Helping to build a learning community

By Alan Bailey

In this article, the second of a series examining the ways in which parents can help at the school, we consider parent help in the primary grades.

While kindergarten provides the foundation to a student’s progress through school, the primary grades, grades one and two, are where the building bricks of emerging in-charge learners slot into place, as the students begin to focus increasingly on their individual learning needs and achievements.

Parents need to be involved in the building process, both at school and at home, helping the kids see where bricks need adjustment, and perhaps spotting where a little more mortar is needed. And primary is the stage where students really work intensely on learning to read and write fluently.

The start of the school day is particularly important, both as a time for parents to check in on what their children are doing and as an opportunity to talk to the teacher, if there are any issues requiring discussion, said primary teacher Leigh Whitaker. Parents can also visit with each other, figuring out what tasks need to be done and offering mutual help.

“One of the nicest things is having parents coming in the morning, into the building, into the room, and just helping the kids get settled in,” said primary teacher Kass Friend. “It makes a huge difference in how their day goes.”

Parents can, for example, ask their children to show them their writing journals, documents that the students work on continuously but which never go home.

“That’s a nice way for parents to keep in touch and to also let their child feel supported,” Kass said.

The exact help needed as the school day progresses depends on the skill area, reading or math, for example, that is the focus of that particular day. When the focus is on reading, it is particularly valuable for parents to act as reading coaches, listening to individual students and providing a new pair of ears for the student to read to.

That is especially important for beginning readers, Kass said.

The teachers provide parents with notes about the various reading strategies that the students are using – certain kids may be working on particular strategies.

“You teach them a strategy and then kind of scaffold their practice, so they’re reading books at just the right level,” Leigh said.

Parent coaches can also prove invaluable in assisting students with their writing skills.

“We also have writing coaches that come in at the writers’ workshop time,” Leigh said.

Parents can help students develop their story ideas as part of the writing process, Kass said.

“They often have an idea of what they want to talk about but they don’t know how to get started, or they’re not sure what to say,” she said.

And just commenting on what a student has written can provide much needed encouragement.

“It’s invaluable to have somebody say ‘I hear what you’re saying here. Oh I get what you’re telling me,’” Leigh said.

Parents can also help with math coaching, asking students how they figured something out, or perhaps asking them to take a second look at a solution that’s not quite correct.

In the classroom, whatever class is in progress, a parent helper can move around, asking individual students about what they are doing, particularly if there is unfinished work or work that needs more attention. Just asking simple questions such as “What were you doing here?” can help a student navigate a problem, perhaps finding that “Ah ha” moment of understanding, Leigh said.

But when helping in class, parents should avoid the temptation to provide students with solutions, Leigh said. Instead, the students should have the space to explore problems for themselves.

“Guide them, don’t show them,” Leigh said. “Lead with questions – don’t just pound out an algorithm and tell them the answer.”

Help can and should extend beyond the classroom, with parents encouraging their children to read to them at home, for example.

“We can’t give them enough reading practice in school every day,” Kass said. “They really need to spend some time at home reading.”

Kids love to be read to, with family book time providing an excellent opportunity to introduce more advanced material, perhaps extending a child’s vocabulary.

And working through some of the more mechanical aspects of learning, such as math facts and Dolch words, can usefully be done at home or in the car, thus freeing up class time for activities where the teacher can add most value to the students’ learning experience.

Another vital aspect of parental involvement in the primary grades is the preparation of materials for use in class.

“We are so lucky in the school that parents come in and do the copying, and do the cutting, and sort the beans, and do a whole range of seemingly minor tasks,” Leigh said. “I would like to know the number of hours we get to spend working with the kids, to do the enrichment projects, that parent help affords us. I know it would be a very big number.”

Parents who’ve only sent their kids to Chugach Optional may not realize just how enriched the school’s curriculum is, thanks to parent help in class preparation, she said.

Perhaps nothing illustrates this aspect of Chugach education more than the rain forest program that the primary teachers organize every couple of years. It’s a huge project where the parents come in and totally transform the room with festoons of paper undergrowth, luxuriant trees and exotic wildlife – the kids become so jazzed and excited about it, Kass commented.

