Dear Parents,
Now is the time that your son/daughter may be trying to assert their independence in many different ways. One positive way that students can assert their independence is taking ownership of their school work. If this is an area where your son/daughter is heading; celebrate! If there is a developmentally appropriate exertion of independence this one is it! (:
Today, the "State Brochure Project" form went home with your child. We had an interesting conversation in class. The students expressed great interest in completing this project on their own (smiles and pride from me). This is the year! It is an amazing transition from elementary into junior high and the hands on help they may have needed in previous years is now more of a "check-in" to make sure he/she is on track.
The script you may hear from your son/daughter, "Mom/Dad, I really appreciate your help. I would really like to tackle this project on my own. But, I would really like you to check it when I am finished, so you can let me know if there are any errors I can fix before I turn it in."
This too is a milestone in your son/daughter's education. This type of communication will allow each student to take ownership and responsibility for their learning. This will benefit their education for years to come!
If you are having trouble with motivating your son/daughter to take control of his/her learning and projects, then an entirely separate script applies... It is more like this, "I have read Mrs. Lennon's blog and I see that you have a Social Studies project due on February 25."
"Can you show me what you have done so far?"
"Here is a checklist from the blog of all the items you need to research for the project, which of these have you completed?" Link to websites for research: Mrs. Lennon's Web Resources for State Project
"We can dedicate 30 minutes each night to the computer for your project. Mrs. Lennon said she helped you learn how to make a brochure in computer class. You should be able to get a good start with that, but ask if you have any questions."
Hopefully this takes care of the different places your student may be in this process. Providing support for you son/daughter is the key as well as allowing them to dive into this project and have pride in the work they accomplish!
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Lennon
