(Mission Times Courier, San Diego, CA) When I was in high school I remember wondering how my best friend, and future valedictorian, could attend the same math lecture as me—processing and retaining all the information seemingly without effort, complete the same homework problems, and achieve that impossible A+ grade while I barely landed a B grade. I assumed she was smarter than me. I believed all the labels I’d grown up with…”cute but flaky,” “not paying attention,”  “maybe a little lazy.”


I certainly did not have the academic prowess she had, but I’ve come to believe that part of my problem was the way in which I was engaging with the subject matter. Her father was an engineer and loved math. He had a standing offer of help extended to me, that I did not know how to accept. After all, that would be admitting that I was not smart, right?  So I studied the algorithms and cranked out an answer without really understanding how they worked, or even knowing that it was important to understand the concept. Her father understood this and made sure she did too.


I am a first grade teacher at Gage Elementary School and through my years of teaching experience I’ve learned that all students have the potential to be a valedictorian. What they need is support and a lot of perseverance. Being a good student only seems to come naturally to some kids. Natural ability is only part of the puzzle. So the question is, how can we as parents support our children so they can achieve at their highest potential? While some parents might be born with the right answer, others can certainly learn to support their children’s academics. The teachers, staff and administration at Gage Elementary School want to help. Are you ready to accept it?


We will be offering a series of workshops with San Diego Parent University scheduled for Wednesday evenings in January and February. If your child is in grades K-2 the dates scheduled are January 16, 23 and 30. For grades 3-5 the scheduled dates are February 6, 13 and 20. We have tentatively determined the time to be 6 to 7:30 pm. For more information, we will send home flyers before each event or you can check the school’s website for updates as well. (www.sandi.net/gage)


Significant research shows that parent involvement has a positive impact on children’s education. These classes are intended to help enrich the experiences parents can provide at home to improve school performance and enrich understanding of the curriculum. Encourage, enrich, enGAGE!

 

By Pamela Rabin

First Grade Teacher