Falcon Press
December, 2017
Principal's Page
Safety needs to come first here at Jefferson. We have run all of the required emergency response drills and even had a joint lock down with the Boise Police Department! One item that I would like to remind parents about is safety in front of the school before and after school. Because we do not have a large parking lot, cars are not allowed into the parking lot until the buses are gone. Please be kind and patient with the safety patrol students and adults. That is a thankless job and they need lots of kudos for keeping us all safe! Please also remind students that they must cross at cross walks.
I read this article in a "Love and Logic" book and thought I would share it with you. After a difficult and frustrating day at work, don’t you wish your spouse would greet you with the following?
Honey, I got an email from your boss. She says that you haven’t been working up to your potential. She also mentioned that your reading is really poor and that you’ve had a bad attitude about completing your projects. That’s why we are going to sit down together and work on some practice samples. Now… I’m only doing this because I love you.
My guess is that few readers would vote for this treatment as an effective way of promoting deeper marital intimacy and improved work performance!
Far too many children struggle all day long with reading… and other subjects. Then they face even more frustration when they get home. When this happens, their reading performance rarely increases, but their disdain for books does!
In my travels across the country, I see families torn apart by this stress. Kids get angry and upset. Parents get frustrated and depressed. Instead of being an island of calm from the tense world, the home becomes part of it.
May I suggest another approach? What if this strategy saved your relationship with your child AND helped them develop a much better vocabulary, understanding of language structure, and attitude toward reading?
Read to them, and have fun doing it. Do this even if they’re in high school! Do it as often as possible. Don’t stand over them and force them to read. Don’t nitpick their reading performance. Just enjoy your time together as you read… to them. Take the pressure off!
Life is full of trials and joy! Parenting is not for sissies. It is my hope that Jefferson parents find the right balance to help support your children when needed and allow them time to decompress as needed.