Homework

We all know what it is, work assigned to be done at home. But what is the purpose? That varies per teacher. Some teachers assign homework because it is the thing to do but never bother to check it. Some may walk around the classroom and mark in their books whether it was completed or not, thus giving the student a grade. Others collect it, check for accuracy, and then provide the student a grade based on correctness.

However, there is little to no research that supports homework as a way to improve academic achievement. In fact, there is research that shows that too much time spent on homework is actually detrimental to learning!

So what is the answer? Do you think your child should have homework? And if so, how much? What should be the purpose of that homework? How should it be graded?

I want to know your feelings about homework as we prepare to launch our own school based on a model of reinforcing and correcting work immediately in the classroom, rather than sending home homework.

We value your feedback! Please share your opinions and be entered into a drawing to win a $50 gift card from Dave and Buster's! This contest is now closed.

Volunteer - What does it mean?

What do you think of when you hear the word volunteer? For me, it is a person who is dedicated to a cause in such a way that they give freely of their time and energy to an organization in helping to sustain it. Volunteers make the world go round, in my opinion, and are in high demand for many organizations, including our public schools.

Just this past fall the local schools found themselves in a budget shortfall that had them out asking for more parent volunteers to help out in a variety of ways from secretarial work to the library and health room, and even as teacher aides. However, to work within the schools as a volunteer, you need to undergo a background check. The district has paid for these up until tomorrow. Starting January 1st, 2011, all volunteers that are required to undergo a background check will have to pay the $20 fee themselves.

But it gets even more interesting because the list of those required to background checks aren't the parents who volunteer to come into the classroom to assist with parties, go on field trips, or even chaperone school dances, having direct access to students. The ones required for background checks are those that have a regular schedule in the schools but may not even have direct contact with the kids. (Don't get me wrong here, I think it is important to check backgrounds and make sure those working around kids don't have a criminal history abusing kids, I am just questioning which ones get the check and who gets a pass.)

If the school needs help that badly, ie volunteers to put library books away and make photocopies in the office, then why can't they cover this one time, very nominal fee for those volunteers? How else do you thank volunteers for all their hard work and the FREE labor they provide? It all comes down to one thing....money. Boy, BVSD sure has had its share of money issues this year and I have mentioned money quite a few times in my posts. So what is their end game in having volunteers pay for their own background checks? Perhaps it is their way to try to get the voters to approve more taxes for the sake of the schools. Yet, I still come back to the fact that most schools have too many administrators and if they need to cut back, why not do it there. Instead, the parent volunteers, those who are willing to give freely of their time, are now asked to pay a $20 fee to come help out at the school. So how do you feel about paying to volunteer?

Has This Happened to You?

Granted, this was made by some attorneys as an advertisement, as noted by their names said several times at the end of the movie, but I think it is makes a valid point.




Most recently I have been helping a family with a school problem, and actually the doctors now. This has been going on for over 6 months. The school says they can't do anything about the child's potential disability because it would be considered AD/HD which has to be diagnosed by a doctor. The doctor said that the school was doing whatever they could for the student, so they aren't going to give the child the label of AD/HD because it wouldn't really help the child. So in the end....who loses? The child in this case. Now many of you know I don't always advocate labeling, but in this case, I believe it necessary to get the child the help needed to succeed in the school setting.

This is just one of many things I encounter on a regular basis in the local schools in our area, although it was the first time I dealt with a family doctor who was unwilling to help the family out. Without money, it is difficult to get an outside assessment because these can cost anywhere from $700 to $1500 or more. So what is a family to do? Keep on fighting the good fight and make a stand for your child that lets the school know that they are responsible and you are not going away.

Study Tips

As finals will be here in less than 2 weeks, here is some advice for those who need to prepare:

• Review/ copy your notes. Take 15 minutes each day to review or copy your notes for each class. If you have 4 core classes, it will take you 1 hour each day. If you start today, you will get almost 3 hours of studying per class done before the first exam date, December 13th. This is much better than trying to cram in a study session of 3 hours the night before the exam.

