Synopses & Reviews
Finally, a book that demystifies our daunting education system by giving parents the insights and strategies they need to build positive relationships with teachers and connect to their children’s learning in productive ways.
Decades of research confirm that involved parents = better students. But what does parent involvement look like for busy families? When is the right time to step in? What can you do at home to make a difference? And how much involvement is too much?
As schools wrestle with waves of change and struggle to keep up with international competition, parent anxiety grows. Most moms and dads want the best education possible for their children, but many aren’t sure how to go about getting it. This straight-talking guide by a parent educational consultant and mother of two presents a balanced, candid view that benefits everyone. The Parent Backpack gives step-by-step advice to help parents:
- Understand their role in their kids’ education
- Connect with teachers in respectful ways
- Turn a hesitant or non-reader into a reader
- Avoid homework meltdowns
- Distinguish between learning and achieving
- Support a child who needs more
- Identify and navigate bullying situations
- Fuel kids’ minds and bodies so they can thrive
- And much more.
Full of real stories and tested strategies, The Parent Backpack for Kindergarten through Grade 5 is a must have resource for families who want to ensure their kids get the best education possible.
Synopsis
A parents' guide to getting actively involved in their children's learning and building positive relationships with teachers and schools to ensure that their kids get the best education possible. Tidal waves of change have hit our education systems--some welcome and some not. As we struggle to keep up with international competition, parents are becoming more concerned and outspoken than ever. They desperately want their kids to get the most out of school, but lack the perspective and skills they need to help their kids succeed. This candid guide by a parent educational consultant and mother of two presents a balanced view that benefits everyone. Step-by-step instruction offers strategies to help parents avoid homework meltdowns, discover their child's learning style, distinguish between learning and achieving, recognize teasing vs. bullying, support a child who needs more, and fuel children's minds and bodies so they can thrive.
About the Author
ML NICHOLS is the director and co-founder of The Parent Connection, a nonprofit parent education group, and she runs The Parent Backpack, a parent-school consultancy for elementary parents and educators. She served as the Massachusetts delegate for Parenting magazine's 2012 Mom Congress on Education and Learning in Washington, DC, and has guest blogged for the New York Times' Motherlode blog. Her own blog has been featured on Parenting.com. ML and her husband have two daughters, ages 12 and 15.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction: What I Wish I Knew Then
Part One
Education Today: Insights and Perspective
Chapter 1: Understanding Your Child’s Journey
Chapter 2: Your Role in a Changing System
Chapter 3: Building Bridges to School and Learning
Chapter 4: Kindergarten Matters
Part Two
Connecting to Your Child’s Learning
Chapter 5: Words that Work with Teachers
Chapter 6: Why Jack Likes to Read—and Write
Chapter 7: It’s all About the Teaching
Chapter 8: Balancing Academics with Connection
and Confidence
Chapter 9: When Your Child Needs More Support
Chapter 10: The Social and Emotional Realities of Bullying
Chapter 11: Thinking, Learning, and Technology
Part Three
Supporting Your Child’s Learning at Home
Chapter 12: Guiding Homework, Projects, and Studying
Chapter 13: Fueling Your Child’s Brain and Body
Chapter 14: Coaching Kids to Organize and Self-Advocate
Glossary of Edu-Terms
Bibliography
Index