EDUCATION MATTERS—SANFORD SCHOOL'S PRIVATE SCHOOL BLOG

Once summer rolls along, it is often hard to resist the temptation to retire completely from the academic pursuits that had kept one so active during the school year. As tempting as this may be, what students often forget is how easy it is to incorporate these lessons into their summer schedules in a way that suits their interests. Here are just a few tips on how to keep the learning going so as to expand your interests and ease the transition into a new school year.

Going to middle school is a big change, and even though your child may be excited, there’s also probably some anxiety about moving up to the next level. This Scholastic article notes that some of the common fears that kids have about starting middle school. Parents can support their children by taking kids’ concerns seriously and, as much as possible, being proactive before the school year begins so that the transition is a smooth one. Read the following five tips that you can use to help prepare you and your child to make the move to middle school.

The National Council for History Education describes twelve practices that make up what they term History’s Habits of Mind, which are the skills that students develop when they are deeply engaged in rigorous history learning. While all of the skills are valuable, there is one that seems especially relevant during Black History Month: Utilizing multiple perspectives for comprehensive explanations. Incorporate this skill in the classroom by:

Lab sheets, calculations, essays, debates; so much of what students accomplish during their school day exists on the mental plane. All of these exercises, and their affiliate subjects, are crucial in molding a child’s critical thinking and quantitative reasoning skills. These are undeniably valuable when considering the scope of one’s academic career, but how often are students able to appreciate all that they are accomplishing? For developing students, the constant mental focus used to excel can be draining. Pair that with the fact that more and more students are trading in their free time for screen time, and suddenly you have an environment where mental fatigue and burnout thrive.

What better gift than to give a child the gift of meeting new people and experiencing new places? Even better, there is no assembly required! Books are an investment in a child’s academic future and can be enjoyed over and over again.

Lifelines, resources, motivators, and inspirations, teachers act as the students’guides through the exciting, sometimes frustrating, but always challenging world of education. They are there to prepare the students for the adult world, help them grow into kind, curious, and diligent citizens, and inspire a love of learning. But a teacher’s role is relatively passive. They can only give so much without input on the parts of the students. Students have to take advantage of these giving members of a school community in order to fully profit from the efforts of a teacher. As such, it is essential that students maintain strong relationships with their teachers to wholly exploit their potential.

How do students maintain strong relationships with their teachers?

Writing college essays is a daunting task for most high school seniors and the cause of much friction between students and their parents in the middle of the college application process. Parents want to see applications completed and submitted well before admissions deadlines while students find thousands of ways to avoid writing their essays. Writing about oneself is never an easy task, but it is especially challenging for teenagers who are just beginning the process of self-reflection that insightful writing requires. These young writers are often apprehensive about putting pen to paper because they believe that their words, which will be evaluated by unknown admissions officers, will determine their college choices and their success in life. 

The study of mathematics involves the balance of procedural skill, fluency, conceptual understanding, and application. Engaging students to make sense of math, rather than teaching them to memorize concepts, helps create mathematical thinkers. An important key to understanding mathematical concepts is a problem-solving approach in the classroom.

The way students read, write, and access information has changed rapidly in our growing digital world. To meet the needs of 21st-Century learning, the role of the librarian is changing and libraries are transforming to better meet the needs of students. They are converting into flexible learning spaces to encourage the gathering and sharing of knowledge. Librarians continue to inspire a passion for learning and are also incorporating teaching strategies for students to navigate the digital world. Librarians encourage students’ learning in the following ways.

Did you know that swinging a hammer in a woodworking shop has a wide range of benefits for students? Woodworking provides the ability to identify a problem, brainstorm the possible solutions, and test your ideas. These skills lend themselves to all aspects of life, both inside the classroom and out. Woodworking classes have recently regained popularity because they build essential life lessons along with reinforcing math, science, and problem-solving skills. In fact, a study from Purdue University showed students benefited from participating in hands-on engineering projects.  A woodworking program benefits students in the following ways: