The Clock Is Ticking, the Momentum Is Building

We are getting excited here at GreatSchools as we brainstorm, plan and create the platform that will soon be the GreatSchools Parent Community. We know from the tremendous amount of feedback that we get from you, our readers, that you are anxious to have a place online where you can discuss and share ideas about schools, and the challenges you face as parents of school-age children. Won’t it be great to know that when you have an issue or concern — your child keeps "losing" her homework or her grades have suddenly taken a dip — you’ll have a place to go to get advice? Or when you’ve had a break-through moment with your child — perhaps he has finally developed an interest in reading after discovering a particular author, or you’ve figured out how to help your messy daughter get organized the night before so she is ready for school each day — you’ll be able to share what worked with a community of other parents. We do hope that this community will become a tremendous resource for parents as you all share what has worked for you, and find that it’s a place where you can post a question and get answers from other parents who have had similar experiences.

Here at GreatSchools we gather frequently in the conference room to brainstorm and generate lists of discussion and advice topics. Members of our staff (many of whom are parents like you) will start some of the online groups. We know some of the issues that are on your minds based on experiences we have had with our own kids, as well as feedback we have received on our email newsletters and article content.

To whet your appetite, here’s a peek at some of the groups and discussions we’ll be starting:

• Helping children with special needs
• Bullying
• Charter schools
• Getting kids to read
• Balancing kids’ activities with family life
• School fundraising
• Homework strategies
• Single-parent issues
• Test-taking strategies
• After-school care
• School choice decisions

We know we have just scratched the surface of burning topics on your minds. What are issues that you need help with? What experiences have you had that will be helpful to other parents? What topics and groups would you like to see as part of the GreatSchools Parent Community? Let us know and we’ll add them to our growing list!

Comments

[Maria]

Ok! You have certainly 'whet my whistle' with the listing of some of the discussions. I am interetsed in learning about Charter schools and single-parent issues. How about adding a discussion on transitioning from elementary to mid- school. I know I would be very interested to hear from parents that are in the process or planning for the move to mid-school. My son is in 4th grade now so I am just thinking about what will be important and what mid-school he will attend. I'm keeping track of a few mid-achools in our area and have been getting the information on them through this site. Thank you for all the great information and articles.

[ray]

Bam! Im real excited to hear from other parents on some of these group topic discussions such as Balancing kids’ activities with family life, Single-parent issues and school fundraising. As a young gentleman (30) who is about to move in with my girlfriend (single parent of a 7 yr old daughter)learning valuable information will only help my situation. You can never know everything and any helpful information will not only make me a better person but most importanly a father figure. Im looking forward to everyone's input and insight. School fundraising brings back memories of myself selling magazines, carwashes, ushering college games, etc. which I do know. I'll be more than happy to give information to those that are interested in raising money for your child or children(s) schools. Working for a professional sports team we have a simple way to raise money for our local schools and potentially can raise lots of money. Again thank you for all of the great information and I look forward to being a not only a regular to this community but also a contributor.

[REBECCA LOVING]

Happy to see effort and advise from local parents. I have really enjoyed seeing your informative website coming up each week it keeps me reminded and in touch with the extra issues I miss being a busy single parent. good work.
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etc. I welcome anybody coming from great schools, to visit our shop. We can help!
Top Shelf Uniforms
A local small business with solutions.

[Ca]

I'm very interested in this site. As a military spouse I am always searching for information to help my kids since we move and change schools every 2-3 years. Especially since there is NOT a national standard and my children are in early elementary school, which will set the baseline of their future education.

Any chance on getting reviews of some of the DODEA schools around the country?

[Father in Hawaii]

I am excited about this blog site. On the current great schools page, I am that same father in Hawaii talking about balance for our daughter.

I think I can contribute to this community as sped. teacher, special needs coach, wife who teaches at charter school, kid who has attended public and private school, and my work at private and public schools.

