2 new posts

I haven't done a great job of updating the "Elementary Principal" blog with the articles from articles from Leadertalk.org http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/LeaderTalk/. Here are 2 I missed. If you haven't yet checked out Leadertalk, it's really worth it.
Have a great rest of the year.
gary

Scrapbooking Academic Touchdowns

September 22, 2009

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Scrapbooking Academic Touchdowns

I recently spent a morning at our youth football stadium watching our primary elementary students battle it out on the gridiron. As the boys fought for the "W" and the girls cheered I noticed one consistent thing about the parents... They all had cameras. Creating scrapbooks has become a national pastime. In fact my own wife spends entire weekends with hundreds of other moms, wives, and grandmas creating these life novels into the early hours of the morning. She records the hobbies, family events, and little growing up moments of our children that we always want to remember. As I sat on the bleachers I wandered how many of those scrapbooks record academic accomplishments like that first A on a spelling test, reading that first level 3 book, or being that student that reads the morning announcements. Like most school administrators our wheels are always turning trying to discover that new way to engage learners and parents in our schools. As I sat on the 50 yard line waving at the students and sharing small talk with parents I realized something.
How could we better share with parents their child's academic accomplishments? Up until a few years ago those "scrapbookable" moments mounted to report cards, the occasional note home, and maybe a test with a large "A" on the front page. It's time to take a leap forward. We recently started using a video website called Eyejot, (eyejot.com). This website allows you to use your computers video camera to record a 60 second message via the web and email it directly to the person of your choice. This allows us to email mom and dad with in seconds a video link of their child proclaiming their academic touchdowns. The beauty is that mom and dad can then forward that on to grandparents, aunts, uncles, and other family members. The goal is intrinsic motivation to continue to grow academically while also giving the parents that "scrapbookable" moment.

Gary Kandel

The Fine Effect

The "Fine" Effect

Any of us with school age children have heard the exchange.
"How was school today?"
"Fine."
"What did you learn today?"
"Nothing."
This scene is repeated daily at countless dinner tables and in the seats of minivans everywhere. Our teachers strive each day to motivate, engage, and educate students of all ages. I've often wondered what switch flips in the child after they leave our classrooms and fail to share the excitement of the past seven hours. Here are a few observations and suggestions.

1. Remind them. Kids, like us husbands, need reminders. Encourage them to share what they've learned by reminding them at the end of the day. One way to make this a part of your routine is to start a classroom blog or website where students can be in charge of documenting the day's learning. This also gives parents a place to investigate the growth that their child is experiencing in the classroom.

2. Ask them. Find out what your students are thinking about after school. What are they involved in? Often we forget that many of our students are only half way through their day after they board those yellow limos. Sports, the arts, church, and family all fill up those hours before they hit the hay. They often do forget what happened by the time they get a chance to sit down and relax with mom and dad. This may not improve sharing their learning, but it will allow us to know and understand more about our students and the lives they live outside the building.

3. The obvious... The past seven hours weren't all that exciting. For educators who haven't quite made the switch, I would encourage you that the best way to impress mom and dad is to impress their child. The 21st century child cannot be educated using worksheets and whiteboards. They must be engaged, challenged, and motivated to discover learning in all areas using 21st century technology. Students must be given the opportunity to apply knowledge in difficult situations to solve exciting problems on a daily basis.

Our schools are in a daily competition for the attention of our students. Our teachers are excellent at what they do, but in many cases this excellence doesn't make it home. Our goal is not convince parents that their child's school is great, but that by encouraging their child to communicate the learning, they may be that much more involved and informed about the education of their child.

Gary Kandel