Dear Loved Ones,
How's your semester going so far? Ups and downs? Downs and ups?
Yep. We are all feeling it together.
Guided by the Semester Lifecycle, we can see the Strong Start phase fading away.
I hope at least a few of the strategies (so far) have been helpful. Together, we are creating the first steps towards a better semester, for both us and our struggling students with brilliant minds.
This week, I'm adding some sprinkles to those strategies, in the form of pro tips. Just some little tidbits that might help make your strategies even better. These tips are in addition to the original strategy blog.
Enjoy!
Supplies
Use sheet protectors. (Like these.) Along with white board markers, sheet protectors make a fantastic reusable space. Use this for time mapping, practice tests, reoccurring checklist or a good ol doodle board. Pssst... Get them cheap at a dollar store near you.
Dry erase markers are our friend. (Like these.) Especially the ones with an eraser and magnet attached. Keep one in each bathroom, to write quick temporary reminders. Also, it's super fun to use dry erase markers on windows when practicing spelling words or working out a math problem.
Dividers with pockets. (Like these.) If binders are a part of the school supplies, use dividers with pockets for easy shove-papers-in-able-ness when in a rush. And, let's be honest. When aren’t our kids in a rush.
Sticky tabs. (Like these.) These are great attention grabbers. 👋🏽 Hey! Remember to hand this in! 👋🏻 Hey! Remember to review this for the test! Your student gets a gentle reminder, AND the satisfaction of ripping them off, when the task is completed.
Cheap pocket fidgets. There are fidgets that you don't need a 504 plan to use. Small enough to fit in the pocket. Silent, so it doesn't bug anyone. Cheap, so that we don't care if it gets lost. Might I suggest: hedgehog rings, hair ties, smooth rocks, zipper bracelets, or eraser shapes.
(Pssst… See more school supply tips and tricks here: Getting Strategic With School Supplies.)
Homework Situations
Get that body moving. 🏃🏽➡️ Especially during this slowing down sluggish time of the semester. 🚶🏽♀️➡️Walk and talk around the kitchen island. 🚶🏻Recite anything that needs to be memorized, answer quiz questions, talk about what was read, and read all while walking.
Get that steady sound going. 🎶 Yep. Silence is not best. Music is great. The key here is steady sound to drown out those sudden sounds like the AC kicking on, the dog bark, people walking around, etc. 🎧 Headphones are your best tool here.
Refocus distractions are magical. When your kiddo is working, and they lift their head directly up, what do they see? That's where you put your refocus distraction. The thing that reminds their wandering brilliant minds of the primary task at hand. The BEST refocus distraction? You. It's you. (see body doubling below)
Body doubling. 🧑🏻🏫 👩🏼🏫 Quite possibly the easiest and most relaxing homework strategy. Simply sitting next to or near your student while mimicking their task. Not to demand persistent attention or hover. Just to mirror what they are doing. Get some work done, pay some bills, or enjoy a puzzle. (Learn more about Body Doubling here.)
Don't step in until. you are asked. You know how you hate to be micro-managed? Hate to be told how to do something instead of figuring it out yourself? Homework is personal. It's communication between student and teacher. Unsolicited advice, registers are criticism, so you are better off not stepping in until you are asked, and allowing the mistakes to be addressed by the teacher.
(Pssst…Check out the main article for more tricks here: Top 5 Parts of A Focused Workspace )
Checking In
Park and snack. Avoid doing your check in, in motion. Jump in with your check in questions when your kiddo is parked (in the car, at the kitchen counter, etc.). Even better, add a snack to conversation to bring them in and relax them while they do the very challenging work of remembering their day (ie. accessing their hindsight and flexing their working memory).
The routine of remembering. The most helpful objective for the daily check is focusing less on homework completion and more on establishing a daily routine of remembering the day. That's the part that needs practice...the remembering. The stop, and survey your day to figure out if there is something that needs to be done is a real challenge for our struggling students with brilliant minds.
Tie check ins to school performance. Of course, this depends on your student's age. If your kiddo hates these check ins, use that to your advantage. Tie the number of days requiring a check in, to the grade report. All A's = no check ins needed. Any Ds or Fs = check ins every day. You get the idea. (Also stay tuned for the Grades Based Freedom strategy which stretches this strategy even further.)
Use the A.R.T. Log approach. Learn about that here: Catching Homework Blunders Without Taking Over.
Grade Report Meetings
👉🏼 (Read the basic gist of this strategy here: How to Catch Falling Grades Before They Crash. )
Good news first. I can't emphasize this enough. Especially going into this next, very tough, month. Spend more energy and time giving attention to the good news, no matter what that grade report is saying. It propels them forward more than the problem conversations.
Proceed with caution and kindness. I'm not saying ignore the problems. I'm actually suggesting that you do talk about the problem areas, from with an abundance of caution and kindness. More often than not, we have to break that pattern of brow beating about the grades. Instead, we need to do things that work better. Please understand that your child is demoralized and your disappointment hurts more a low grade.
This is not the time for lessons. We need to refocus on strategy over lessons. Remembering that unsolicited advice registers as criticism.... even when it's right. Our struggling students are very aware of what needs to get done, and how important it is to do it. The struggle is within the ability to actually execute what needs to happen. So, you can see how lessons aren't nearly as helpful as strategy. Let's focus on the how something is done, rather than the what or why.
Promises are not plans. "I promise I'll do it." "I promise, I'll ask the teacher." Promises are lovely and well intentioned, but we need to hear the plan kiddo. For example, "When do you plan to do that thing. How can I help?" and "How will you remember to ask at the time that you need to ask. How can I help with this?"
Monday or Tuesday. Print that grade report every week. The whole thing. Every class. BUT.... only once a week. Don't even look at that thing more than once a week. You'll drive your frustration and anxiety through the roof. Print that report Monday or Tuesday, this gives you the most accurate because the teachers may have updated it over the weekend.