We have a unique cultural climate here in Hawaii, along with our multi-cultural family meshed from Hawaii, China and Arizona.

I look forward to reading you, and I hope that we can contribute an island style, cool breeze, and a ray of sunshine from time to time.

[georgia peach moving to tn]

moving to tennessee, thinking about sumner co. how are the schools and what do i need to look at before i decide on an area. are big schools better or does it matter....please help! em

[ailynne pebenito]

I am very excited to see parents like myself in the community brainstorming for the betterment of our kids...Would like to be more involve in this kind of matter...

[rachlove]

I'd like to see groups by grade level or by elementary, middle, senior high school. Also, it'd be great if we had them divided by States and subdivisions by Cities.

For some advice any parent chiming in would be of great value to others, but I believe some questions need to be addressed by parents who are experiencing stages at the same time (or who have already experienced such stages) and I was just visiting another blog here where a parent is asking for specific school recommendations for his area and that can only be answered by those who live in the area.

Just my .02 :o)

[rachlove]

I'd like to see groups by grade level or by elementary, middle, senior high school. Also, it'd be great if we had them divided by States and subdivisions by Cities.

For some advice any parent chiming in would be of great value to others, but I believe some questions need to be addressed by parents who are experiencing stages at the same time (or who have already experienced such stages) and I was just visiting another blog here where a parent is asking for specific school recommendations for his area and that can only be answered by those who live in the area.

Just my .02 :o)

[Aurelia Williams]

I am so happy to see a community blog emerging here. I've been a subscriber to Great School now for YEARS and I love the information that it provides.

I serve as Vice President of my son's Elementary School PTA and the articles, information and tips you all provide are priceless and I pass them around often!!

Aurelia Williams in Washington, DC

[Tired of homework already!]

I'm excited about blogging on this site too. I'd like to hear more about how people are managing the extreme amount of homework coming home with our kids, or is it just our school? We spend 1 1/2 or more hours (often 2 - 3) every night helping and supervising our two kids to get their homework done before bedtime. I need to hear from you about balancing this amount of homework with childhood stress, and trying to balance some sort of family life. Both parents work full time and the kids need to be able to have a social life and pursue recreational sports too. What do you say? Our school officials say homework (starting in Kindergarten) gets them used to doing it every night; each year there is more to do at home and they say it is to get them used to the middle/high school expectations. They also say they have the same amount of homework as other schools. We're not so sure... Are all the schools doing this???

[Viv]

I don't remember we had that much homework when we were at their age. I'm in the same situation. My kids, elementary grades, are exhausted by the time they were done with their homework everynight. All they could think to say is..."Mom, may I go to bed now? I'm sleepy". They started to do their homework right after their snacks when they get home from school. They spend at least 3 hours for homework. I don't see there is a balance for social and family life for the kids. I'm not sure if childhood stress is necessary for kids their age. Is this teaching them prepare for the up coming school years or actually make them hate and afraid of schooling. Does anyone have the same situation????

[Rachlove]

Yes, it's the same here and I believe it's at all the schools public and private regardless of what state you live in. I too did not have much homework in the evenings - did most of my learning in school, did well as a child - do well now.
This is my personal take on things: Before technology progressed at the extreme levels it has in the last few decades there wasn't all that much to learn or that many ways to learn. Think back to when we were kids & no I'm not talking about the time of the Flinstones. When we learned it was paper and writing instrument, later typewriter, then word processor, etc. Now we have computer, laptop, digital recorders, pda's, and just this morning I received an email re: books you buy (like an iPod), wear & listen to. In my quite longwinded way I'm trying to say that between the great amount of information and the various ways to receive & tranmsmit, the schools are reacting by GIVING TOO MUCH HOMEWORK!!! Instead of trying to teach children everything there is to learn, I wish the people who decided such things thought about the fact that our universe is infinite and regardless of how many answers you find there will ALWAYS be more questions, so I say GIVE MUCH LESS HOMEWORK and teach kids creative and critical thinking - ways in which to locate and creatively process the information that's out there. And of course get them to learn the basics - Reading, Writing, & 'Rithmetic - after that leave our children to have a childhood because the future is uncertain with all this post 911 stuff going on & if we rob them of familial, recrea-social pleasures, downtime & good old fashioned sleep we're in danger of fostering a bunch of conventional robots who won't know how to properly think for themselves but when prompted will know how to bubble in.

