell us what it is. 

Thank you,

Student A 

Just a quick example, but I hope you get the point! 

 

Public Speaking

I will be presenting at the Annual Conference for the Association for Middle Level Educators (AMLE) this October, in Austin TX, which is a giant leap out of my comfort zone. Austin and the accompanying queso dip is totally within my comfort zone however, so I have that to look forward to...

Thinking about putting together a presentation and making sure that my first experience of speaking in front of a collection of colleagues from around the country, is at first quite daunting- but also exciting. In anticipation of this, I have begun to do some research about what makes a presentation engaging, and something that the audience actually wants to pay attention to. All of us, students and adults alike, have opportunities to become better at public speaking and engaging an audience. The following tips may help you to be more effective and interesting the next time you have the opportunity to speak in front of a group of people. 

1. Rehearse out loud, and with props or slides you plan to use. Practice in the room where you'll actually do the presentation, if possible. Listen to how the words sound coming out of your mouth, so you can avoid tongue twisters or awkward phrasing.

2. Speak slowly and loudly enough so the person in the back of the room can hear you.

3. Make eye contact with various members of your audience. If you make eye contact with them, they're more likely to make eye contact with you and remain at attention.

4. Some rules about using slides:

• Do not read off your slides word-for-word; this can make you feel more comfortable because you're just reading out loud and not really having to think about presenting, but it's boring for your audience and they're more likely to zone out while you're talking. 
• Use just a few words per slide. 
• Use images that directly tie in to what you are saying. An image is more likely to stick with a person in the audience, even if they don't remember exactly what you were saying. 
• Keep lists to a minimum; do not have more than 5-6 items on a slide. (I'm taking this advice right now, and am about to wrap up this post.)

5. Act excited and enthusiastic about the idea you're presenting; if you come off as bored, your audience will almost certainly be bored by you and your presentation no matter how much good information it contains.


I don't know about you, but I will certainly be using these strategies as I practice my presentation, and in October when it's time to chew my last tortilla chip, wipe the queso from my mouth, and speak with the audience! 

Starting the New School Year

Ch-ch-ch-changes!

(link to Bowie song)

Welcome to a new school year!

No matter which grade you're starting this year, or whether you're new to the school or a returning student, you're probably adjusting to some new things about your school day- the teachers, the classrooms, your classmates, your advisee group, your schedule...

Changes and transitions like this can be difficult, but the good thing is that you're not alone! Changes can be difficult for everyone, your teachers and parents included. Below are some tips for students AND parent, for adjusting to the new school year.

For students:

Get to know your teachers and advisor, and let them get to know you. 

-Ask the adults at school questions, both in class and outside of class time. Your questions can be as simple as, "How was your weekend?" or it can be more focused on the content of the class.

- Tell your teachers what you like and don't like, what interests you, and what you're involved in outside of school. You may learn that you have some things in common!

-Tell your teachers what you're going to need from them in order to be successful. Tell them that you prefer to sit near the board, or that you sometimes have a difficult time listening, participating, and taking notes at the same time. Tell them if you do (or don't) like being asked to read aloud in class, or if you benefit from having all multi-step directions written down. Tell them what your learning preferences are, and if you think you are eligible for accommodations like extended time. Teachers want to help you, so they'll want to know this information about you!

Get started off on the right foot, organizationally.
-Take the time to label your books, notebooks, and binders. Put that loose leaf paper in each of your binders, and put the divider tabs in there too. Make sure you have enough pens and pencils in your pencil case. If you are missing any school materials, Mr. Lanagan's room in the Middle School is full of perfectly good donated/ recycled materials like binders, folders, paper, and notebooks!

-Set up a work space at home where you complete your homework every night. Make sure it has some extra school supplies like paper, writing utensils, and maybe your laptop charger. Doing homework in the same place each night can minimize the chances you'll forget something at home, or lose something that you need.

-As soon as you receive your planner, put your name on it and start to use it! (More on effectively using a planner later on)

-If you're a Middle School student, attend the September 22nd Snack and Study Session on Organizational Strategies! (Sign up outside of the MS HLC; space is limited to 15 students)

Ask questions when you have them!
-Your teachers, advisor, coaches, and other adults in the school building all want to help you figure out what's happening, what's expected of you, and how you can be successful. Just ask someone for some help if you need it!








For parents:

Get to know your child's teachers, and help them get to know your child.
- Learn the names of each of your child's teachers, and his or her advisor. Learn the best way to get in touch with them (i.e. email, phone call, written note).

- Encourage your child to talk with his or her teachers, and share what their home and life is like; do they split time between houses, or do their homework somewhere other than at home? Is there consistent internet access at home, or a printer? Are there outside activities or commitments your child has during the school week or on the weekends? Is there any medication your child is taking that may affect their behavior, performance, or attention in class? This is all helpful information for your child's teachers to know.

Be aware of teachers' expectations and how to access class resources.
- At the start of the year in Middle School, many students will come home with "expectations" sheets for their different classes. These handouts may need to be signed, or maybe they don't, but in either case it will be valuable for you to read through the papers with your student so that you're aware of the different expectations of different classes and teachers.

- Many, if not most, teachers will use a website to disseminate information such as homework assignments, due dates, assessment dates, etc. However, the website or platform used by each teacher could be slightly different. Ask your student to show you how to access each of their classes' websites; if your student can't show you where he or she can find homework assignments or handouts/PDFs, then prompt your child to meet with that teacher immediately in order to figure out how to navigate the online aspect of the class.

- Starting in Middle School, students should be mostly advocating for themselves. Teachers do not want to field inquiries from parents about what the homework is, or what's on a test. Students at this age need to be learning how to ask these questions themselves, and how to problem-solve independently. This is not to say you can't help to problem-solve, but most of the communication with a teacher should be going through the student himself or herself. Role-playing what communication can look like between your student and his or her teacher, and prompting your student to troubleshoot situations (e.g. forgetting to write down a homework assignment, leaving needed materials at school, etc.) to practice these self-direction skills, will help your child to become a more independent and effective problem-solver.



Give it time!
- Everyone is a little nervous when starting a new school year, or when beginning at a new school- yes, teachers too. If there are some bumps in the road during the first few weeks of a new school year, that's normal. If you're trying to figure out how much independence and help to give your student with school work and other responsibilities, you're not alone. Kids, as well as teachers' expectations, change from year to year (and sometimes from day-to-day and class-to-class!), so we all need to be patient with one another, and give it time. I think we'll see that most kids will be able to handle increasing responsibility and independence, if we give them some room and some time to figure it all out.