Parent Involvement in Student Success - Just 3 More!

My daughter attends Peoria's Frontier Elementary School and while Frontier was recently a Highly Excelling school under the old system, Frontier earned a B rating through the new school evaluation program. To get an A, Frontier needed only 3 more points.

So, dedicated parents led by Cory Underhill are now working with the school administration, PTSO, teachers, and students on the Just 3 More campaign to help students improve performance and earn an A for their school. Engaging more people in campus initiatives and classrooms, encouraging students, supporting teachers, decorating the neighborhood with signs of support, providing incentives, increasing tutoring, and raising expectations are all part of the vision. What are your best ideas for improving education? Is there a student or a school you could assist in some way? Students and schools need caring adults willing to share time and talent.

While some are content talking about what is wrong with our schools, this is a great example of individuals getting involved, taking action, and making a positive difference. Here is a link to Channel 5's coverage of this GOOD NEWS story:

http://www.kpho.com/story/16997034/parents-organize-motivational-campaign-to-encourage-school

A quote to share:

"A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove . . . . but the world maybe different because I was important in the life of a child." -- Kathy Davis

The current answers about well-being

The people of Gallup Press keep giving us what I consider the best of popular, strength-based non-fiction and they have done it again. If you wonder about "happiness", I still recommend reading Authentic Happiness by Martin Seligman and if you want to learn about how you can increase your sense of "well-being", then the new book by Tom Rath and Jim Harter is a must read, too.

The title of the book is Well Being: The five essential elements. Those elements include: social, financial, career, physical and community well-being. I often make the comment that some authors turn what-should-be-a-brochure into a book, but this book makes the most of every page so all of the text is likely to be worth your time.

As with others in the StrengthsFinder series, each book comes with a code so that you can access the online Wellbeing Finder. After answering a series of questions, you will receive summaries of your current levels of wellbeing based on this model. You can continue to retake the Wellbeing Finder for six months and you are offered options for reminders that can help facilate your action plan for improved wellbeing. Is this of interest to you?

To contact Caron:

caron@studio22azwa.com

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Interesting Friends & Hybrid On-Line/Face to Face Education

For the last two quarters I have been taking an on-line class with Meg who lives in Kathmandu, Nepal. Meg took the picture of these women wearing the gorgeous colors and told me that I could share her photo with you. I love how the women are moving up the stairs together; a group of people on a shared journey to an agreed upon destination.

One of the benefits of on-line education is the opportunity to “meet” very interesting people who are living all over the world … people like Meg. A few weeks ago Meg wrote about facilitating training for the Armed Police Force Academy, speaking to a woman’s college in celebration of Women’s International Month and participating in a walk-a-thon to raise awareness of women’s issues in Nepal. And, recently she visited the Taj Mahal with another friend who is also a student. I’m hoping to get to know more about Meg over the course of our education and, while we’re both making progress on our dissertations, I’m hoping that I’ll get to learn more about her life experiences in Kathmandu, too.

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I just returned home after attending a school residency in Landsdowne, Virginia - very close to Washington, DC. At the residency, there were people with stories from Nigeria, Liberia, Germany, Jamaica, Sri Lanka, Canada, Ukraine, American military bases, rural communities and big cities. It was fascinating to listen to each person's brief introduction; I wanted to hear more about everyone's lives ... there is so much we can learn from each other!

While I appreciate the flexibility of the on-line component of my education, I also appreciate the times when we are together for residencies so that we can sit next to each other or face to face. What are you interested in learning more about and how would you prefer learning? Over the course of the next year, I plan on writing more about access to education and the many alternatives that are available to youth and adult learners.

Thanks, Meg, for sharing your picture!

Plant a Pot or Fill a Garden & Watch Our Children Grow

Plant a Pot or Fill a Garden & Watch Our Children Blossom:

Nationwide, restaurants have pulled tomatoes from their menus, but at our home we harvested our largest crop of (safe) tomatoes! We picked them along with one lone pepper and a few basil leaves; it was exciting to produce more than a garnish from our mini-garden.

If you are in the mood for a brief return to the past where most Americans worked with their hands and either worked on a farm or had relatives who did, how about visiting your local garden store for a bargain purchase of herbs or vegetables? You will probably pay less for a whole herb plant than you would if you were to buy fresh herbs in your grocery store’s produce section. And, whether you grow herbs, vegetables or even edible flowers, your children of all ages can enjoy planting and harvesting; you will have an opportunity to work side by side and watch your children blossom through a hands-on learning, bonding & fun activity. This can be as simple or extravagant as you choose.


Why might you want to plant something?

1) Have Fun
Isn’t is great that “having fun” together is enough of a reason in itself? Maybe today is a day to laugh & play with each other over a little bit of dirt and plant.

2) Save Money
Some of the herbs like basil and mint grow very quickly; if you use these items in your kitchen, you really could save a few dollars by planting them and growing them yourself … you wouldn’t even have to pay extra for “organic”! And, if gas prices are keeping you home this summer – family activities together can be memorable whether you are in an amusement park or the fun environment of your own home; gardening is a bargain and if it is unique for your family, it is likely to create lasting memories.

3) Values Lesson Opportunity
If your children are hooked on toys & trinkets during most trips to the store, say “no” at your usual stores and say “yes” to the garden store letting them choose a plant to care for; reduce buying “things” and increase buying “experiences”. Talk about how you spend your money demonstrates your family values.

4) Learning/Developmental Opportunity
Older kids can plan for what to buy based on season, climate and where you will be doing your growing (e.g. inside in a pot, outside with an Eastern exposure etc.), younger children can practice reading or letter recognition based on plant labels and infants can play in the dirt and practice their fine motor skills with pebbles they find (but don’t eat!).

If you want to design a lesson, you could share a family story about your farming relatives or teach children about how technology has changed our lifestyles. Based on your children’s ages, you can adapt planting & growing to any developmental stage. Be creative – what would you like for your children to learn today?

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Speaking of dirt … remember that Mighty Mud Mania in Scottsdale is coming up on Friday, July 18th. This event is great for all ages and will be pure, clean, muddy fun! See your Fun Place to Go with Kids in Metro Phoenix book or www.funmoms.biz for more information.

Go Love! Look for the Yellow Bug in your Neighborhood!

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