Back to school and thinking about school for public school parents and teachers is on my mind.
This year we had hoped the pandemic would be over. Sadly, it is not.
My hope is all children, parents, and teachers may receive a vaccine. My grandsons are too young, as is Miss Owl. For the students old enough, I hope they can all be protected.
A morning and evening routine will help children be refreshed for school in person, hybrid, or at home. Routines are very important for families. A backpack check each morning and evening will help prevent miscommunication and overdue library books. Routines include homework.
Back to homework is rarely without issues. I have previously written about this topic, but it is really a big issue for parents and teachers so worth discussing again.
As a public school teacher, parents, and even children would ask for various options for this issue. What is best? Homework or no homework? Experts actually have no definitive agreement or research on whether or not homework has long-term benefits. There are ongoing debates about its effectiveness for primary grades.
The lack of agreement explains why different schools and teachers have different policies and guidelines. However, the one area of total agreement is that children should read and be read to at home. Reading outside of school has huge academic benefits. Simply reading aloud to children or having them read beginning readers do not develop literacy without caregivers discussing the books and pictures, though.
Writing at home helps children realize writing has a purpose and an audience. Children may help writing grocery lists and thank you notes. There are free letter writing frames as discussed in this post. When weather permits, children may enjoy going to garage sales (even if you have to donate the purchases later) as that helps them understand making change. There are few times a child learns about coins in real life, especially now in the pandemic. We are using credit cards and debit cards and avoid cash that might have germs.
Teachers appreciate children who learn about coins, making change, are read to often, and write at home. It shows in class and helps lift the entire class when some children understand.
Thank you for reading, Carolyn
