Category: Blog (Page 1 of 3)

Guest post by Jason Kenner

As a parent, one of the greatest gifts you can give to your children’s teachers is to uphold and reinforce the lessons they’ve taught in the classroom. And in today’s world where learning may take place either virtually or in person, helping your teachers create consistency for students of all grades is crucial for academic success.

If you’re still unsure of how to do just that, Traveling Chalkboard invites you to keep reading for ways you can support your students and their teachers.

Understand academic standards.

Academic standards aren’t always easy to understand. Each school district will have different standards based on federal, state, and local guidelines. According to Education World, most states follow Common Core standards for ELA and mathematics. But other voluntary standards for fine arts, physical education, science, technology, and other subjects can vary wildly. If you want to put yourself in a better position to help your student and teacher, get to know the standards in your school system.

Provide brain-boosting activities at home.

Brain boosting activities are those that help to improve a person’s cognitive abilities. In our digital age, this often means puzzle and logic games. Although most child health experts agree that screen time should not replace other forms of entertainment and activity, certain video games, such as Portal, offer many benefits for honing cognitive functions. This and other games can help keep your teenager’s mind active and, in some cases, can even tie into their curriculum.

Check their student portal.

The vast majority of school systems offer online access to student information. Student portals show grades, attendance, and upcoming events. As a parent, there are plenty of benefits for your students and teachers of checking grades online. For one, you can see if there are any missing assignments. This is especially crucial when your child is switching back and forth from in-person to virtual learning. Even the most responsible high school students may have trouble keeping up.

Prioritize learning over performance.

Learning and performance in school are two different things. Although, as College Express points out, a high school student’s grades can affect their ability to get into college. But this does not mean every student has to be a straight-A ace. Encourage your child to do their best without worrying about other students’ grades. And if you notice that your teen is having trouble in a certain area, offer supplemental education without degrading them for not mastering a standard immediately.

Learning takes time, and every student learns at their own pace. So don’t get frustrated and let your teen know it’s okay if they take a little extra time on certain subjects. Time management is especially important in this regard. Some ways to control study time – and not let it control you – is to keep a time log and analyze it as you go. You’ll quickly discover ways to eliminate time wasters, like automatically responding to texts or emails, or checking social media accounts.

An example here is to take them on an in-person or virtual field trip so that they can learn about mammals, farm life, science, or even data collection. You can also look for ways that what they are learning correlates to “real life” and have them practice their knowledge in this arena. Think geometry in buildings or science in the kitchen.

Make sure your home is a positive place to learn.

Lastly, ensuring that your home is a positive, healthy place to learn can go a long way toward supporting your children. As much as you can, keep everything neat and tidy, as this can actually help remove stress and anxiety. What’s more, clutter can make your home feel chaotic, which, in turn, can trap negative energy. All of this can work against your teenager’s academic efforts, so take steps to keep things as clean as possible.

The last couple of years have been super stressful for everyone. However, as they say, the show must go on, and our kids have to have an education. If you’re looking for ways to healthy support your students and their teachers, the tips above — such as understanding academic standards and not stressing out over grades — are a great place to start. Finally, don’t forget that you can always email teachers to see if they need anything specifically.

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