• Make note of questions. While you are reviewing your notes, write down questions you have about anything that is unclear to you. Try to schedule a time to meet with your teacher before review day in class. If you can't, have those questions ready for review day when the teacher asks if anyone has any questions. If you wait until the night before to study, you may not have a chance to get those questions answered by the teacher.

• Try different places to study. There have been numerous studies done that show conflicting research on where a student should study. However, just as each student learns differently, I believe we all study differently too. Find the place that you feel works best for each subject area or type of studying you are doing. Keep in mind that this may not be the same place for each class.

• Limit distractions. Try to limit your distractions while studying. That most likely means turning off the television and the radio. However, some people need auditory stimulation while they study, so choose noise that serves as a background like favorite songs you have heard a million times or something without lyrics. Likewise for visual and tactile stimulation. Gum is a great tactile stimulant, but if you find yourself focusing on the gum rather than your notes, give it up and try something else like a squish ball or a piece of sand paper.

• Take a break. If you find yourself doing long study sessions, take a break. The average attention span for humans is 45 minutes. Don't get discouraged if you can't study that long in one sitting. Get up, stretch your legs, drink water, or get a healthy snack.

• Don't study right after dinner! Most parents expect students to do their homework if not before, then right after dinner. But think about this, your brain requires oxygenated blood to think and so does your stomach to digest food. If you are dividing your resources up you could end up with a headache, upset stomach, poor focus, or any other number of issues from the lack of oxygen needed to perform those functions. Just like they used to say about swimming, wait 30 minutes before diving in!

Good luck on your finals and study well!!

The Magician's Trick

On Thursday this week, Arne Duncan praised the progress made by IDEA law as the 35th anniversary of the passage of this legislation approaches. He went on to say that although there has been progress, the dream hasn't been fully realized yet. However, the law is a victory in the civil rights movement as disabled children as included more and more in schools with their non-disabled peers. And it goes on from there.

But here is the magic trick......while you are distracted by the speech and lines like this one, "Those students with disabilities who did attend public schools often were bused long distances to schools where they had little chance to interact with the full range of their peers," in the background something else is at work at the Department of Education.

Just last week the Office of Civil Rights at the Department of Education ruled against families who want to keep preschool children in their local preschools rather than attending a special preschool for kids with disabilities. The ruling states that there is not enough evidence to find that this violates the law. Since there are peer models of non-disabled students and they are providing services as required by law, the court felt that these students were receiving special education in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE). However, 85% of the children attending this preschool are identified as disabled and only 15% are non-disabled.

Why does this matter? Currently in the US there is an estimated rate of only 10-11% of students with disabilities being served in public education. That is a very small proportion of disabled to non-disabled peers. This new preschool, while providing peer interaction, does not provide enough non-disabled peer interactions when compared to the true ratio in the general population. Last time I looked, it was more common to follow what the majority of your peers are doing. So how is shipping these students off to a special school where the vast majority of your peers are also disabled actually providing an adequate educational setting for these students?

I don't know about you, but the magic trick didn't work on me. Flowery speeches don't change the fact that the current education system is not meeting the needs of the disabled as originally intended by IDEA law. I see this ruling by Mr. Duncan's own department for what it is, dead wrong and a step backwards in time that will not help our students with disabilities to integrate as part of society.

Issues for Adults with Developmental Disabilities

This week I had the opportunity to interview someone at a local organization that serves adults with developmental disabilities. I am excited to share it here, because I feel that even as adults, we are all continually learning. Therefore this is very relevant to what I do and how I feel about education. Keep on learning.... Michelle

The Arc for Boulder and Broomfield counties is called The Association for Community Living in Boulder County. Nicole Newsom is the Director of Activities for this organization and also serves on committees for several organizations that focus their services for people with developmental disabilities.

Michelle: What types of services does your organization offer?

Nicole: Our organization provides advocacy services for both adults and children. We are also involved in public policy, informing the public the implication of the laws made at state and federal level for families and individuals with developmental disabilities. Finally, we also provide classes to the community in order to promote a sense of community between those with and those without developmental disabilities.

M: Why is this important to adults with intellectual disabilities?

