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Communicating With Your Child
Here are some tips we have found useful:
Establish a daily/weekly routine. When will homework be done? When are extra-curricular activities?
Ask your child every day about what went on at school. Don’t take, “Nothing happened,” for an answer. Be persistent and genuinely interested.
If something does not seem right, it probably isn’t. If you child frequently says, “I have no homework,” this is probably not right. Please call the teacher to confirm.
Have a fridge calendar so that your child can mark on all the important dates (e.g. tests, quizzes, due dates and exam) for everyone to see. This makes sure that everyone knows in advance what to prepare for.
Show an interest in education and daily news events.
Encourage your child to watch shows which may help in their studies. The listings for most programming can be found on the internet and you can do a search or be notified when an appropriate program is going to be on.
Obtain frequent reports on your child’s progress. Remember that if there are problems in one course there are generally problems in the other courses. Phone the teacher if you are at all in doubt as to your child’s progress.
If there are problems, then have your child take ownership of the problem if possible. I encourage my students to do the following if they are taking home a poor test or report. They should first identify what problems occurred (e.g. didn’t ask for extra help, didn’t complete the review or all the homework). Then they need to devise a plan of action (e.g. get help from their teacher, develop better time management skills, get a tutor).
After talking to your child if you believe there are stress-related or other issues please contact the teacher immediately, to make sure that everyone is aware of the problem(s) and that a solution can be found promptly.
If your child has a part-time job, help them to put it in perspective. A part-time job should not interfere with their academic success.
If there have been problems in previous years notify the teacher at the beginning of the semester as to how to be preventative.
Frequently (every semester), review your child’s progress and whether to adjust courses and programs.
Tutoring
When should I seek out a tutor?
I always make sure during my “Meet and Greet” sessions that the parents and student are using all the school resources before seeking a tutor. This includes: seeking extra help from their teacher, having peer support, spending enough time on their studies (does a part-time job take up too much time?) and finally what mark is required at the end of the semester. If you do wish to employ a tutor, we recommend that you start as early in the semester as possible to produce maximum results. Please inform the teacher that you have obtained outside help and to ask for any recommendations for the tutor.
How do I know if a tutor is right for my child?
It is imperative that your child and the tutor have a good working relationship. I do a “Meet and Greet” session before taking on a student. You should ask about what resources they have, how do they assess your child, how do they schedule sessions and how will they communicate with you and/or your child.
How often should my child be tutored if I decide on tutoring?
This can’t be answered specifically but at least once a week is the minimum to get an affect.
How do I find a tutor?
The Guidance department generally has a list of tutors. Local post-secondary institutions generally have students who are willing to tutor. You can talk to other parents (word of mouth is best or Facebook groups) who have had tutoring for their child.
Communicating With Your School
Communicating with staff
Always follow the hierarchy: teacher, department head, vice principal and principal when wishing to discuss an issue concerning your child.
Seek Guidance’s assistance for program changes, credit summary and post-secondary application.
When talking to a teacher or department head arrange a face-to-face meeting unless the topic is just clarification or simply conveying necessary information (e.g. My child is going to have their wisdom teeth out next week)
Obtain the weekly or monthly newsletter and add important dates to your family calendar.
Special Needs Assessment and IEP's
Before you can answer whether your son/daughter requires additional support we recommend the following:
Make sure there are no physical issues: Have a hearing test and eye test (we also invite you to look at Vision Therapy ( https://www.gvtc.ca/), which our daughter went through. Even with 20/20 vision this does not mean that their binocular vision is processing correctly. If a child is having trouble hearing or seeing this can manifest itself in inattentiveness, non-participation, or “clowning around" and could be viewed as ADHD. We are more then happy to share our experiences with you directly.
Ask for an IEP through your local school.
Have an psycho-educational assessment done, if required. This can be done through the Board or privately. Warning: If you do an assessment through the Board it could take 1-2 years to complete and be implemented.
Not all schools have the same resources to help with your child. If you need to go to a different school issues such as transportation and the school environment are important considerations.
Each year requires a re-examination of the situation to make sure that the needs of your child are being met.
Public or Private?
My children have attended public, Catholic, Montessori and private Christian schools. There is no simple way to figure this out. The number of issues is extensive. From religious grounds, proximity, resources, class size, money, school communications and so forth. Since I have extensive knowledge in many different types of schools I am happy to help you decide. Your decision will be based solely on your family and your child’s situation.