Mrs.Gilliam's Jr. High Mathematicians: January 2015

Junior high is a big transition not only for students but also for their parents. Students are going through physical, emotional, and social changes during this crucial time in their life. Parents are learning how to handle teenagers. Kids go from telling their parents everything that happens in a day to not saying a word.

As a junior high teacher, I try to help ignite those conversations through personalized emails, class dojo, instagram, and remind. My goal is to make my classroom transparent for parents. I want parents to be able to have conversations with your child about what they did in class that day. I am one of the lucky teachers, who has very supportive parents and ~~never~~ rarely get emails questioning my intentions. Below, I have listed my true intentions for every single student in my classroom that I hope parents of my students realize.

I truly care about your child.
Every child is unique and challenges me in different ways. I worry about your child when I see them having a bad day or when they are not at school. My worry does not stop when I walk out of my school building. When I go to bed at night, I struggle to sleep because I am worrying about what can I do to help your child. I do not just care about your child's education but also the person they are becoming. I want your child to be a positive leader in our school.

I want your child to succeed.
My goal is not to create students that are great test takers. My goal is for students to develop problem solving skills and math skills that will ensure them success in their future. When your child fails, it hurts me as much as it hurts you. I spend a lot of time thinking about how I can provide more support for your child. I go to bed wondering "How can I explain it so ________ understands it?" and "What can I do differently in class to help them focus?" I am here to support your child. When I email you that your child is struggling, it is a call for help. It means I need your support to help your child be successful. I need us to team up to determine how to best help your child.

If I email you about your child's behavior, it does not mean I do not like them.
Read #1 again. There is not a single child I do not like. I may not like their behavior that day but in all honesty I love every single one of my students. To help your child succeed, we must help them learn what behaviors are appropriate and inappropriate. The email is to inform you and not to punish the child or hurt you. Junior challenges students to make the right choice. Students become more concerned about what their friends think of them. This causes for students to feel the need to act a certain way. This is my 5th year teacher in junior high, I know this is a phase. They will grow out of this.

I wish you communicated more.

I wish parents would communicate more with me. Ask me how you can help your child. Let me know what is going on outside of school that may cause your child to struggle in school. Let me know how I can better support your child. I feel in junior high parents feel the need to let go and let their child be more independent. I agree, they do need to be more independent but you do need to check in with your child. I appreciate your opinions. I am not perfect and am always growing as an educator.

I wish you realized how crucial it is to have discussions about your child's future.
As a junior high teacher, I realize their are three types of students; students who know their plans for their future, students who dream to become famous (athletics, acting, etc..) and students who have no plans. 8th grade is an important year for students to begin planning for their future. Talk to your child about college plans, vocational schools, career choices, and finances. Your child may or may not have a good understanding of finances for life. I know some who think they will live at home forever (they think mom and dad will always financially support them). I remind my 8th graders weekly, that next year all your grades count for college acceptance. Some students do not understand that colleges look at their GPA. I am not saying push your child to go to college but I am saying let them know your expectations and help them set goals for their life.

I do not just teach math.
I teach my students life skills. I want my students to be the best students in the school. I tell my students "You are the best students in the school and I expect you to act like it." I want another teacher to stop and say "___________ was so nice to help me today." I explain to my students that they are a reflection of me in this school. We talk about good and bad social choices. We discuss how we must accept the consequences of our choices. This week, we discussed how we should lift others up instead of knocking them down. I teach teamwork. Quote of the week, "Life is not about winning the race, life is about finishing the race and how many people we can help finish the race." by Marc Mero. Below is the video the quote is from.