How Is My Second Grader Doing in School?: What to Expect and How to Help - Hardcover

Learning together will enrich your life
Clam Festival time arrived in Maine again, and my family and I played cribbage on the library lawn while waiting for fireworks to begin. "Fifteen for two, fifteen for four and a pair for eight," my seven-year-old announced proudly. He was using strategic thinking, double-digit addition and beating the pants off the rest of his family. Despite losing, we had a moment of disappointment when the fireworks began and our game ended. I was reminded once again that no matter how hectic or harried our lives become, there remains opportunity to slow down and learn together. We spend hours in the car, waiting for appointments or on the sidelines of a playing field with one child while another chases a ball. All of these are opportunities for helping a child stretch his or her thinking. Educators call these natural opportunities "teachable moments," but I find that the phrase doesn't come close to describing what happens between a parent and a child when you take the time to connect through shared activity. The experience doesn't simply enrich the education of your child, it enlarges your own life as well. When I think back on my childhood memories, I recall most the times my parents stopped to help me learn. My earliest memory is one of my mother and I sitting at child-size table. I am drawing a person. My mother is trying to help me see that people have more than heads and legs. (Ironically, my mother, became a child development expert, teaching others that the drawings of three year olds always have legs coming directly out of heads! She wrote the developmental overview chapter for each of our books.) But what etched this memory in my mind were the triumphant feelings of having my mother at the table, coloring with me. My father, a highschool teacher, taught me, too. We had long discussions about a wide range of topics. He taught me to debate, which in truth taught me to think a problem through from a number of perspectives. From time to time I left for school having been shown something new by my parents. This empowered me. I stepped on the school bus knowing I had a leg up. And I did. Children do better when their parents are involved in their education. It was true when I was growing up, and it's just as true today. I hope that you find the books in this series to be immensely helpful in finding ways to help your own children learn. They are meant to act as a guide - answering questions regarding your child's progress in a particular school year, as the questions arise. Dottie Raymer and myself, both educators, and both parents of school-aged children designed the learning activities to match the needs of your child and your busy lifestyle. Let us know if this approach to participating in your child's education works for you.