Tips on how to support your child in school

Dear teacher,

The new school year has started. In the past, I have always been involved in my children’s education by communicating with their teachers, attending parent-teacher meetings, being a room mother, going to school events, visiting their classrooms, and so on. Is there anything else parents should do to be involved in their children’s education?

Dear parent,

You are being an involved parent. You know what is happening at your children’s schools and have the information to have meaningful conversations with them about what is going on at their schools.

There is one more thing about being involved in children’s education. Parents need to be involved at home as well as at school.

They can do so much at home to ensure their children’s success in school. On the non-academic side, they can teach them patience, responsibility, and respect for others — all traits that will enhance their education.

Another area in which parents should be involved with their children’s education, especially in the early grades, is their homework. This will give them an opportunity to expand the curriculum through related learning activities at home even if it is just a dinner table conversation.

Finally, it definitely helps if parents read daily to their children. They should also go beyond reading with younger children to ask questions about what is happening in the story. With older children in grades five and beyond, discussions can include who the author is and the author’s point of view.

Finally, let your children see that you are excited about what they are learning. This will make them even more eager to learn and to share what they are learning with you. This is true at any grade level.

Teaching to the Common Core standards

Dear teacher,

So many people I know are upset about Common Core. They think every teacher will now be forced to teach in the same way. Is this true?

Dear parent,

That is definitely a misconception. Teachers will continue to devise their own lesson plans and adjust the curriculum to the individual need of students in their classes. The standards do establish what students need to learn as Common Core is a clear set of shared goals and expectations for what knowledge and skills will help students succeed, but they do not dictate how teachers should teach. Instead, schools and teachers will decide how best to help students reach the standards.

Finding reading apps for preschoolers

Dear teacher,

There are times when we are waiting on the sidelines of a soccer game or at a doctor’s office that I would like to have my preschooler be able to pick up some reading skills on my cellphone rather than just play games. What should I look for in selecting appropriate apps for her?

Dear parent,

It can be a daunting task to find appropriate educational apps for preschoolers. If your child is just being introduced to reading, search for apps that have a limited amount of text, quality narration, as well as word games to reinforce the learning of new words. One very helpful website with well-vetted apps is commonsensemedia.org.

Your preschooler might enjoy our Skinny Books – Word Family Readers available in the App Store. They have amusing rhyming word stories, like “Mox the Ox,” “The Cub in the Tub,” and “The Crab Who Ran Away.” Then there are fun games to play with the words they have learned to read. Plus, there is accompanying narration so they can read these books without adult help. And this app will truly put young children on the road to reading as they will learn more than 200 rhyming words and 36 of the most basic sight words.

Easing the transition to middle school

Dear teacher,

It’s a big transition time for our daughter as she is leaving elementary school and moving to middle school. Although she does not seem too anxious about this move, I have heard it can be rather traumatic. What are some things that I can do to ensure this move goes smoothly for her?

Dear parent,

Hopefully, your daughter has visited her new school so she has a good idea of the physical layouts. The more familiar your child is with the new environment, the more comfortable she will feel.

Besides visiting a school in person, your daughter should visit the middle school’s website. It will definitely increase what she knows about the school with information about policies, vacation dates, grading, and possibly pictures of the teachers.

Feeling comfortable is also enhanced if your children reconnect with former classmates before the first day of school. It can be very helpful if they arrange to go with friends they already know on this day.

It also pays dividends for children to talk to students who are attending or have recently attended their new schools. They can give helpful insight about things to do and not do.

You may gain a greater perspective on what middle school is like by reading “Middle School: The Inside Story: What Kids Tell Us, But Don’t Tell You.”Parents should send questions and comments to dearteacher@dearteacher.com or ask them on the columnists’ website at www.dearteacher.com.

© Compass Syndicate Corporation, 2016.

Distributed by King Features Syndicate