Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

AMY JAMES, a former social studies teacher, is a nationally respected authority on educational compliance issues and the No Child Left Behind Act. Her company, Six Things, Inc., provides consulting services for national media, publishers, and school districts on compliance with state and national education standards, as well as professional development for K–12 teachers.

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The key to your child's educational success is in your hands

"Knowledge Essentials is a remarkable series that will benefit children of all abilities and learning styles. . . . I highly recommend it for all parents who want to make a difference in their children's education."
―Michael Gurian, author of Boys and Girls Learn Differently and The Wonder of Boys

"Finally, a book about teaching young children by somebody who knows her stuff!"
―LouAnne Johnson, author of Dangerous Minds and The Queen of Education

In this new addition to the Knowledge Essentials series, Kindergarten Success shows you how to enrich your child's classroom learning and take an active role in your kindergartner's education by exploring:

• What your child is learning at school and the educational standards to expect in math, language arts, science, and social studies―as well as the developmental skills expected of your kindergartener
• Your child's learning style―visual, auditory, or kinesthetic―and how it affects the way your child learns and processes information
• Hundreds of easy-to-do activities designed to help your child meet specific learning requirements
• Environmental learning sections that identify learning opportunities in the everyday world
• Methods and checklists to assess your child's progress
• The developmental and social changes expected of your kindergartener as well as information on how to determine readiness to move up to the first grade
• Recommendations of age-appropriate books and software that will enhance learning

Give your child the gift of your time―and help him or her get the most out of school with Kindergarten Success.

Aus dem Klappentext

The key to your child's educational success is in your hands

"Knowledge Essentials is a remarkable series that will benefit children of all abilities and learning styles. . . . I highly recommend it for all parents who want to make a difference in their children's education."
—Michael Gurian, author of Boys and Girls Learn Differently and The Wonder of Boys

"Finally, a book about teaching young children by somebody who knows her stuff!"
—LouAnne Johnson, author of Dangerous Minds and The Queen of Education

In this new addition to the Knowledge Essentials series, Kindergarten Success shows you how to enrich your child's classroom learning and take an active role in your kindergartner's education by exploring:

• What your child is learning at school and the educational standards to expect in math, language arts, science, and social studies—as well as the developmental skills expected of your kindergartener
• Your child's learning style—visual, auditory, or kinesthetic—and how it affects the way your child learns and processes information
• Hundreds of easy-to-do activities designed to help your child meet specific learning requirements
• Environmental learning sections that identify learning opportunities in the everyday world
• Methods and checklists to assess your child's progress
• The developmental and social changes expected of your kindergartener as well as information on how to determine readiness to move up to the first grade
• Recommendations of age-appropriate books and software that will enhance learning

Give your child the gift of your time—and help him or her get the most out of school with Kindergarten Success.

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Kindergarten Success

Jossey-Bass

Chapter One

No parent says, "Oh, mediocre is okay for my child. Please do things halfway; it doesn't matter." Parents want the best for their children. This is not a matter of spending the most money on education or buying the latest educational toy. It is a matter of spending time with your child and expending effort to maximize what he or she is being provided by the school, by the community, and at home.

Getting the Most from Your School System

You wouldn't think twice about getting the most bang for your buck from a hotel, your gym, or a restaurant, and you shouldn't think twice about getting the most from your school system. The school system was designed to serve your needs, and you should take advantage of that.

Public Schools

Part of learning how to manage life as an adult is knowing how to manage interaction with bureaucratic agencies, so it makes sense that part of this learning take place within a kinder, gentler bureaucratic system. This is a good introduction to working within a system that was formed to assist in the development of children's abilities. Schools are also a workplace-with a chain of command-and that is a good induction into the workplace your child will enter as an adult. To further your child's educational experience, you will have the opportunity to meet and work with:

School personnel: your child's teacher, teacher's aides, specialists, the school counselor, the administrator or principal, and others

Extracurricular groups: scouts, sports, after-school programs, and community parks and recreation programs

Parents of children from your child's class or grade level, school volunteers, and parent-teacher organizations

Participation in your child's education is paramount to his or her success. Active participation doesn't mean that you have to spend hours at the school as a volunteer, but it does include reading all of the communications your school sends either to you directly or home with your child. Also, read the school handbook and drop by your child's school on a regular basis if possible. If you can't stop by, check out the school or class Web site to see what units are being covered, any upcoming events, and so on. Participation also means attending school events when you can, going to class parties when possible, and going to parent-teacher conferences. If they are scheduled at a time when you are not available to meet, request a different time. The school administrator or principal usually requires that teachers try to accommodate your schedule.

The single most important thing you can do to get the most out of your local school system is to talk to your child's teacher. Find out what curricula your child will be covering and how you can help facilitate learning. Does the teacher see specific strengths and weaknesses that you can help enhance or bring up to speed? The teacher can help you identify your child's learning style, social skills, problem-solving abilities, and coping mechanisms.

Teachers play a role that extends outside the classroom. Your child's teacher is the perfect person to recommend systemwide and community resources. Teachers know how to find the local scout leaders, tutors, and good summer programs and community resources. Teachers are truly partners in your child's upbringing.

Your child's teacher cares about your child's well-being. Everyone has heard the stories about having a bad teacher or one who was "out to get my child." If that has been your experience, then it's even more important to have regular conversations with the teacher. Maybe his or her actions or your child's actions are being misunderstood. In any case, your child's teacher is the main source of information about school and the gateway to resources for the year, so find a way to communicate.

If you know there is a problem with the teacher that needs to be taken seriously, try the following:

Talk to parents with children in the class ahead of your child. They may be able to tell you how the issue was approached by parents the previous year-and they will have lots to tell about their experiences with teachers your child will have next year.

Talk to your child's principal. This may result in your child's being transferred to another class, so make sure you are prepared for that prior to making the appointment. Be willing to work with your child's current teacher prior to transferring your child. The less disruption your kindergartner experiences, the better.

Talk to your local school administration center to see what the procedures are for transferring to another school. You will likely be required to provide transportation to a school outside your home district, but if the problem is severe enough, it will be worth it.

No matter what, active participation and communication with your child's school is essential. It empowers you to:

Accurately monitor your child's progress

Determine which optional activities available would enrich your child's learning experience

Prepare your child for upcoming events, curricula, and skill introduction

Share and add to the school learning environment

Create a complementary learning environment in your home

Spend time with your child

And just a word about the school secretary: this person knows more about what is going on in that building than anyone else. When I was a teacher, the school secretary always added to my success and that of my students. The secretary is a taskmaster, nurse, mom or dad, and generally just a comforting figure in what can sometimes be a really big building. The school secretary always knows what forms to fill out, which teacher is where, what students are absent and why, when the next school event is, and how much candy money you owe for the latest fund-raiser. He or she is a source of lunch money, milk money, extra pencils, bus passes, and the copy machine. Get to know and love your school secretary.

Private Schools

On a micro level, participating in your child's education if he or she attends a private school isn't much different from participating if he or she attends a public school. Private schools have access to the same community resources. If you have a child with special needs, the private school should work with the local education agencies to see that your child gets the appropriate services. Through active communication and participation, you will derive the same benefits as parents whose children attend public school.

On a macro level, private schools are different from public schools. Private schools are governed not by a school board but by an internal system. This can be both easier and harder to navigate. Dealing with private schools is easier because the schools realize that you are paying tuition every month, and they want to please their customers. Dealing with private schools is harder because they aren't accountable to the community for their actions, nor are they governed by the same due processes as the public school system. Check out the school's administration hierarchy to see how decisions are made and what roles have been created for parent...