Classroom Happenings

I wanted to make this blog post about daily happenings in our classroom because I have been receiving several questions regarding classroom events and happenings the past few weeks. As a general practice, I do not tell parents each and every time their child is corrected for a certain behavior, has a conversation with me or Ms. Crowther about a situation, gets into trouble, etc.  We keep parents "out of the loop" on various situations for several reasons. 

We are with your child for 7+ hours each and every day.  Miss Crowther and I have formed a bond with your child over the last several months and we have a classroom family among all students.  We understand that students are going to make mistakes, need reminders, etc. and we have formed a bond of trust with your child.  By informing you of every little incident that occurs at school, we are showing your child that it's not OK to make mistakes without getting in trouble at school and at home.  Although there are situations in which we involve you or communicate an incident, it is not daily to maintain trust between the students and us.  Gifted students are naturally more anxious than their nongifted peers.  If each and every mistake or situation were reported to you, it would naturally increase their anxiety involving making mistakes, getting into trouble, and attending school.  Our overall goal is to eliminate as much anxiety as possible about making a mistake or getting into trouble, as we focus on how to learn from our mistakes and move forward in a positive manner.  No one comes around in the workplace and points out every little mistake we make as adults, so I do not feel comfortable pointing out each child's mistakes at school either.  This is a year of learning and growing and we want it to be as positive and effective as possible.

Most situations that occur within the classroom are truly "not a big deal."  I mean that in the sense that the students talk with us, learn from their mistakes, and receive a natural or logical consequence.  There is no need for additional conversations, consequences, etc. to occur at home several hours later over a situation that was "not major" to begin with.  

Lastly, if we were to email you or send a note each and every time a reminder or minor incident occured, you would be receiving notes and emails constantly and there are not enough hours in the day for each mistake times 18 students.    

If you have any additional questions or concerns about this, please let me know.  We are here to form a partnership with you.