DEAR TEACHER
– by Peggy Gisler and Marge Eberts
Helping all parents make their
children’s educational experience
as successful as possible
Ways for Busy Parents
to Be Involved in Their
Children’s Schooling
Q
uestion: I want to be more
involved in my children’s
schools, but I often work
10-hour days. What are some things I
might do? — Overworked
Answer: The U.S. Department of
Education, Office of Communications
and Outreach gives parents the follow-
ing ideas on how they can be more ac-
tively involved with their children’s
school. Some can be adapted to suit your
schedule.
If you are unable to volunteer in
the school, look for ways to help at
home: Call other parents to tell them
about school-related activities, edit
the school newsletter or make educa-
tional materials for teachers. If you
are bilingual, help translate school
materials or interpret for non-Eng-
lish speaking parents in your school.
Attend back-to-school nights, stu-
dent’s exhibitions and other school
events. Get to know the teachers and
other school personnel. Listen to
their plans, know what they hope to
accomplish with their students, and
understand why they chose these
goals.
Attend parent organization meet-
ings. Voice your hopes and concerns
for your child and for the school.
Help organize parent-teacher meet-
ings around your interests and those
of other parents.
Offer to tutor students. If you are
comfortable with technology, volun-
teer to be a computer tutor for both
students and teachers or ask if there
are other ways that you can help the
school to use technology.
Offer to help in the office or the caf-
eteria or to chaperone field trips and
other outside events.
Agree to serve on parent and commu-
nity advisory groups to your school.
They may consider everything from
school policies and programs to the
kinds of parent involvement activi-
ties the school plans.
Work in a parent resource center or
help start one. In these school cen-
ters, parents may gather informally,
borrow materials on parenting and
children’s schoolwork, and get infor-
mation about community services.
Should All School Work
Be Done on Computers?
Question: At our children’s school,
almost all assignments are done on com-
puter. Are there any good arguments for
them to do some of their work on paper?
— Paperless!
Answer: We definitely are in the
digital era! And educators appear to want
to get as many computers as they can into
the classrooms. Also, many of the Mil-
lennials feel that computers are better for
their children to learn on. Here are a few
points you might want to bring to any dis-
cussion of this issue:
Universities are finding out that stu-
dents who write their class notes by
hand retain the information better
than students who take notes on their
computer.
A higher number of students passed
a standardized test when the test was
taken using pen and paper compared
to students taking the same test on a
computer.
Older students seem to complete
more assignments if they are done
online; however, they don’t seem to
comprehend material taught to them
online as easily as the old-fashion
lecture note-taking method.
Computers used in the classroom
can be a distraction for other stu-
dents with everyone typing at a dif-
ferent rate and all the students hear is
the clicking of the keys.
Also, students type at very different
speeds. Therefore, in writing a timed
essay on the computer, a slower typ-
ist would be at a disadvantage.
Helping Children
with Division
Question: My daughter who is en-
tering fourth grade is still very weak in
her knowledge of her multiplication facts
and now is really struggling with divi-
sion. Could you please send me some
ideas for teaching her division? — Help
Answer: Math concepts are al-
ways challenging. Your daughter needs
to know that the basic facts of division
are really the multiplication facts. Rather
than learn the division facts separately,
most children just turn the multiplica-
tion facts around. For every multiplica-
tion fact, there are two division facts.
Take 4 x 6 = 24. The two division facts
are 24 divided by 6 and 24 divided by 4.
Get your child in the habit of handling a
problem like 24 divided by 4 by saying
“four times what is twenty-four.”
Here is a game that will improve
both your child’s multiplication and di-
vision skills. A game you can play with
your daughter to help teach her division
is called “Cross-Out.” Begin by making
36 cards numbered 1 through 9. Each
number should appear on four cards. You
also need to make a game sheet with 16
or more squares. Fill in each square with
a different answer to basic division/mul-
tiplication facts you are teaching your
daughter. Next, shuffle the 36 cards and
place them face down in a drawing pile.
The top card is picked up and the number
on it read aloud. If the called number di-
vides evenly into a number on her game
sheet, she selects a number to cross out
on the game sheet. She can only cross
out one number on a game sheet for each
called card even though there are other
possibilities. The game ends when she
has crossed out all the numbers on the
game card. This game can be played with
several players, making it more fun.
Parents should send questions and com-
ments to [email protected]
or to the Dear Teacher website.
September 2019 WNY Family 27