A little late, but better than never

Some great ideas here for starting off the year on the right foot.

10 Tips to Start the School Year off Right

Here's one I really liked:

3. Don’t ask your kids about grades, test scores or homework.  Instead, focus on the content of the subject. (Instead of “What did you get on the test?” say, “What are you learning in science?” If you are connected to some school communication tool (like Schoolloop) you can look at homework assignments and grades privately. Benefits: you are teaching them to take ownership of their own schedules. You are letting them manage their own time. You are taking the focus off scores and putting it on learning. You are alleviating stress in their lives.

I'm a believer in this tip. We need to stress to our students that learning the content, concepts, and skills is what's important, and that when the content, concepts, and skills are learned, the grades will be where we want them to be.

I encourage you -- parents -- to contact me about your students' grades. I understand that grades are the quantifiable measure of their learning. But I also want you to engage the content, concepts, and skills they are learning. That engagement is truly what I hope this blog can be for you. I would also encourage you, though, to take the information I give you and focus the conversation with your students on the content, concepts, and skills.

As always, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact me. If you're feeling adventurous, you can leave a comment on this post and get a conversation started!