It would not be possible to do this activity without parent help, Leigh said.

STUDENTS SPEAK OUT ON CHUGACH

Editor’s Note: The Parent Education Committee asked Dagmara’s family group to comment on how some key aspects of our program have worked for them personally. Here are some of the quick essays the students wrote for us. They show the students really understand the Chugach Philosophy and how it works in their lives. And they also show that the philosophy works, because these 5^th and 6^th graders express themselves clearly and well. The essays have received very little editing.

Thank you, kids. You are an inspiration to us adults!

Not Having Grades
by Ursula

I like not having grades, because they don’t put extra stress on your shoulders. I always try to do my best and when I feel good about my work, that is enough for me. I don’t want anyone to put a value on my work. If my teacher graded it a C, I would feel horrible. I would doubt my ability and my work would possibly get worse, not better. At the same time, getting a bad grade might make me try harder.

Lately 5th and 6th graders have been put in wagon trains for pretend travel across the west with fate cards (either good or bad). In a wagon train, each member relies on every other member. Everyone has to get their work in on time and we get points, kind of like a grade. I have noticed that more students are getting our work in on time. Although sometimes it is rushed and sloppy, sometimes it is amazing work. The point I am trying to make, is that someone’s opinion sometimes can make you feel down in the ditch. Getting no grades but comments from the teacher, is just fine for elementary school. Extra stress in elementary school is not necessary.

Why is it Valuable to have Parents Work in our Classroom
by Kipp and Coltrane

It’s very important to have parents in our classroom because when parents are in the Classroom they can help us kids do our math work and help us learn new things. They can also work with the teachers and help them with jobs so they have more time.

Parents can also help with the writing work when we are having trouble. Teachers are good, but having your dad work with you is best. I think that having your parent in the room motivates you because when your parents are here you want to show them that you can work hard without stopping. I would want my parents to be in the room.

We think parents are very helpful in this school and that without them I would think that I would not be doing as good well I am doing right now.

Parents Are Part of Learning
By Rachael

My parents are part of my learning at Chugach because they come into the school and work with my class on big projects and sometimes they help with math lessons. And they volunteer to help with the big parties like the Halloween Carnival and the Science Fair. Parents also help at home with homework or if you’re sick and need to get work done for the next day. Occasionally there is some concept that I don’t understand so I ask my mom and she explains it to me in a different way than my teacher did. That always helps.

All parents help in some way even just getting kids to school on time. And everyone's parents have been helping them since they were born, school is just somewhere they need to step up a level of help. Parents have a pretty big part in our school because it provides opportunities for lots of different events, like minicourses, world celebrations, and Outdoor School, which couldn’t happen because teachers don’t have enough time to run everything.

What being an in charge learner means to me
By Grace
I think being a in charge learner is getting work done, by planning what you’re going to be doing for the week, and doing it. In charge learners challenge themselves, they put their ideas into their work and find opportunities to share their ideas with others. Anybody can be an in charge learner; you just have to work harder and put your mind to it.

At Chugach, you really have a chance to participate in our learning and you take it or you don’t. I think I am still working for my goal which is being a in charge learner, but I have one more year and once I achieve my I goal I will feel good about myself and my teacher will smile and when she does, it will make me feel even more happy. Being an in charge learner is not impossible. You just have to try, do your best and you will probably be an in charge learner.

How I feel about working with older and younger kids
By Maya Stevens

I think working with older and younger kids is a really great opportunity. I’m in 5th grade and I have been at Chugach ever since Kindergarten. Here at Chugach we have combination classes with different types of kids, and even different grades.

I have an older sister, who has been in Chugach and is now in 7th grade. She has helped me a ton with making friends, and stuff like how to solve problems with friends. I also have a little sister in kindergarten and I hope to do the same for her. Chugach has taught me that you should help the younger, and listen to the older.

How I feel about working with younger and older students.
By Roxanna J. Reynolds

I mostly love working with all kids and it helps me have fun with my work. It’s like working with my little brother or my older sister. This is a great thing when you help other kids (older or younger) and it might help you. I took a survey a few weeks ago about this same topic and hardly any kids said they don’t like it, so it must be helpful in this school. I do like this school and I hope it stays that way.

