Why is that most elementary students go home and are eager to share their school day with their parent/guardian, but once middle school hits that same zest for school loses its appeal? In my main placement, my second grade students constantly tell me about dinner time stories. The other day one of my students spouts off, “Ms. Mauge, I told my mom about how we decorated pinecones in class yesterday and how I got green paint all over my face!” I appreciate hearing these stories from home because it signals to me that these students genuinely enjoy what they are doing in school. They are so fond of school, that when they leave and are at home in their own element they are still thinking about the classroom. So, why is that once they hit middle school these stories seem to disappear? Is it because the activities happening in class are not as exciting and students are not as engaged in learning? Or is it because dinner time is spent alone and not as a family anymore? Are there stories told at dinner, but teachers just do not hear about those stories anymore? It is probably somewhat of a mix of all these factors.I know that once I reached the 6th or 7th grade, I stopped telling my parents what was happening in school because none of it seemed as interesting as the rest of my personal life was. Plus, all the hormones coursing through my body made things completely different. However, I constantly wonder how we can get older students to go home and tell their parents /guardians what is going on, regardless of their age and whatever else is going on in their lives. Maybe parents/guardians need to break through their teen’s image and get to the bottom of it. Or maybe what is going on in school needs to become more inventive, more innovative, and more imaginative so that these students want to share stories. If adolescent students become more eager to communicate about their school day, maybe parents/guardians will also become more enthusiastic and in turn their involvement in their child’s school will also increase.
I find my kids are the most talkative and willing to share their day with me in the first 15 minutes or so after they arrive home from school. They are hungry and the day's events are still fresh in their minds. As they would fill up their bellies they would fill my ears with talk. Unfortunately I am no longer home when the kids walk in the door, so I feel I am missing something valuable.
ReplyDeleteWe always have mealtime together and my husband asks the kids (and me!) what we learned in school that day. He doesn't let it drop, and everybody needs to come up with an answer. I don't think my teens are too thrilled with the ritual, but they expect it, and one day they will appreciate it.