Preparation PTC

In about a couple of hours, I'll be off to Miro's third quarter Parent Teacher Conference.  And I'm armed to the teeth!
Ok, that sounds ridiculous.  What I really am is simply prepared.

What, PTCs are important!  It's the parents' bridge to the school.   It's that time when you find out if the school and your child are working well together.  It's when the parent and the school's partnership is solidified to reach a common goal.
(God, I'm such a nerd!)

Well, if this is your first time, then let me offer you my personal Preparation PTC rundown.

1.  Beforehand, talk to your child.  This meeting is all about him anyhow.  So ask him if there is something he'd like you to discuss with his teacher.  Oh, and don't judge his issues.  Kids look at things differently than we do.  A mole hill for you could be a mountainous problem for him.  Respect that and take it seriously.

2.  The PTC doesn't cover academic issues alone.  Bring everything up including your child's personal concerns.  Is your child being bullied?  Has he been eating improperly in school?  Has he been hating school for some reason that he won't tell you?

3.  Jot down everything you want to put on the table.  Don't be embarrassed to bring a notebook and a pen.  I, for one, can be horribly forgetful.  And it pisses me off when I remember one important thing I should've said when I'm already halfway home.

4.  Start the PTC on a positive note.  You're not there to wage war.  You're there to understand how your child is doing, what's he going through, and to reach a moving forward plan.  So be open-minded about it and for the love of God, don't be freakishly defensive.

5.  Talk.  This is why it's called a PARENT and TEACHER activity.  It's an open PARENT and TEACHER discussion.  So don't let the teacher just rattle off facts and opinions.  You should have yours, too.  Take turns, of course.

6.  Don't get emotional.  It's natural for the teacher to bring up your child's weaknesses other than his strengths.  There are things your child can be in school that you never see at home.  The PTC can be your eye-opener, your wake-up call. 

7.  Introduce helpful insights about your child. You know your child's habits and nuances better than anyone else.  Bringing them up can help his teacher reach out to him more.  And believe me, the teacher will like it better when you throw in suggestions on how to improve her connection with your child.

8.  Don't be afraid to give suggestions.  Like I said, it's an open discussion.

9.  Don't be a jerk and not take suggestions.  The teacher will tell you to do things that can help your child's development from home.  Be open to that.  You are your child's educator when he's not in school.  And learning doesn't stop as soon as he's left the school building.  It's an ongoing thing.

10.  End the PTC with clear-cut solutions and directions.  Don't leave without these.  There has to be an agreement between you and the teacher on how to move forward in helping your child.  You.  School.  Partners.  Period.

11.  Again, jot these down.  Sure, you'll be given a copy of the teacher's report.  But some points in the discussion don't usually make it on paper.  Specially the solutions arrived at by you and the teacher.  These notes are what you come back to come next quarter so make a checklist of to-dos and expectations, too.

12.  When you're done, congratulate your child on a good turn-out as soon as you get home.  And don't reprimand him for his shortcomings.  Geez!  You can mention them casually, like, "Hey, we need to work some more on your math, ok?" --and that doesn't mean that instant either.  These are things you work out along the way. 

One other crucial point to remember is that YOU can call for PTCs as well.  It's not just a school-initiated event.  If there's an important topic you need to discuss with the teacher, the program director, the guidance counselor, or even the school director, you CAN call for a meeting yourself and they'll be more than glad to accommodate you.  Keep in mind that they're there to help your child succeed in his young life.  You have the right to arrive to that general direction as much as they do.

Got it?
Oh crap, look at the time!  I'm off.  Catch you later!
(ps.  Dont' be late for a PTC)

Have Yourself A Merry Money Management

Here's a holiday idea!
Why not this year, give your child the gift ...of maturity.

Too steep?  Let me explain.
Every Christmas, your child gets tons of boxes to unwrap.  So the Christmas element of excitement and surprise is well covered.  They get cash gifts, too.  This handles the Christmas prosperity angle.  And these bills automatically make a beeline for your kid's bank account or little piggy bank.

Why not add a little lesson to the mix?  Money Management!  This Christmas, give him money and take him toy shopping.  Make him decide what he wants to buy within that particular price range.  Make him realize that with that amount, he can either buy one huge thing or a lot of little things.  Make him know that it's all in his hands.

This will make him feel all 'big boy' (or big girl).  A child loves the feeling of being trusted, specially with a very huge, usually impossible financial responsibility.

This will also make him feel independent.  As much as you can, try not to question his toy choices.  It's his money now and his shopping time.  So if he wants to buy a singing lampshade, as long as it's within budget, so be it.

This will make him learn to choose wisely between the qualities of one toy and another.  Practicality is one trait that's nice to have your child grow up on.  Before you know it, you'll have a tiny smart shopper in your hands.

This will make him realize the importance of money.  If he used to think that you can buy just about anything for him with your presumed deep well of cash, this little exercise will open his eyes to reality.  If you're lucky, this will automatically tame his inner brat.

And on an educational note, this will teach him math.  Nothing sharpens your mathematical skills quite like counting money. 

Try it!  We've been doing this for 2 years now and my boys look forward to this coming-of-age Christmas activity.  Pride and joy... check.

Recollection Recall

I'm not a big fan of spiritual retreats and recollection days.  Particularly because I was 'raised' by nuns.  And all that spiritual re-awakening mumbo-jumbo happened almost on a daily basis.  And usually, each session ended in tears.

So when my sons' school called for a God's Earth Recollection Day, I was wimpified!

But to show how backwards my concept of recollection is --the boys actually had fun!  The activity was more of an opening the child's mind to how he or she can help in saving the planet and keeping it the way God has intended.  More of a Going God, Going Green campaign.  The day's session gave my boys new understanding of their responsibility for nature as God's children.  And, they didn't have to pray the rosary non-stop for 3 hours while kneeling on a hard wood floor.  Times have indeed changed.

Oooh... and they made personally-messaged and individually-designed God's Earth campaign shirts!

Miro's showed his minimalistic art style...

...and his passion for detail.

Kenji's highlighted his love for mad colors...

...and his inclination for vibrant... stuff.

I see this endeavor as a win-win situation.  The children learn to be more caring and responsible ...and I see a shirt silkscreening business in the near future. :P

SuperSCULPEYfragilisticexpialidocious!

If there's one thing kids can never get enough of, it's clay!

For us, it's gotta be blocks and blocks of Sculpey Clay from Polyform.  For a whole bunch of powerful reasons.

Clay is obviously a child's creativity channel.  With vivid imagination and crazy hands, who knows what he can accomplish with a host of these colorful babies?  And with Sculpey, the colors are just boundless.  Just as boundless as the gratification that comes with it.

Given that, clay also becomes very practical.  It can be any toy your child wants it to be at any given time.  Sculpey takes it up a notch, too.  It has clay that you can shape and bake in your very own oven so that your child's masterpiece hardens to last forever.  Whoa!  It's like he's made his own toy!

And lastly, clay is soothing.  A tantrum can easily be dashed into oblivion as soon as a child starts squeezing a lump in his hands.  And since Sculpey stays soft longer than any other clay, it's the longer-lasting, focus-teaching, age-appropriate stress ball.

We get our Sculpeys from Hobbes and Landes. It's a little pricier than other brands but you can't scrimp on super.  Come on, you know your kids will love to get their hands on these!