Engagment

Too many of my elementary school memories consist of (these are the memories of a 'Calvin & Hobbs-esque' boy) sitting through hours of droning by the teacher at the front of the classroom with little in the way of conversation or participation. And the kind of participation we had I was not interested in because I was not fond of being laughed at. All of the classrooms I was in since 1st grade had the desks with the integrated seat, lined up in rows, or columns, depending on one's point of view. As soon as the teacher mentioned something that did not interest me, or that I did not understand, I would tune-out. I was gone until the bell rang for recess, lunch, or the end of the day. I also resented being called on to answer questions my teacher knew darn well I hadn't heard.

On occasion there were those days when lessons were interesting because the teacher was interested, and added relevant material. Material which tied the concepts or skills to our everyday lives. Most everyone can relate to sharing cookies, eating a slice of pizza, or getting change from a purchase. For other students the lessons they remembered may have revolved around sports or music. But to have something that interested me, gained my attention, caused me to care about what was being taught, and I put effort into learning. My comprehension improved tremendously during these times.

Creating lessons for every topic, for every day of the week, for an entire year, that engages all students, at various levels of development, is an extremely tall order. Impossible if the teacher doesn't know anything about the students in his/her class. This is why, when teachers send home questionnaires about your student(s), it is so important to fill them out and return them. The feedback will not only provide the teacher with ideas of what interests are common to students, to aide in the creation of engaging lessons, and it will help teachers build a relationship with each and every student more quickly. This is critical to creating a community within the classroom; healthy community promotes learning; safe community promotes exploration and a willingness to share thoughts, ideas, creations, and opinions. This is where learning happens at its best.

As parents we can help provide the optimal environment for our children by helping them to express themselves by listening to them patiently and asking guiding questions. Helping children be comfortable at home and around other people besides family sharing ideas and opinions will help develop the confidence they need at school. Communication with your child's teacher is also important to find out how your child is doing in class, and to know what his/her teacher's expectations are with your child.