Tuesday, November 27, 2018

Helping Families Ask Questions Could Be Your Most Powerful Engagement Tool from MindShift /www.kqed.org/

Great article from MindShift  /www.kqed.org/


                                  For many parents, learning a technique to generate and categorize questions about 
                                                             their child's education is empowering. (emagic/Flickr)


Fifth-grade teacher Deirdre Brotherson has been teaching long enough that she knows how parent-teacher conferences will likely go. Parents will come in feeling uncomfortable and a little ill at ease; she’ll have a general conversation with them for 15-20 minutes; and they’ll leave. Neither party will get much useful information about the student out of the conference, although it’s a good relationship builder either way. She knew this precious face-to-face time with parents could be so much more.
“Parents might be concerned about some test scores, but it was never a time when either one of us could gather any information on the student -- who they were, and how they worked at home,” Brotherson said.
She has been using the Question Formulation Technique (QFT) with her students and thought it might be useful for parents, too. The QFT is an exercise to practice asking, categorizing and reflecting on questions. Many educators have found that students are out of practice when it comes to asking their own questions, but when they do, they’re often more engaged with class content.
Brotherson thought the process could help parents get more out of their interactions with the school, too.
Since she doesn’t have a lot of time with parents at each individual parent-teacher conference in November, Brotherson lays the groundwork in the first few months of school. She teaches her students the QFT and uses it in class a few times. Then she asks them to take a question focus home and teach their caregiver the technique while coming up with questions about their family heritage. Right before parent-teacher conferences, she sends a note home reminding parents of the technique and asking them to use it to generate questions for their meeting.
“It’s kind of a nice way to have them take control of the parent-teacher conference,” Brotherson said. “And I’ve actually had parents say, you know, this has been so nice.”
It’s also been helpful for Brotherson because it takes time to get to know each new group of students -- and parents can provide valuable insights into who they are, what challenges they face and their learning history. For example, Brotherson had one student who she’d noticed was having issues with reading. After sitting down with her a few times, Brotherson had identified comprehension as a big issue.
When the girl’s parents came in for their conference, all their questions were about reading. But they also had other concerns about things they were noticing around their daughter’s memory and comprehension, things Brotherson hadn’t noticed because she doesn’t spend as much time with the student one-on-one.
“It drove us to refer her for testing, which then identified some really unusual and rare issues that had been missed,” Brotherson said.
She’s also found that if she has already had contact with families because of behavior issues earlier in the year, using QFT-generated questions at the conference gives parents the chance to ask about how different strategies are working or voice concerns over her communication style. It opens space for a different type of interaction.
“I've found that it helps me understand the student a lot more,” Brotherson said. And, although she’s had good relationships with parents for the most part, she thinks this question-based conference style has deepened those relationships.
HISTORY OF THE QFT
Although the Question Formulation Technique has become more common in classrooms as a way to stimulate student curiosity and deepen their questions, the technique actually started as a way to help parents advocate for their children. In the 1990s, Dan Rothstein and Luz Santana were working to get low-income parents involved in their children’s education. They heard over and over that parents were intimidated in front of teachers and administrators because they didn’t know what to ask. That jump-started years of research into simple ways to empower people to ask their own questions, culminating in the Question Formulation Technique.
“They named a fundamental problem in parents participating and a fundamental problem in education,” said Dan Rothstein.
Now, the Right Question Institute is going back to its roots, leading workshops with parents and districts around using the QFT to learn about three important parts of parenting in the American education system: supporting, monitoring and advocating for one's child in school. Additionally, they’re helping parents to look beyond simple answers in order to question how decisions get made at the school and district level.
Many schools struggle to engage parents with school. It’s a tricky problem with a complex web of reasons ranging from busy parents to fear and distrust. Some schools even have active parent communities willing to raise money and volunteer, but who don’t know how to support their students’ academic work in the classroom.
“I was very resistive to the school and what they would tell me I needed to do,” said April Ybarra, a mother of two daughters in Sacramento, California. “They represented this institution that failed me, so to me, they didn’t know what they were talking about."
Before she started making better connections with teachers at her daughters' school, Ybarra thought her job was to parent and the teacher’s job was to teach. She didn’t trust teachers or administrators because she’d had negative experiences in school herself. Forming relationships with teachers helped her let down her guard and actually listen to what school staff were saying.
"I learned that we have to be co-educators,” said Ybarra, who didn't come to this realization through QFT, but participates in programs that advance improved parent-teacher relationships.
“We have to work together. My child is with me more than she’s with her teacher. That helped me understand that if I don’t support what the teacher’s doing in the classroom, my child’s not going to get ahead. I wouldn’t have known that before because of the barrier that was up."
Ybarra also said it’s human nature to talk about what’s happening at the school, the good and the bad. When parents spread a positive message about their interactions with staff or the progress their child has made, it’s the most effective outreach a school can have.
“The first thing that you’ll hear from schools is that ‘we try to reach the parents, we try to get them here, we reach out to them. But basically it’s not working,’ ” Rothstein said.
Rather than trying to get all parents to engage with school, he and Santana recommend deepening engagement with parents who are already willing to visit the school using the QFT. If those interactions become fruitful and positive, word will spread.
“Teachers and administrators are able to have more productive conversations with the parents,” said Luz Santana. “The parents feel more comfortable about communicating, interacting and participating.”
Those parents are also the ones that start seeing results. As they become more confident in their roles as supportive figures who monitor what their kids are doing in school and who advocate on their behalf, they start to ask different kinds of questions. There is often a move from questions about the reasons for a problem or decision, to process-oriented questions, and finally questions about the role a parent can play in solving the issue. That move is a powerful one and often signals that a parent has become comfortable as an advocate.
“There’s a lot at play here and our focus is very sharply focused on parents feeling more confident,” said Rothstein.