N: Some of these adults are unable to advocate for themselves. Often they are unaware of their rights and therefore need a voice to speak for them to ensure they receive services and have a positive quality of life. Also, our facility offers them a safe place to learn and meet people.

M: What social issues do you see in your outreach to adults with intellectual disabilities?

N: There are many social issues including isolation, sex education and parenting. These issues are all things we try to address through our social and educational opportunities. Another issue is the quality of care in those providers that serve people with developmental disabilities. Unfortunately there is little supervision or follow through from the state to ensure these providers are providing quality services. Finally, the biggest issue I see is the lack of funding. Here in Colorado there is a long wait list just to get the services that these people need to survive.

M: What perceptions do you think society has with regards to adults with disabilities?

N: I think most people get a picture of the smiling Down syndrome child in their mind when they think of developmental disabilities. However, the diversity is expanse and this picture does not encompass the entire population by any stretch. Another perception is that these are not normal adults and therefore, must be treated differently. Sometimes, I find myself attending doctor’s appointments with an adult with developmental disability as a friend, to support them. It is frustrating for me and the adult with developmental disability when the doctor starts talking to me rather than addressing them directly. It is as if the doctor doesn’t believe that adult can understand anything he is saying.

M: How do you feel that your organization can change those perceptions?

N: Modeling is one of the best ways to do this. We try to model appropriate interactions with these adults in the community, at meetings, in classes, and at the doctor’s office. We hope that by modeling these things others will learn that the interaction with these adults is not much different than what they are used to with their friends, families, and co-workers. Another way we change perceptions is through public policy.

M: What ethical issues do you deal with in your work, with regards to adults with intellectual disabilities?

N: Monitoring care is a big issue. Another issue is guardianship and knowing what level of assistance the individual needs. The final issue is human rights, because sometimes you have to suspend an adult’s rights in order to ensure they are safe and healthy.

M: How do you feel those issues impede the process of assisting them?

N: Without monitoring care, there is no way to be sure that abuses are not occurring within organizations that serve these people. Guardianship is important as a layer of protection to prevent these abuses and to ensure that the individual’s needs are met. As for human rights, it is important to ensure that when rights are taken away that a clear path is provided to the individual on how to obtain those rights again.

M: What ways do you suggest to overcome these obstacles in order to provide the best service to meet the needs of adults with intellectual disabilities?

N: More funding is needed. Many people who work with organizations that serve adults with developmental disabilities are over worked and under paid and it is common for turnover to be high. Also, it is very important to teach self-advocacy skills to these adults. The more they know the more power they will have to protect themselves from others and to navigate the system to make sure they access all the services that are available to them.

A Silly Ban on Silly Bandz

It's 9am morning announcements and what did they just say? Silly Bandz are now banned in school? (picture of silly bands on right comes from their website)

This is the trend. As children get excited about the cute rubber bracelets made into shapes, the schools are suddenly banning them. Why?

From the Denver Post : "What was happening is in the classroom itself, kids were more preoccupied with who they were going to trade with, and what they were going to trade, than the teacher teaching," said Jonathan Wolfer, principal of Douglass Elementary School in Boulder. Read more: Despite school bans, the Silly Bandz fad plays on - The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/lifestyles/ci_16098144#ixzz10OARBMZd

So let me get this straight, teachers are having difficulty getting students to focus on their work because of a bracelet. Now that we have banned the bracelets, the students are suddenly more focused on their school work, right? WRONG! Despite the ban, those classrooms aren't going to be any better for it. If a teacher has an effective management style, that should transcend any fad or general student misbehavior.

Recently in my course work I read a statistic that really bothered me: praise of students occurred only once every 15 to 30 minutes while reprimands occurred once every 2 minutes (Yell, Meadoes, Drasgo, & Shriner, 2009). Talk about negativity in the classroom. However, everything I have been taught about being a teacher in my undergrad and my graduate work so far indicates that positive interaction in the classroom is the way to prevent behavior issues. Unfortunately, I think this is a societal tendency, in that we are quicker to complain about something than to praise.

By the way....for those of you who are clients of ours, Bolder Tutor will continue to use Silly Bandz as an incentive for student engagement and achievement.