~Parent-to-Parent Advice~
At the end of each year, I ask parents to complete a feedback form as part of my end-of-year reflection. One of the questions I ask is to provide advice to a parent whose child is entering my ELA class for the first time. Read below to see what past parents had to say:
"Read the weekly newsletter in order to help your child stay on top of work and submission deadlines. The newsletter keeps parents so well informed of what is happening in class."
"Be prepared for a higher pace that grade four and lots of meaningful reading and writing."
"Enjoy! Kids need to do the work, but it will be rewarding."
"Embrace the learning challenge and your child will flourish."
"If taken seriously and your child remains engaged, they will be completely set up for success entering grade 7 with their writing skills and reading comprehension."
"Trust the process, do not be shy to reach out and allow Mr. B to just do his thing."
"That [Mr. B is] quick to respond to any parent inquiries and that we always know what is going on in class. I have never received so much information from a teacher before and it is much appreciated."
"Read the newsletters and discuss with your child. It was a busy year, and I deeply regret not reading newsletters when I got them, but caught up after the fact. The files are pdf, which is excellent."
"Trust Mr. B, your child is in good hands."
"Have fun and participate and don't be afraid to communicate your needs and concerns."
"Be open to creative and challenging work for your child."
"Make sure you communicate concerns to him, he will be very responsive and make adjustments where needed."
"To reach out to Mr B about any issues your child may need as he is a very thoughtful teacher who cares about all his students."
"Help your child seize all opportunities Mr. B offers."
"Their child will have a WONDERFUL year. They will be introduced to assignments that will be fun and rich in content. Their child will be engaged in their learning because they will be enjoying their ELA classes and looking forward to them. Mr. B has a knack for choosing assignments that will be of interest to their students and he provides them with various options to demonstrate their learning (so the students are able to choose a method that they can be successful in)."
"You are lucky that your child is getting such an amazing teacher!."
"Teach your children to be organized and plan their work as soon as they know about assignments. Better now than in high school."
"Enjoy! One of the best teachers my kids have ever had."
"To read the newsletter and go on the web site (which I forgot about!). To encourage their child to use the opportunity to read more 'serious' books."
"Trust that he always strives to get the best from everyone."
"Enter with an open mind, be prepared to learn and embrace the opportunity."
"Appreciate the rigour and level of teaching that is being offered at such a young age. The class sets our kids up with a great foundation for their academic future."
"Mr. B. is an outstanding teacher and your child is going to have an exciting and challenging year."
"Work hard and marks are always fair."
"I would only offer that they should not worry as their child's well-being (academic, emotional, etc) is in good hands."
"Trust the process."
"It may be a challenge, yet it will expand their knowledge on literature, improve their writing skills, and they will be prepared to move to a new school after grade 6."
"Your child will have a great year and be prepared to work and be challenged."
"Don’t hesitate to reach out to me b because he is good at assessing strengths and weaknesses and gives good feedback."
"Encourage your child to take advantage of the opportunity to grow."
"Get ready for a stress free year as a parent! Make sure to check the weekly updates to ensure your child stays on top of the deadlines."
"I would encourage them to read the weekly updates and chat with their child about the different assignments - it leads to some awesome conversations around topics being covered in class."
"Plan ahead to commit the time and effort to take full advantage of an amazing learning opportunity for your child. Hard work pays off."
"Buckle up, your child is about to be educated!"
"Your child will find the best version of themself while under Mr. B’s guidance."
"To give him trust because he is a good teacher."
"You won’t be disappointed."
"Your child is extremely lucky. Get ready for a fun year! But be prepared to work hard and bring your all to class. Mr B will push your child to be the best version of themselves !!"
"Your child is about to be pushed because Mr. B is aware of your child’s potential and will push them to do their absolute best to get there."
"To understand that your child is being prepared for secondary school and more rigorous academic challenges. It is better to do this now, than wait until sec 1."
