Grades, Projects, and Tardies

Image by jesseducation via Flickr

The local  middle school has made our lives as parents a little bit simpler by using a website called SnapGrades. This site is updated by each teacher daily or weekly(when they have time) with each students progress. Homework, projects, tests, tardies and missed days. Including PE, you can see how well they run the mile each week. If a student is falling behind the teacher can contact you via this website and stay on top of your child, and if they need to talk to the student about something they can leave a note on the website for both parent and student to see.

I am able to log on at anytime and see my child's current grade in each class. Any missing assignments, and their current GPA. I also receive a weekly email with current information.

Middle school is a difficult transition, and with help of a simple website like this, we can all keep our children on the right track. If your school doesn't have this type of simple communication maybe it's time to suggest it. I only wish they had it in my daughters high school. *Sigh*

Here is the website. If you watch the demo it will give you a nice introduction.

http://snapgrades.net/

Middle School is for Growing

Last week I attended back to school night at my daughters middle school. The parents had a twelve minute visit with each teacher gathering information about each subject they will be teaching this school year.
.

My daughters third period class is Advanced Art. After the information portion of her presentation she became very solemn and proceeded to tell us that last year the school had lost two students. The first one was a sixth grade girl who had an aneurysm in her sleep and passed away. The other student was her own son. He was an eighth grader who was hit by a car while riding his bike. She claimed that she wasn't telling us these stories to make us sad. However, she wanted us to be aware that middle school grades are not looked at for college. That each moment we have with our children is precious, and this is not the time to push them with grades, even it they come home with a bad grade.
.
Think about this... We only have our children for eighteen years until they go off to college. The days become weeks, and then years. Once we open our eyes they are adults and time has passed us by.
.

Love your child(ren) every minute you can. Life is lived daily, and they deserve our best.

Home school or not?

Image via Wikipedia

I home schooled my kids for three years. This year we put them back into the public system. Many of my home school friends asked how they are doing in public school? How are my days without teaching? And so on...


My answer is simple, my girls are struggling with the change. I told my friends not to put their kids in public unless they are very strong, and the parent can be even stronger.  Let me explain.


My now third grader has never been in the system.  Going from free to walk, eat, talk, and work to a very structured day. Many rules that are embedded into the children's mind start in kindergarten. Many learning techniques that a public school does on a daily basis is not how home schoolers work. Don't get me wrong, not all of them are bad. My third grader is very outgoing and very willing to learn, but it has now been seven months, and is just now starting to follow the structure the others have been drilled to learn for years. My child never struggled in home school.


As the parent, I am in the class weekly. I am in constant contact with the teacher, who if you have a great teacher that will work with you, and listen to the differences really makes a huge difference. Also having a school counselor involved with the transfer to public is an amazing help. Basically the counselor will help the child not struggle with the change, and work with them to make the up coming years memorable. A great Principle that is knowledgeable in home schooling is an amazing asset too. I am lucky to have these people to help with this long transition. My child loves, I mean LOVES public school. 


You may be asking will I ever home school them again? My answer is simple: If that is necessary then yes I will.


♥AZ♥

California Schools

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

It is a shame to see how in debt our schools have become. Our school district has been cutting teaching positions for the last few years. The current meetings have entailed cutting more jobs, teachers taking pay cuts, and closing schools.  That was until yesterday when cutting sports from the high schools was brought up.

What in the world is our Government doing to keep our children off the streets, and receive a proper education? To cut the salary of a teacher who already uses their own money in their own classrooms is ridiculous. Not to mention closing schools hmm... Does that mean more students will be shoved into a small classroom for a teacher to control, and attempt to teach multi-level students?

Sports is next on the list of cuts due to the lack of money. The parents now run boosters and fundraise for each sport. The parents pay for uniforms, insurance, and concessions. It is very sad to see this happen to our own children.

Times have sure changed since I was a kid. My parents never paid for anything while I was in high school sports. Even when I was a coach at a high school, I made sure my team would fundraise.

I hope my children are able to enjoy life, and experience every possible sport and club before they must grow up, and become a working adult.

AZ