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Hi Mark,
Hope things are going well with you.
I have received A___'s latest school report and the comments from teachers are similar to past years. These include "A___ lacks persistent concentration and is easily distracted by those around her..." and " ...she could make better use of her time when she first arrives at school and would do well to develop effective routines so that she is ready to begin learning rather than involving herself in disputes with others. A___ is encouraged to develop an awareness of how her actions might be unintentionally affecting and antagonising others...modify her own behavior to resolve or avoid conflict...increase her usage of the Mathletics website to extend her ability with regard to speed and accuracy in Maths...easily distracted during share and show sessions..." and the list goes on.
I have a meeting with the principle next Fri to try and formulate a long term plan to manage her in the classroom and I really don't know where to start. All these "A___ needs to" comments are all very well but how do we achieve this? I can't get her to do any homework without a fuss. At home she displays traits of ADHD (inattention, impulsivity and hyperactivity) but I don't have a formal diagnosis. We are managing her behavior at home as per your e-book as you know. At school she is disruptive and inattentive but not to the degree she is at home. She is certainly antagonistic and rude to the kids at school and has no special friends as a result, and although I do try and have kids over to play there are always problems in relation to her immature behavior and it is quite exhausting for me.
I don't want to make the teachers defensive by trying to suggest that A___ needs a management plan at school but her efforts in each subject have gone from being "exemplary" to just "satisfactory" over the last 2 years, the comments take up more room than they used to and I think her grades are going to be affected as time moves on (Maths has dropped from an A to a B this past six months but Literacy is holding at A for the present).
Do you think I am doing the right thing by meeting with the principle? Am I over reacting and should I just let things slide without worrying too much at this time? Can I formulate a plan without offending anyone?
I'd really appreciate you thoughts.
Thanks Mark,
L.
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Hi L.,
Re: Do you think I am doing the right thing by meeting with the principle? Yes.
Re: Am I over reacting and should I just let things slide without worrying too much at this time? I don’t think you are over-reacting.
Re: Can I formulate a plan without offending anyone? Possibly.
Your plan should really be the teacher’s plan. You can come up with a plan, but the teachers will be the ones who will have to implement it. It would be better if they came up with their own plan.
Here are some suggestions:
Any teacher can institute the following suggestions, even without formal student classification:
· Alert child's attention with phrases such as "This is important."
· Allow physically hyperactive children out of their seats to hand out and pick up papers, etc.
· Break down longer directions into simpler chunks.
· Check for comprehension.
· Encourage students to mark incorrect multiple-choice answers with an "x" first. This allows them to "get started" quickly, while forcing them to read all of the choices before making a final selection.
· Encourage students to underline the key words of directions.
· Establish good eye contact.
· Have child sit in the front of the class.
· Tap on the desk (or use other code) to bring the child back into focus.
i. Inform about typical routines (such as vocabulary quizzes on Fridays).
ii. Hand out written assignments for the week; or,
iii. Initial student's homework assignment pads after each period. Please do not expect the student to come up after class for the signature on their own. If they were organized enough to do that, we would not need to be doing this. And, yes, the typical student is organized enough to come to the teacher; but this is not the typical student.
i. A phone call or e-mail takes the child out of the loop, and works best.
ii. The parent could call the team leader/guidance counselor each week for an update.
iii. The parent could mail weekly a card to each teacher. The card would simply have spaces for missed work and comments, and is dropped back into the mail.
i. Use of a computer.
ii. Graph paper helps line up math problems.
iii. Provide a copy of class notes, or arrange for peer to make carbon copy.
iv. Minimize deductions for neatness and spelling. Instead, give extra points for neatness.
i. Liberal use of a calculator.
ii. Consider doing every other problem if homework takes too long.
You may want to use these suggestions as a starting point as you work with the principal to create a “plan.”
Mark
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