HOMEWORK EXAMPLE
Rothstein and Santana described one example they detail in their new book, Partnering with Parents to Ask the Right Questions, about a teacher who noticed that a student suddenly stopped turning in homework. She wanted to engage the boy’s mother on the issue, but was aware that if she called a meeting and laid out the problem it was likely the mother would feel defensive, as though the teacher was accusing her of doing something wrong.
“One simple shift changes that dynamic from one of obvious defensiveness to one of actually working collaboratively,” Rothstein said.
The teacher called the meeting and quickly taught the parent the QFT. The teacher guided the parent through the process of asking her own questions, categorizing them and choosing the ones that were most important to her. Initially the mother focused on behavior issues, but then started asking questions like: When did this start? What will this mean for him? And, crucially, what should I do to make sure he does his homework?
That last question was likely the one the teacher hoped they would get to, but when the mother came up with it herself after all her other questions, it became a real “need to know” for her.
“Because she was the one who named that, it’s more likely that she will follow through,” Santana said.
There are many opportunities for schools to work with parents on the QFT. It could be worked into every parent workshop, back-to-school night, or other event at the school. It doesn’t have to take a lot of time, and once parents get used to the process they start doing it automatically in all aspects of life.
FRAMEWORK FOR ACCOUNTABLE DECISION-MAKING
As Rothstein and Santana worked with parents to bolster their question-asking skills, they began to see patterns in the ways they engaged.
“We would notice they had lots of questions about the reasons,” Rothstein said. “They had fewer questions about the process and they had very few about the role they could play. That speaks to, or reveals, so much of the issue. They don’t even see themselves as having a role in these decisions.”
To try to change that dynamic, the Right Question Institute started leading workshops about how to ask questions about the ways decisions get made in schools, at the district level, and even at the state level. They’ve found that when parents understand that what’s happening to their child is a decision -- not the only way it could have been -- and that they can ask questions about how that decision was made, they become more effective participants in the school system.
In their book, Santana, Rothstein and Agnes Bain share an example of a group of English Language Learner parents who were concerned for their children’s safety after a school shooting. The parents turned to a trusted community-based organization, which in turn taught them the QFT.
The parent group called a meeting with the principal and superintendent to get some answers. Staff at the community-based organization were worried that the district would brush aside the parents’ important questions, so they also taught them the Framework for Accountable Decision-Making. That allowed parents to ask their leaders followup questions about who made decisions around school safety and how to fund alternative options. With more confidence in their questions, their right to know and their ability to push for more information, the parents became much more effective advocates.

Teaching parents to question might sound like the last thing a principal or teacher wants if they are accustomed to angry parents in their office demanding answers. But if it’s a true collaboration, parents will also learn the challenges that educators are up against. While they may start out asking questions about decisions made around their child, it could open up a better understanding of the testing environment, class sizes and limitations that schools face. And when parents are informed about those things, they can push for change at even higher levels.
And for districts interested in taking on big cultural shifts that require the buy-in of the community, the QFT could be a powerful way to surface questions and concerns that could derail the project down the line. Several states in New England have moved toward competency-based grading, but they’ve encountered challenges making deeper shifts because parents are confused and pushing back. Without transparency, clear communication and a commitment to understanding parent concerns, big changes often lose momentum.

