The Intangibles

High school hockey practice starts at 4pm.  At 1pm, the coach gets a phone call from one of his players.  He's not going to make it to practice today because he has a paper due tomorrow.

Tomorrow?  Really?  What has this young man been doing for the last few days?

Schools are great at teaching reading, writing, and math,  but time management, arguably the most important life skill, is severely neglected in schools today.  Administrators and, subsequently, teachers are driven to spend all of their class time on the tangibles, knowledge that can be measured on a scantron sheet.  This era of testing and accountability for teachers sounds like a good plan at the surface but when we look a little deeper we can see that important life skills such as time management, organization, communication, and critical thinking are often overlooked in favor of the curriculum.  What does this prepare our students to do?  Obviously it prepares them to pass the test.  But what about the life that comes after all this testing?  Let us know your thoughts!

Is Academic Coaching right for me and my child?

Are you curious about whether or not Square 1 Academic Coaching is the right fit for you and your child?  Simply download our brochure and read about our services!  If you have any questions you can contact us at info@sqre1.com.

Should the school be able to dictate your child's diet?

The newsmedia was buzzing earlier this year when a girl brought a cookie in her brown bag lunch and was told by the school she couldn't eat it. Watch this video clip from Fox2 News Detroit as three local experts debate who should have input into what kids are eating.  http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/dpp/health/school-lunch-menu:-who-decides%3F

Tips for Testing

Here in Michigan, we are a few days in to the MEAP test, a mandatory standardized test for public school students in grades 3-9.  As school counselors, we have a short list of tips for parents to help their children give 110% on MEAP days.

1. Get a good night's sleep.  Sounds pretty simple, right?  Well kind of.  With the consolidation of bus routes many schools have had to stagger their start times.  In the same district there may be an elementary building with a 7:45am start time and another with a 9:15am start time.  The kids in these two schools should not have the same bed time.  Work backwards.  Look at your school's start time and subtract 10-12 hours for elementary students and 8-10 hours for middle school/high school students.  This is a good tip for every day, not just a MEAP day.

2. Eat a good breakfast.  The Standard American Diet tends to consist of sugary cereals and pastries.  These foods tend to give a quick burst of energy but taper off quickly.  The best way to get your student through the morning is to give them a more protein-heavy breakfast such as scrambled eggs or yogurt mixed with a handful of raw almonds.

3. This one will depend on your school rules.  Studies have shown that chewing gum while taking a test can improve a student's test scores.  Mints have also been shown to have this effect.

4. Talk about the test with your child the night before.  Reassure your son or daughter that you know they will do well if they give their best effort.

5.  Make school a priority in your home.  This is not just a tip for test days, but one that will make every day a priority for your student.

Tips for parents of kids with short attention span

This morning's Detroit Free Press has some great tips for parents of kids with attention deficits.  These are great tips not just for kids diagnosed with ADD/ADHD, but for all kids of all ages.  Check them out and let us know what you think!

What is academic coaching?

You have found our blog and you enjoy the posts, but seems like many of you are still wondering what exactly we do.  Here it is folks!

As academic coaches, our goal is to equip your son or daughter with the skills necessary to become an exemplary student.  We work primarily with bright, capable students in grades 4-12 who lack the structure, self-discipline and organization to excel academically.  We use research-based strategies that empower your child to successfully take control of his or her own learning. 

How does it work?

Each child, each school, and each teacher are different.  Changes do not happen over night and any lasting change requires a strong partnership between student, parent, teachers, and the academic coach.  Coaching sessions usually occur weekly and in some cases we may suggest two sessions per week to start.  Once substantial progress is made, students may be weaned down to one or two sessions per month or discharged entirely.

What do the sessions look like?

The intake session is an hour long and includes both the student and parent(s).  We ask that parents please come prepared with your intake forms filled out, as well as copies of your student’s last four report cards (one full academic year).  If you do not have the last four report cards, you can obtain them by calling your school’s office.  Most schools require at least 24 hours notice to pick up documents.  Once we have discussed the goals of our work together, both student and parent will sign commitment statements which will be reviewed on a weekly basis.  Parent(s) will also sign a release of information so that we may communicate with your student’s teachers, school counselor, or other school staff. Each coaching session is an hour long.  The first 45 minutes of the session are the student and coach only.  The parent(s) joins the session for the last 15 minutes to review progress and update the commitment statements if necessary.

How long will my student need coaching?
Some students will pick up on the skills and strategies quickly and show remarkable progress.  Other students will resist them and complain about them until they start to see improvements.  Being accountable to the academic coach and not just the parent(s), helps prevent these students from simply choosing not to use the strategies, making excuses as why to they don’t work or are too hard, or refusing to even try them.  There is no easy answer as to how long your student will need coaching.

Who are we?

Lauren Field and Felicia Neumann are professional school counselors with over 25 years of combined experience working in public schools.  Lauren completed her bachelor’s degree at the University of Michigan and obtained her master’s degree in counseling at Oakland University.  Felicia obtained her bachelor’s degree in education at the University of Michigan and her master’s in guidance and counseling at Eastern Michigan University.  

If you are interested in learning more about Square 1 or would like to set up your intake session, please email info@sqre1.com. 

Problem with the teacher? Follow these steps for a successful resolution...

Now that the "honeymoon" period is over, kids and teachers have found their comfort zones.  Maybe you're realizing this year's teaching style isn't 100% compatible with your child's learning style?  Or perhaps you are frustrated that communication regarding missing/late homework has not been forthcoming.  Whatever your dissatisfaction is with your child's teacher you want to make sure you follow these steps to achieve resolution.

1. Share your concerns with the teacher.  Some parents prefer to do this over email and avoid a face-to-face confrontation, some prefer to meet because it feels more official.  Either way you want to make sure you don't bypass this important step.  If you need to proceed to the counselor or administrator (Principal or Assistant Principal) the very first question they will ask is "Have you talked with the teacher?" Most teachers are reasonable people who really care about kids and are willing to make adjustments to help your child achieve success.  The majority of parents who take time to talk to the teacher do not even feel the need to proceed to step 2.

2. If your conversation with your child's teacher does not produce the desired outcome, the next step would be to speak with your child's counselor.  Many times they can make suggestions for change that will be agreeable to both the parent and the teacher, as well as serve as a mediator or buffer so the teacher doesn't feel attacked.  If the counselor is unable to resolve your concerns, he/she will then direct you to the appropriate administrator.

3.  At this stage of the game, the Principal or A.P. will usually create a plan that will require the teacher to adjust in order to alleviate your concerns.  Many administrators will give this a short window - a week or two - to work.  If there are still issues after the administration gets involved, it may be time to ask for a schedule change.

Many parents make the mistake of demanding a schedule change before they even speak with the teacher.  Often the concerns that make it past one conversation with the teacher are part of a two-part problem; the student and the teacher must be willing to bend in order to resolve it.  Most of the time this can be solved by a meeting with the counselor (a diplomatic third party) and without upsetting the student's entire schedule.  If a change is needed, parents should try to be flexible and remember that certain courses are only offered at certain times and that it does not benefit anyone - your child or the others in the class - to overfill a classroom because you like that teacher better than the one your child is currently assigned to.

Have you ever needed to request a teacher change for your child?  Fill us in on the steps you took and whether or not you were able to achieve the outcome you desired!