Organization Check!

Happy New Year!

At the start of a new calendar year, people often make resolutions about changing and improving, so although it's not necessary to change anything, it is a great time to take a close look at your habits and systems, to see which are serving you well and which could use a little revamping.

You have a solid four months of school under your belt, and so you should have a lot figured out about how to be successful in your classes.

If, however, you've had some difficulty completing homework, remembering necessary materials for class, or even seem to be lacking free time, it may be wise to look at how you're organizing your materials and using your time.

Some things to consider:

1. What kind of system do you have for recording homework? 

Is it working well?
If not, what seems to be the problem? Is there a system that could work better?
If it is, and you're not missing or forgetting homework and you're successfully preparing for assessments, then keep on doing what you're doing.
Having an efficient, thorough way to record and track what you need to do is the first essential step to managing your time.

2. Are you able to find what you need, when you need it?

This includes your personal belongings and all of the materials you need for school (including what's on your laptop). Can you easily find what you have saved on your laptop or in Google Drive? Do you know exactly where to go in a binder or in your locker or backpack to find something specific? If you
can't find what you need, or if it's taking longer than you'd like, try to develop a system for what goes where. A friend, family member, or adult at school will likely have some suggestions about how you might do this, based on what works for them.

3. How much free time do you have?

Do you seem to have enough time to spend on the things you enjoy? Are you getting enough sleep? Do you feel rushed from one activity to another each day? If you feel you don't have enough time to do what you'd like, take a good look at how you're using the time you do have.

For example, during school, how are you using your free periods and study halls? Are you using them to chat with friends, or to get work done? Are you enjoying your electives, or do you think one period would be better spent in a study hall? Is your bus ride to school in the morning the best place to try to catch a few more minutes of sleep, or could that be used to do some Membean training? Where might you be able to find a few extra minutes here and there to devote to what you enjoy? Maybe your bus ride can be the time to check Instagram and go on Snapchat, but the time period between school sports and your hockey practice is when you should get some KBAR reading done...

Make a schedule of how to use your time, and stick to it. Then, assess how it went and what might need to be tweaked. Routines can save us time and energy, but they should be routines that are effective for our purposes.

Oftentimes, getting organized with materials and routines can save you time and effort, even if it takes small investment of time up front.

Easy Mindfulness Exercises!

Many of us, students and adults alike, rush through our days, getting things done while thinking about what is coming up next. While it's important to be productive, this can come at the expense of missing out on fully experiencing the present moment, and being fully present in our selves in those moments. 

Mindfulness practices are designed to help us do just that- set aside the myriad thoughts running through our heads, tune out distractions, and notice what's happening now. Below are a few mindfulness practices you can try right in the classroom or at any other time during your busy day.

Exercise 1: Close your eyes. Put your hands on your belly and/or on your chest over your heart. Notice the depth of your breath. Take a few deeper breaths, filling your throat, then lungs, then belly as you inhale. Exhale and notice the different sensations in your throat, chest, and belly. Repeat a few times before opening your eyes.

Exercise 2: Find a comfortable seat with your feet planted on the floor. Close your eyes. Notice your feet- the temperature, fabric touching your skin, the way the bottom of your feet feel, the way the top of your feet feel. Shift your focus to your ankles. Notice the sensations your ankles are experiencing. Move up your body this way, noticing the sensations in each part of your body. Once you've reached the top of your head, notice your whole body. Then notice your breath. Take a few more deep breaths before opening your eyes.

Exercise 3: Take off your shoes. Relax your eyelids so that you are looking at the floor. Begin to walk slowly, noticing the sensation of your heels, your arches, and your toes as they contact the floor. Notice what changes when you move slightly slightly slower. Take deep inhales and exhales, and slow your walking down so that one step takes as long as one inhale. Notice the shift in sensations in your feet and lower extremities. Continue for as long as you'd like, or as long as you're able.

Give one of these exercises a try today, and see how it affects you!

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! 

 

During Reading Strategies

Here's another screencast...

This time, it's about a few strategies to use during reading. 

Pop some popcorn, enjoy the video, then grab a good book and start practicing the strategies!

Before Reading Strategies

As we know, being strategic about reading saves time and energy AND helps you to better understand and retain what you read. Being a strategic, active reader needs to happen before, during, and after reading. In the screencast below, learn about active reading in general AND a few before-reading strategies you can use to warm up your brain for the text.

Tips from parents!

Many parents can experience nervousness about sending their child to a new school, or are unsure what they- and their child- can expect as they move on to another grade. If you (or your parent) falls into this category, you're not alone!

Although we're now a week and a half or so into the new school year, some parents submitted excellent tips for easing the transition back to school.