There are so many things I want to learn out there in the world and some of those things I can learn from other kids in my school, like my sister. I have so many friends here and they really help me and show me how to do this and that, so maybe working with younger and older kids can help you because they help me.

Guys, Dudes and Hombres needed in the classroom

By Charles Wohlforth

Chugach Optional needs more men volunteering in the classroom and in all the aspects of our kids’ education.

Don’t get me wrong: I have nothing against women. No one likes them better than I do.

But our children do not see enough men during their school day. And it matters, especially to our boys.

This is not a guilt trip. The truth is, guys are missing out on some of the best fun they’ll ever have, spending time at school and getting to know their children’s friends. You kid’s childhood goes by incredibly fast, and it make no sense to miss the third of it that happens at school.

In earlier generations, dad’s never held a baby bottle or changed a diaper. In many families, fathers were distant disciplinarians and rule-givers. Ask your dad what his dad was like.

We’re not that way anymore, but school still remains a mostly female realm. I have theories for that. In part, culture teaches us what our roles are. But we’re also influenced by the social environment. Women tend to ask women to volunteer, and men feel funny entering an all-female workplace.

My message to guys: Man up! There is no feminine wall around our school!

When boys have men in the classroom, they often behave better. Their respect for the school and what they are working on can increase. Their sense of teamwork and mission can be activated in a way they may not feel with a female leader.

I first experienced this working in kindergarten. I worked with boys and girls on a project that involved drilling holes in a piece of wood. The boy’s clumsy little hands needed a lot of guidance, but they approached the task with total seriousness.

In the hallway the next day, one of these tiny dudes gives me a manly nod and fist-pump of greeting. We had bonded like war buddies. And now that he’s almost done with Chugach, he’s still a bud.

Volunteering is easy. There are many ways to do it. You don’t have anything going on in your day that is more important.

Why we have theme studies

By Susan Joling

Theme studies are an important part of the Chugach curriculum. This approach to learning addresses 21st century skills, interdisciplinary study and individual student interests. Projects and problem-based learning are keys to 21st century learning. Theme studies provide a venue for the “4 C

ʼs” of the 21st century learning and innovation skills of critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity. Consider how the 4 Cʼ

s are woven into two theme-based projects in the intermediate grades.

At Chugach, third and fourth graders become castle engineers as they apply what they learned during their Medieval Studies to a historically accurate depiction of a community living space for those times. Those duct-taped, sometimes edible, sometimes astounding architectural feats tell a story of applied learning, problem solving, and planning a project from beginning to end. Never mind the thoughts of a few parents who stayed up late with their castle builders: Can I sell this to a primary parent in the name of recycling??

Another third/fourth theme, Alaska Studies, starts with an “essential question” connected to our state

ʼs history: How did Alaskansʼ

environment shape their customs, beliefs and traditions? To answer this question with deep understanding, students must study Alaska geography, Native ways of knowing, Alaska history, ethnobotany, and traditional Alaska art forms. They must read, write, speak, and listen to create scripts for their Native village performances. They must collaborate and think creatively to communicate their understanding through their presentation. Responding to the essential question requires “uncoverage” of a theme rather than coverage. Depth and complexity supersede coverage. Leading with a question encourages students to tailor their own interests within the theme by asking more questions.

Theme studies not only provide interesting contexts for learning but weave in many content areas. It isnʼt the nature of knowledge to be divided into little compartments called content areas. No subject is an island. By stressing connections across the curriculum and using themes, learning becomes more engaging and meaningful for students.

Reviewing progressing and celebrating achievement

By Alan Bailey

On the basis that nothing succeeds like success, a student led conference, a hallmark of education at Chugach Optional, celebrates student achievement rather than chastising student shortcomings. Like a proud gardener in the summer sunshine proudly showing people colorful flower beds and neatly trimmed lawns, the results of months of painstaking labor, a student at a conference presents attentive parents with a portfolio of recent work.

“It’s a celebration. That’s the bottom line,” said middle grade teacher Sharon Lee Jones.