"Mr. B sets a high expectation for himself and his students, but not beyond their limits. He strives for well beyond mediocre for everyone in his classroom including himself, which inspires students to apply themselves within their own abilities. Some of the content was challenging for students but he was correct in recognizing this and telling parents that the students were capable of it."
"Be prepared for a higher pace that grade four and lots of meaningful reading and writing."
"Enjoy! Kids need to do the work, but it will be rewarding."
"Embrace the learning challenge and your child will flourish."
"If taken seriously and your child remains engaged, they will be completely set up for success entering grade 7 with their writing skills and reading comprehension."
"Trust the process, do not be shy to reach out and allow Mr. B to just do his thing."
"That [Mr. B is] quick to respond to any parent inquiries and that we always know what is going on in class. I have never received so much information from a teacher before and it is much appreciated."
"Read the newsletters and discuss with your child. It was a busy year, and I deeply regret not reading newsletters when I got them, but caught up after the fact. The files are pdf, which is excellent."
"Trust Mr. B, your child is in good hands."
"Have fun and participate and don't be afraid to communicate your needs and concerns."
"Be open to creative and challenging work for your child."
"Make sure you communicate concerns to him, he will be very responsive and make adjustments where needed."
"To reach out to Mr B about any issues your child may need as he is a very thoughtful teacher who cares about all his students."
"Help your child seize all opportunities Mr. B offers."
"Their child will have a WONDERFUL year. They will be introduced to assignments that will be fun and rich in content. Their child will be engaged in their learning because they will be enjoying their ELA classes and looking forward to them. Mr. B has a knack for choosing assignments that will be of interest to their students and he provides them with various options to demonstrate their learning (so the students are able to choose a method that they can be successful in)."
"You are lucky that your child is getting such an amazing teacher!."
"Teach your children to be organized and plan their work as soon as they know about assignments. Better now than in high school."
"Enjoy! One of the best teachers my kids have ever had."
"To read the newsletter and go on the web site (which I forgot about!). To encourage their child to use the opportunity to read more 'serious' books."
"Trust that he always strives to get the best from everyone."
"Enter with an open mind, be prepared to learn and embrace the opportunity."
"Appreciate the rigour and level of teaching that is being offered at such a young age. The class sets our kids up with a great foundation for their academic future."
"Mr. B. is an outstanding teacher and your child is going to have an exciting and challenging year."
"Work hard and marks are always fair."
"I would only offer that they should not worry as their child's well-being (academic, emotional, etc) is in good hands."
"Trust the process."
"It may be a challenge, yet it will expand their knowledge on literature, improve their writing skills, and they will be prepared to move to a new school after grade 6."
"Your child will have a great year and be prepared to work and be challenged."
"Don’t hesitate to reach out to me b because he is good at assessing strengths and weaknesses and gives good feedback."
"Encourage your child to take advantage of the opportunity to grow."
"Get ready for a stress free year as a parent! Make sure to check the weekly updates to ensure your child stays on top of the deadlines."
"I would encourage them to read the weekly updates and chat with their child about the different assignments - it leads to some awesome conversations around topics being covered in class."
"Plan ahead to commit the time and effort to take full advantage of an amazing learning opportunity for your child. Hard work pays off."
"Buckle up, your child is about to be educated!"
"Your child will find the best version of themself while under Mr. B’s guidance."
"To give him trust because he is a good teacher."
"You won’t be disappointed."
"Your child is extremely lucky. Get ready for a fun year! But be prepared to work hard and bring your all to class. Mr B will push your child to be the best version of themselves !!"
"Your child is about to be pushed because Mr. B is aware of your child’s potential and will push them to do their absolute best to get there."
"To understand that your child is being prepared for secondary school and more rigorous academic challenges. It is better to do this now, than wait until sec 1."
"Mr. B sets a high expectation for himself and his students, but not beyond their limits. He strives for well beyond mediocre for everyone in his classroom including himself, which inspires students to apply themselves within their own abilities. Some of the content was challenging for students but he was correct in recognizing this and telling parents that the students were capable of it."