Bill Brown-Santa Barbara County Sheriff

Time management skills

Radio Commentary

Many students aren’t fully prepared to make the jump from elementary school to secondary schools because they lack time-management or organization skills.

            In elementary school, students typically spend most of their time with one teacher, at the same desk every day. In middle or junior high, they move from class to class, and must take responsibility for their own time management.

            Here’s how students can be helped to make the transition:

            Consolidation is the key. Give students the proper organizational tools. A weekly planner and the right notebook can make a bigger difference than you might imagine.

            Recommend that students use a three-ring binder for all subjects, with dividers to separate the subjects, and plastic pockets to hold loose papers and items like pens and pencils. 

            A weekly planner is also helpful for recording assignments. Parents can sign off on it once a week. The planner should contain a section for recording grades. This way both students and parents can track progress.

Be sure to set up a proper work environment. Children need a quiet work space. The stereo or TV are both distractions whether students realize it or not.

Create a set schedule to replace daily reminding. The act of reminding students to do the same things over and over again becomes tedious and can waste valuable time.

            These practices really help.

Parental involvement

Radio Commentary

            People usually think the term “parental involvement in school” means taking part in PTA activities, helping chaperone field trips, or volunteering in the classroom.

It’s important to remember that another form of parental involvement is even more critical -- taking part in education at home. 

            This means encouraging children to read, monitoring their homework, reading to them, placing reasonable restrictions on TV viewing, and making sure they go to school every day. 

It also means talking to children about why school is important.

            Many children do not always get such attention. 

In some cases, both parents are working and are simply too tired at night or are not inclined to do this. In single-parent families, often it is simply impossible for a parent to cover all these bases.

            Modern children spend at least as much time watching TV as they do in school. And, of course, if students don’t attend school regularly, they can’t benefit from what it offers. 

            Parents have to be around the house to supervise; they have to put pressure on their children to turn off the TV and do their homework or read. They have to make sure their kids go to school even when there is some small reason for staying home.

            This kind of parental involvement is hard work, and relentless work, because it must be constant. But it’s hard to think of anything more important parents can do for their children.

Reading

Radio Commentary

            It’s never too early to begin reading to a child. Even infants love the sound of words in lullabies and rhymes.

Set aside some time for reading aloud every day. Let children snuggle close to you. That way, they will think of reading as a happy time when they have your full attention.

Your reading time doesn’t need to be long—10 or 15 minutes each day is fine.

Remember: if you read just one story a night to children, they will arrive in kindergarten with more than a thousand story-sharing experiences.

As you read, you can also boost a child’s thinking skills—and have fun.

Ask children to think about why something is happening in the story—or what they might do if they were in the same situation. For example, “What would you do if you were Little Red Riding Hood?”

When you’ve finished a book, ask children to think about how to change the story.

For example, “What would have happened if all three little pigs had built their houses of bricks?”

You can have fun with these questions. Even better, your children will be developing thinking and reasoning skills that lead to success in school.

Lofty goals

Radio Commentary

The early leaders of our country created publicly funded schools to educate children from ALL walks of life. It’s hard to remember it was a radical idea at the time.

Our founders recognized the importance of education to the well-being of the country. They were seeking to achieve more than just teaching children reading, writing, and math.

            They believed that a system of publicly supported schools ought to achieve several major goals:

            •      prepare people to become responsible citizens

•      improve social conditions

•      promote cultural unity

•      help people become economically self-sufficient

•      enhance individual happiness and enrich individual lives

•      dispel inequities in education

•      ensure a basic quality level among schools

These goals were worthy of our great democracy. Then and now, meeting the goals can only be measured over time, when we can see how students have applied their schooling.

We hear critics of public schools call for alternatives that shift funding and responsibility for education to the private sector.

            When we weigh these suggestions, it is important to remember the whole picture of what we seek from public education.

We need to consider whether the alternatives better meet the loftier goals our founders had in mind when public education was first conceived. Those higher goals should always be our focus. 

Connecting with your school

Radio Commentary

Whether you have a concern to share with school officials or you are just seeking information, there are ways to approach a school that make it more likely you’ll get what you want.

First, get as much information as you can before you go. You may want to write down your questions in advance.

Be sure to make an appointment, rather than appearing with no warning. That way you can be sure that the individual you need to talk to will be available when you arrive.

Approach the conversation with an attitude that assumes everyone is working in the best interest of your student. Acting respectfully will ensure that you receive treatment that is respectful.

Include your student in the discussions whenever possible. If agreements are made to follow certain approaches, be sure to uphold your part of the bargain.

It’s also important to get involved and stay involved. Join the PTA or parent group, the site council, or just volunteer in a classroom or the office.

Most schools involve parents in decision-making practices and evaluations of the school’s goals.

As your student’s main advocate, you need to know how to make the public school system work for your child. 

Schools welcome this involvement because they know that children with involved parents are more likely to work hard, obey the necessary rules, and succeed academically. It’s well worth the effort.

After children graduate

Radio Commentary

      If you have an empty nest because your last child has left the house, or is about to, that doesn't mean that you can’t continue to support education in your community.

     It’s a great time to stay involved, make a contribution, and stay young at heart.

     As a start, keep up with issues that affect local children. If you can, get involved in the school activities of your neighbors’ children, your nieces and nephews, or friends’ children or grandchildren.

     Remember that strong schools make strong communities. Educated young people make our entire society healthier.

     How can you help?

     Children love to have fans attend their soccer games or concerts.

     Cheering for local children can also be an opportunity for you to keep in contact with various neighbors and local happenings.

     Think of interesting ways you can participate in school programs. Share your special talents. If you are a photographer, give a seminar to the yearbook staff.

     Or maybe you have connections to interesting local companies that would make for great field trips.

     We can all serve as volunteers and mentors in our local schools. We can provide an extra set of hands to help in the office, or an extra set of ears to help children with reading.

     This nation was built on a foundation of community support for local schools. It is what keeps our democracy strong and vital. And it will continue to do so — with the help of all involved.

Passion for learning

Radio Commentary

Turning children into lifelong learners can be the ultimate joy for teachers and parents alike.

It can have a lasting impact with benefits that continue to emerge throughout an entire lifetime.

Getting A’s is a great feeling for a student. But in the long run, generating a genuine curiosity and desire to learn can make a bigger difference than any single grade on a test.

Imagine the potential of children who are curious about the world around them and who are happy with themselves. 

That combination can lead to success in almost any arena.

Parents and teachers have the power to set the tone for a child’s academic accomplishments.

Praise children for their effort, for working independently, and for the energy they’ve spent in achieving a goal.

The process of studying well and learning completely should be the highest priority.

If you look behind good grades you will often find a great deal of love and support that make a big difference.

Your children deserve the best chance to become true, lifelong learners. 

Help maintain their enthusiasm for gaining knowledge, not just good grades.