A student led conference is very different from a traditional school conference, typically involving a review of a report card and an assessment against standard grades. Essentially, in the student-led approach the student works with the teacher to prepare a portfolio of work and then the student reviews the portfolio with his or her parents. And following the Chugach principle of building in-charge, independent learners, the students take primary responsibility for choosing and organizing the material that they want to present.

“It makes them responsible,” explained upper grade teacher Linda Biddle. “They’re not just sitting and listening to someone else’s expectations.”

In addition, conference preparation gives each student an opportunity to review work done in recent months, looking back through the results of projects, remembering science experiments and perhaps recalling math problems tackled and conquered.

But the process does vary a bit as the students grow older.

Below third grade, with the students finding the portfolio reviews quite intimidating, the teacher facilitates the meeting with the parents, steering the student through the portfolio material. From third grade onwards, however, each student meets for 30 minutes with just the parents, a situation that ensures that the student can take charge without the temptation to keep glancing at the teacher for help.

“We practice it beforehand,” Sharon Lee explained. “They go through the list of things they want to share. I think that the ownership that we see with them doing that is fabulous.”

After the portfolio review, the teacher comes into the conference to help review the student’s own assessment of progress and achievement.

And, whereas in third and fourth grades students tend to select work that they particularly want to share, fifth and sixth grade students share almost everything they have done, showing more of a complete collection of work rather than focusing on specific pieces, Linda said.

Maximum benefit from a conference arises from parents actively listening and asking well focused questions, a dynamic that requires the conference to take place at an appropriate time and in a suitable setting.

Although most families face conflicting demands on their time it's important that parents demonstrate their interest in their child's work, show that they value the work, by taking time out to participate in the conference at the school during the regularly scheduled conference periods. Trying to conduct the portfolio review at home, or in a rushed 15 minute period before school in the morning, doesn't allow for the quality of interaction between parent, child and teacher and doesn't resonate in the same way, commented middle grade teacher Cami Dalton.

With no grades and an emphasis on successes rather than problems, some anxious parents may worry about how the conferences help them assess their child’s progress. That’s where the Chugach philosophy of continuous parental involvement at the school comes into play, Linda explained. Long before a conference takes place, parents should have been engaged with their child’s school career, visiting with the teacher as necessary and generally keeping abreast of what is going on. A teacher will alert parents to any serious problems with their child’s progress, with this type of intervention being completely separate from and inappropriate to the child’s conference, Linda said.

But what about the lack of grades?

Evaluating work through standard grades is like telling the gardener exactly what to grow and then judging the results by evaluating how closely the flower beds match the standard, Linda said. Why not instead set some expectations for how the garden should look, provide guidance on how to proceed and then let the gardener use some self-directed independence, growing the required plants while also moving creatively beyond what has been asked, seeking new possibilities, perhaps adding an unexpected couple of rose bushes or finding a way to deal with an awkward patch of weeds?

The conference, the student’s garden show, can then become, not just a recognition of success in what the student is expected to do, but also a celebration of the student’s unique achievements. In fact, Cami said, a common problem with a grade-based evaluation system is that students can become so focused on achieving grades that they stop working and thinking for themselves.

In addition, different children develop at different rates, in different subject areas at different times, making a one-size-fits-all standard an ineffective way of assessing student progress. The beauty of the Chugach Optional approach to education is that students have space to develop in their own ways, with a conference providing a venue to dwell on achievements, some small, some large, that a student can feel proud of.

“They know that they have accomplished something that is of great value to themselves,” Linda said.

Making drop-off and pick-up time count

By Charles Wohlforth

When I lead tours for prospective students, the one fact that always causes some of them to gape with amazement is the news that at Chugach we don’t give grades.

Why would children ever do their best unless trying to earn grades? How else can teachers communicate with parents? How can parents know what their children are accomplishing?

The Chugach Handbook, which is the best statement of our philosophy, states that we believe the best measure of a child’s work is the work itself. Instead of waiting for a teacher to give a grade a few times a year, Chugach parents need to be looking at what their children can do all the time.

The communication link from student to teacher to parent can be stronger and certainly richer at Chugach than at a school that relies on grades to report on children’s progress. But keeping that link healthy requires effort from parents.