"As nerve-wracking as it may be for parents and/or child to send your kid off to a new place for the first time, just remember that it is unlikely that this is the first time that the school, daycare, or institution is welcoming a new face. If you've done your research, you're going to be leaving your child in the hands of well qualified individuals who likely have a seamless process in transitioning new children into a new school year/ program. As a parent, take a deep breath, kiss your kid goodbye, and really try to appreciate the quiet adult time you'll have (whether it be at work, school, or home) while your kids are off socializing."
- Mrs. W., mother of 2


"Build and develop a relationship with your child's teacher(s). Get to know, understand, and have comfort in the person or people who are the experts and are charged with educating your child. Once you have established an open line of communication, trust and development can thrive, for the student and the parent."
- Mr. R., father of 1 


"Try to tour wherever you're sending your child and meet the people who will be working with them, PRIOR to beginning their first day. It will be nice for the child and for you to have a familiar face and sense of the atmosphere, come that first day of school...when those nerves really start to act up!"
- Mrs. D, mother of 3


"In the days before school starts, help your child do some "mental walk-throughs" of the first day of school. This way, when the first day rolls around, your child will have already had an opportunity to mentally rehearse what the experience will be like!"
- Mrs. K., mother of 5

"...Reassure your student that nerves are normal, and that there are many other students who will be having the same thoughts and feelings on the first day of school. This will be the first day for a lot of the kids!"
- Anonymous

"The night before, make sure everything is ready for the morning. For my kids, that means picking our clothes, having their backpacks by the door, and 2 of them shower the night before."
- Anonymous

"Practice your morning routine before the actual first day, so you can start the day by being on time and not in panic mode!" 
- Mrs. F, mother of 3

Any more tips to share? Please email or comment below!

It's (almost) that time again!

I don't know about you, but I'm actually looking forward to the school year starting soon! I have a lot of ideas and plans for how I can make my teaching more effective and engaging, and I'm looking forward to getting to know all of my new students and seeing returning students.

At the middle school, we just finished up a 4-day mini-course for new students, where participants were introduced to a variety of strategies that will help them become more skilled at things like time management, organization, active reading, memorization, note-taking, and self advocacy. We had a fantastic group of students participate, and I want to thank their parents for supporting their attendance too.

Below is part of a letter that was sent home to parents on the last day of the mini-course; these are just some suggestions of how parents might support their student's continued progress once the school year is underway. Parents- you may see something in here that could be applicable to your child, even if he or she is not in middle school. Students- you may see something in here for yourself too! Just throwing it out here in case it can be helpful to anyone...

•  Help your student create and follow routines for homework and organization.

• Talk with your student about the strategies he or she is using to complete tasks; this reinforces the metacognitive element of learning.

• Help your student break down long-term projects or assignments into smaller, more manageable tasks; we call this “chunking” or “breaking big rocks into pebbles.” Then, help them to plan (and write down!) when to complete each smaller task, starting with the due date and working backwards; we call this “backwards planning.”

• Talk with your student about what he or she is learning, both content-wise and skill-wise. Emphasize that different strategies work for different people, and that we all need to figure out how we learn best, so we can be efficient and effective learners.

• Part of a student’s middle school experience should be figuring out how to manage more responsibility and independence. For students to have opportunities to learn and practice this, they need to be allowed to grapple with tasks, attempt to problem-solve independently, and experience natural consequences for their actions and inactions. (The Gift of Failure by Jessica Lahey is an interesting book that builds on this idea.)

• Encourage your child to communicate with his or her teachers and/or advisor, especially if they are feeling confused, overwhelmed or unsure of themselves. You could role-play a conversation they might have, or encourage them to write a note or email the teacher if they’re hesitant to initiate a conversation with them.

• Encourage your student to attend extra help sessions with their teachers, and any other skill-building workshops offered by the school (e.g. the HLC’s Snack and Study sessions are held about 2 times each month, for an hour after sports- so your student would need to be picked up from school when it’s over. Upcoming Snack and Study topics and dates will be posted in the weekly TNN email, and they will be in the daily morning announcements as well.) If you're not sure what resources might be available, have your child inquire!

•  Maintain a growth mindset- that is, embrace the belief that we can grow our “intelligence” in different areas, with strategic practice and perseverance. In conversations with your child about schoolwork, grades, and “abilities,” emphasize that strategic practice of a skill actually changes the brain’s structure by building and solidifying neural pathways; so, they’re not “doomed” to always struggle with one task, skill, or content area because the brain is like a muscle we can exercise to make stronger. (See the work of Carol Dweck for more information on growth mindsets- it’s pretty interesting stuff!)

Enjoy your remaining days of summer vacation, 

and see you soon!