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| Okay, this display is still on my table. |
Newspapers suggest safety tips for removing greenery, merchants are hawking organizational tips (and their wares), and one blog even advises that we might have bad luck if we don’t promptly take down our Christmas trees.
This year was the first Christmas that I didn’t have a kid at home to help me bring down the tubs from the attic, unpack them, and purposefully place just the right piece in just the right place. And no one was there to help me tear down the decor and stow it back in its plastic tubs.
Without another set of hands this year, I knew I had to be efficient. I had about sixty essays to mark before going back to school and was determined not to spend the whole break grading. With such motivation, I tore down the tree and its holiday pals in record time.
How do holiday decorations connect to English/Language Arts?
Last semester, my high school freshmen wrote an essay that evaluated their own progress in a variety of ELA skills. One of the first questions my students asked was the inevitable “How long does it have to be?”
To impress upon them the gravity of this assignment that would count as their final exam, I deviated from my usual “long-enough-to-get-the-job-done-right” response. Instead, I told them it would likely be five to six pages, double spaced.
They all gasped. A few were on the edge of a total freak out. Even though I told them that we would be writing it in chunks in class, some students just shut down at the news. They weren’t capable of hearing the details of my plan.
As I put away my Christmas decorations this year, I wondered if my students who had freaked out had helped decorate their homes for the holidays. Or tackled any big project with an adult who helped them break it down into smaller parts.
If they had, perhaps they wouldn’t have been so unnerved by their final exam essay project.
My grandmother confided to me once that her mother never allowed her in the kitchen while she cooked. No doubt it was easier and faster for her mother to can green beans without a little girl helping. But what a shame! My grandmother not only missed the bond that comes from cooking together, but also the planning and problem-solving skills that are developed.
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| My kids' and my new herb garden |
So here is my challenge to parents, guardians, and grandparents, really to all people who work with kids: This year, create opportunities help your student develop the so-called “Executive Function Skills.”
Even though it isn’t always easy or quick, involve kids in some of your next home or outdoor projects. Talk about your end goal. Let them help you break it down into smaller chunks with mini goals. Decide together how you will know if the job is coming along well, and revise the plan together when needed. Create a timeline to work on the project. And above all, talk about the skills that you are building together and brainstorm ways these skills will help your student at school.
You will be helping students build the skills that many psychologists say are critical for success, not only in school, but also in life. And you’ll be creating wonderful memories.
Now, how about taking down those holiday decorations… with a little help from your kids?
Barb
Next time: Tech tools that will help you and your student be organized for success.
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