The information paths are many. Conferences with students and teachers. Completed work that comes home and homework completed with parent supervision. Performances and presentations at school and work posted on the walls at school.

One of the best ways of assessing a Chugach kid is less formal than all of these: checking in when you drop off and pick up your child.

The minutes at the end of the school time when I come in to gather up my children can be the warmest and most social of my day, when I see many friends and lots of smiles and energy from happy kids. But it’s not fun only. I also use the time to touch base with teachers and find out how we’re doing. Often a few sentences can let me know where problems lie and get us motivated in the right direction.

Coming in 15 minutes early to pick up creates an opportunity to watch the classroom in action, and to see how your child fits in and works with the group.

The morning drop-off can be even better for that (in our family it’s usually not my job). Getting kids into the class, settled, and started with work can give a parent and excellent feel for how they handle the school environment and their abilities in concentrating and completing tasks, as well as particular academic strengths and problems.

What I like most is the human connection of these moments in the school. Chugach parents can know much more about their children’s progress, and know it much more deeply, by being part of the child’s world. That’s a wonderful opportunity to enjoy while it lasts, during these short years.

Starting to grow as a school family

By Alan Bailey

This is the first of a series of articles exploring how parents can help in their children’s family group. The type of help needed changes as the students move through the school – this article looks at how the Chugach Optional philosophy of parental involvement works in kindergarten.

There’s always some excitement in the air on the day towards the end of August when the year’s new intake of kindergarten students arrives at the school with their parents. Like explorers in a new land, both parents and children are often apprehensive as they walk down the corridor to the unknown territory of a kindergarten classroom, and so into to a new chapter of family life.

Children wonder what school will be like, while parents, having agreed to help at the school, may feel nervous about what they’ve committed to.

Sometimes parents – business people used to working in an office, for example – are unsure about what they should do when dropped in the middle of a group of energetic five- and six-year-olds, said Jean Ward, Chugach Optional’s long-time kindergarten teacher. But people talk to us and to each other, and soon get into the swing of things, said kindergarten teacher Caycee Rezola.

As the school year moves ahead parents really should come into the class at the start of school, rather than just dropping their kids off, said Jean. Better still, stay for at least a short while and work with the students as the first project of the day starts up, she added.

The morning sign-in and settling down period helps parents become acquainted with children besides their own in the family group, as well as enabling people to find out what will be happening in class.

“Sometimes there are some math-related sign-ins. Sometimes there’s the memory book or language arts,” Jean explained.

Besides the start of day, parents are welcome in the classroom at any time, perhaps to help with a lesson, or to help guide students through an activity.

“We hope that we share with the parents in our daily communications that they’re always welcome to come in at any time,” Caycee said.

And parents do not need to schedule their appearances in class ahead of time.

Sometimes people walk in saying “hey, I was on this side of town and I thought I would pop in,” Caycee said, adding that she and Jean always welcome that.

On the other hand, a pre-arranged visit enables Jean or Caycee to plan tasks and activities in advance, often enabling parents to make more efficient use of their time. The teacher may schedule an activity of particular interest to the parent helper, or arrange something that the parent is comfortable doing.

Preplanning can also be more productive for the classroom.

“If I know I’ll have three adults, I could play a new math game that I couldn’t introduce without their help,” Jean said.

Jean described how she will often put a parent in charge of a small group of students, with some general guidance of what is expected. However, it is important that parent helpers observe the teaching philosophy that Jean and Caycee follow, with parents modeling the way in which the teachers interact with the students, ensuring a consistent approach to encouraging the students through the kindergarten program.

Sometimes a parent will work on a home project, perhaps constructing some new structure for a science experiment or a study theme.

Parents also help out by taking on tasks from the kindergarten “task basket.” In fact, the way in which tasks magically disappear from that basket, as willing volunteers line up to see what’s needed, is a hallmark of the spirit of “pulling together” at Chugach, Jean commented.

“You work together, and you grow together, and you’re that family,” said Caycee.

Jean said that some parents worry that they don’t do enough.

“I would share with them that just their presence here and their interactions with the children are so important,” Jean said.

By being in the classroom, parents send a message about how much they value formal education, she said. It’s important to everyone in the school. But, most of all, it’s important to the child.