Back to School!

It's my favorite time of the year again -- fall!  And with fall comes back-to-school time, which I've always thought of as the real beginning of the year and the best time for new year's resolutions.  (That was true even when I wasn't an educator, but a lawyer working in the world of big business -- fall is always the new year for me.)  In any event, one of my resolutions this year is to do a better job of posting on this blog, as one way of communicating and engendering some dialogue about education.

Interestingly, most people don't seem to differ much about education on the local level, either about the purposes of education or the type of school they want for their children.  My own belief is that there are two essential pillars of a good school -- a warm, welcoming, safe climate that encourages growth for both children and adults, and stimulating, challenging academics -- and from what I hear it seems that many people agree.  As we head into the new year, those two aspects are again our focus at Neary, and we have initiatives underway in both areas.  We will be spending our opening professional day looking at the new Common Core curriculum and ways of providing students with the academic challenge they need, and we will also be working on a new section for our progress reports and report card that will help us work with parents on the habits of mind and work habits and skills that students need to be successful.  Next Wednesday, as the students return, we have plans for both -- assemblies and activities that are welcoming, fun, and engaging, and beginning work that is exciting and challenging.  I'm looking forward to the year!

In my recent reading, I found an interesting blog post and a useful article that I would recommend.  The blog post was written by Carol Burris, a New York principal, and appeared in one of the Washington Post blogs, "The Answer Sheet," last Thursday.  It's entitled "Three Ed Reforms Parents Should Worry About Most," and is an excellent analysis of some of the more damaging trends in education legislation and regulation with which parents should be concerned.  It's well worth reading!

The article is more of a practical set of tips for parents for helping their children have a great year.  It appeared in the most recent issue of Parents magazine and is entitled "Classroom Confidential."  The article provides tips and thoughts on many topics, from talking with teachers, to helping students with homework, to helping children fit in.  I think it's crucially important for kids' success to have a good partnership between parents and teachers and this article provides some ideas on how to do that successfully.  (I would add -- please do contact us if you're concerned about something.  We can usually work together to resolve the problem.)  We have this issue of the magazine in our office if you'd like to look through it.  (Our outer office also has a library of books relating to child development, parenting, and education -- you can browse through them and borrow one if you'd like.  Just sign it out with one of the secretaries.)

Here's to a great school year 2012-13 for all our students and families!