Just my .02, off my soapbox now ;-)

Rachlove

[2 schools: private and public]

On homework, I just want it to be meaningful. If a child has mastered the content then I don't feel like they should have to complete the extra homework. I would much rather my children spend their homework time working on projects instead of worksheets.

I would like to see a thread addressing gifted and talented children in the lower elementary grades. I would like to learn how other parents have worked with teachers and schools to help their children stay challenged especially in Title I schools where the range of abilities in each classroom varies greatly.

[colleen]

That line the schools feed us about getting kids to learn study habits early by starting homework in kindegarten is just nonsense and a justification for not being able to teach enough during the school day. I went to private school growing up and they didn't start homework until 3rd grade. What the schools are creating is burnouts. I honestly would rather have my kid go to school an extra hour a day, like some private schools, and have the afternoon free for play and sports. Happy, relaxed students learn more and do better in school. I think some people are starting to come around to that same conclusion, but it's going to take time to trickle down to the classrooms. Whether that will effect the amount of homework, who knows. Unfortunately, it hasn't dawned on my kid's public magnet school -- they live to pile on the homework, to keep up their great API average and reputation in the community. My son's only in first grade, and right now it takes about 30 minutes a night for homework. I don't rule out private school or even charter or homeschool in the future. We'll have to see.

[Robert S]

FATHER OF FOUR SON 27 15 12 UNABIL TO WORK SO I FIND MYSELF THINKING STUDENTS HAVE LOST THERE BASIC RIGHTS.TREATED WITH RECPECT AND KINDNESS.IM FROM S.C LAST YEAR OF SCHOOL WAS 1978 SO IM TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THINGS CHANGE BUT HUMANITY IS THE SAME.AND IF A STUDENT CANT WALK AWAYAND FILLS HIS OR HERS WELLBEING IS IN DANGER. DEFENDING THIMSELF CANT BE PUNISHED? IT IS AFTER ALL IN THE CONSTITUSION, AND TEACHER CANT STOP ALL THE ATTACKS BUT MOST BULLYS ARE STOPPED.STUDENTS HAVE ALOT TO SAY, TEACHERS SHUD TRY TO LISTIN, MAYBEE THY WILL FINISH HIGHSCHOOL THAT WAY. GOOD PEOPLE KEEP KIDS IN SCHOOL MUCH THANKS MISS C PUMPREY ENGLISH 2

[Patricia]

Homework burn out is just ONE of the reasons I am deciding to homeschool my son. Every day it's tears because he has sooooo much homework! And with the daylight hours getting shorter, that doesn't help with him wanting to play outside with his friends after homework is done. I mean come on, after sitting in a classroom x amount of hours, he has to do MORE?!!? I know teacher are a valuble assiet and they have certain state guidelines and blah, blah, blah they have to meet, adding to the fact I'm a single mom doesn't help.

ALSO:
I don't think schools are dealing with "bullies" in a proper manner. It seems that all that happens is they get their hands slapped, if that(not litterly "slapped" per say....)
ANOTHER reason I want to homeschool my son!!!(he's small for his age~he's 8 and he's about the size of a kindergardner! poor kid, sorry for passing down the shortness to ya son!)

[booster]

As for theory - you have to explore it yourself. As for practice - maybe I could give some help. I found an interesting soft on one of the thematic forum recently. It searches for combination automatically. Nice one, though poor in interface. Program is based on Martingale system with the changed algorithm. It`s based on searching and waiting a series of results («red or black» usually). But this one I got is for «head or tail». There were discussions