Getting Ready for School--Hopes and Dreams

As you ready your child for the first day of school this year, your thoughts naturally turn to all the things you hope for and worry about with regard to this particular precious and wondrous mystery you wake up most mornings and tuck into bed many a night. Maybe you make a list, at least in your head:

--He needs to work on his spelling (or her handwriting, or his times tables, or her playground behavior)

--I wish she had a best friend; if only he weren't so angry all the time; I wish he weren't so shy

--He doesn't like to raise his hand; she can be rude and not mean it; she laughs when she's scared

--He still sucks his thumb; she still melts down when she's tired

--He's so impulsive and can barely sit in a chair; she's loud, but not on purpose

--She loves to read by herself; he draws all the time on everything; she loves music

Parent to teacher
Your child's teacher wants and needs to know the hopes and worries of your heart so that in her teaching she can use as much of your knowledge about your child as possible. Write your child's teacher a letter at the beginning of the school year. Tell her your hopes and dreams for your child. She may start the conversation herself with a letter or phone call, or ask you later in the year if your hopes and dreams have changed.

Teachers, children, and parents together
At the beginning of the school year, teachers commonly ask their students to draw and write their goals and hopes for the months ahead--those things the children would like to learn and get better at in school. Teachers share their own goals as well. In the Responsive Classroom approach to teaching and learning, this is called "Hopes and Dreams." It's an intentional activity shared with the whole class, with parents, and often at Open House early in the fall.

What better way to begin a new school year than to meld our hopes and dreams into actions that will help our children learn and grow!

Dear Blog Readers:

Some of you have reported having trouble posting comments on this blog. We think we've corrected the problem, but you can help us make sure by posting a comment yourself. Just click "Comments" below this post. A comment box into which you can type your thoughts should open.

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What makes a blog interesting, of course, is back-and-forth conversation between readers and authors, and I've been missing that, so I hope you'll start sending along your "questions and comments."

--Chip

Comments

[Rosalea Fisher]

Hi Chip -

Your Lily sounds just like our granddaughter Zoe, so developmentally appropriate. I love having the time to notice these important milestones that I was not as keenly aware of when Zoe's father was growing up. Thank you for teaching teachers and parents to take the time to look closely at their students/children.It makes lift so much more interesting and understandable.
Rosalea Fisher

[chip]

Thanks to reader, Rosalea for confirming that the dialogue box is again visible and the comment link tab working again via TypePad. Comment away, blog readers! Chip

[Rosalea Fisher]

Hi Chip -
I have wanted to respond to many of your blogs, but even after pressing the comment link, there was no dialogue box like this one. Not even the one I read this week,or was it last week?

Rosalea