Learning for Life

Being able to carry a conversation and partake in exchanging information appropriately is an essential literacy skill for all students. In this issue of the ESC newsletter, I have included an excerpt of an article from the Australian Parenting Website www.raisingchildren.net.au about why talking about school is important and some key questions you can use to avoid the standard “it was OK” response.

Why talking about school is important.

Talking with your child about the school day shows you’re interested in what’s going on in their life. This interest boosts your child’s mental health, happiness, and wellbeing. It can also have a very positive effect on your child’s behaviour and achievement. It shows your child that you value school and education, which encourages them to value it too.

Talking together about school also helps you get to know more about what’s expected of your child at school, how they learn and how they handle challenges. It can help you understand when your child is feeling less interested in school or having problems.

When you’re in touch with your child’s feelings about school, you’re more likely to see problems before they get too big. This way you can work on overcoming challenges together.

And talking about school issues – like school projects or friendship problems – is also a great chance for you to express your family values about things like teamwork, respect for self and others, friendships, relationships, problem-solving and so on.

(taken from https://raisingchildren.net.au/school-age/connecting-communicating/communicating/talking-about-school)

Here are some questions to get you started and to help you avoid the “ok” response.

• What made you smile today?
• Can you tell me an example of kindness you saw/showed?
• What did you do that was creative?
• Who did you sit/play/hang with at lunchtime?
• Was anyone in your class absent today?
• Tell me something you know today that you didn’t know yesterday?
• Did you like your lunch?
• What was the hardest rule to follow today?
• If you could change one thing about your day, what would it be?
• What made one of your teachers smile today?
• What made one of your teachers frown today?
• If you could switch seats with anyone in class, who would it be? And why?
• What kind of person were you today?

Fabiano Nigro

Literacy Learning Specialist