Friday, July 13, 2018

Compassionate Curiosity from ED Week July 3., 2018

Great Opinion piece as we look forward to the 2018-19 School Year!

To Understand Your Students, Use 'Compassionate Curiosity'

After more than 30 years of teaching, I am still humbled and awed when parents hand their children over to me on the first day of school. It is an act of profound trust, especially when I know that my personal teacher-version of the Hippocratic Oath to "do no harm" is sometimes not enough. I will make mistakes. I will miss things, I will design imperfect solutions to behavioral and learning challenges, and I will fall prey to making erroneous assumptions about them.
Although I will always try to be kind, patient, understanding, and reflective in my instruction, my good intentions and impact will not always align. I will fail. Although I am pretty sure that I continue to get better at this job, I am definitely a work in progress. And because the stakes are so high, that's a hard truth to swallow.
It is stressful to sign on for a job that is bigger than you. Ceaseless internal and external expectations to "get it right" can lead to teacher burnout (or make us perpetually anxious). Teachers are charged with staying nimble and self-critical. The more we learn, the more we realize we don't know. That reality is especially true when it comes to our students. Simply accepting that we don't know everything important about our students—and never will—is an important first step. The best way to offset that unfortunate truth is to incorporate compassionate curiosity into our daily practice.
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Classrooms Need Compassion in Action

Thich Nhat Hanh, world-renowned mindfulness expert and spiritual leader, sees compassion as a verb—something we can do. It is a form of being mindful. Compassion asks teachers to pause before assuming we know what was behind a student's rude or hurtful remark, disruptive behavior, or poorly executed or missing work. It shifts us out of the role of judge and into the role of investigator—a caring one. It invites our students to tell us more. Disappointing behavior is no longer automatic evidence that a student is insensitive, doesn't care, or is not trying. More often than not, there is a complicating factor that can be revealed (and sometimes removed) through nonjudgmental investigation.
"Compassionate curiosity" is medicinal. It helps build critical trust and connection with our students because it communicates to them that they matter. It is also illuminating. It can interrupt our potential biases and assumptions about our students' thinking and abilities. Effective investigation involves more than simply questioning, though. It also involves observation.
Maybe a student is a leader in class discussion, but when it comes to written expression on the same topic she offers one or two poorly crafted, confused sentences. Instead of assuming that the student doesn't understand the concept, it is important to have a conversation to see how much she knows when she doesn't have to write it down. Often I find the student is struggling with a mechanical breakdown with handwriting ability or stamina, keyboarding, or spelling anxiety—not comprehension. These are critical distinctions. Simply employing a dictation app may be enough to address that gap and allow the student to show what she knows.
Sometimes performance is not about skill challenges at all. It could be about time—not having enough of it. A private conversation can reveal that a student has significant expectations placed on him afterschool (supervising younger siblings, major extracurricular commitments, chores). Maybe he is in the car or on a bus for long travel times, or perhaps his house is noisy or chaotic or stressful. In addition to not having a place to work, read, or think, he may not be getting enough sleep. That may also offer important context for the disrespectful, loud groans that precede each activity, or knee-jerk responses helplessly claiming, "I don't understand" (when he does).

A Path to Trusting Relationships

I can devise solutions and strategies, but it helps to know what is getting in the student's way. And with or without big revelations, simply listening—really listening—without offering any silver-bullet solutions can work wonders. Demonstrating that I am paying attention and that I care can sometimes be enough to help a student feel seen and want to invest in learning.
Compassionate curiosity is an observational and investigatory skill. Like anything else, it is grown through practice and experience. I have become more skilled at it over time, but I continue to improve.
In academics, teachers model that it is OK not to know things; we discover information through research, observation, and inquiry. Compassionate curiosity is no different. In fact, it is key to developing healthy relationships with family members and friends in general. When we model this important social and emotional skill with our students, we can help them understand its power, and help them grow it in themselves.
Students don't come to us with tidy labels and operating instructions. They are mysterious, developing individuals. Approaching their struggles like puzzles to solve, rather than problems to react to, makes our instruction more effective. It also makes teaching more rewarding and enjoyable. Although compassionate curiosity doesn't prevent us from failure or mistakes, it reduces them. Most importantly, this caring practice can help us earn the sacred trust of students, as well as that of their parents.

Kyle Redford is a 5th grade teacher at Marin Country Day School, a K-8 school in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is also the education editor for the Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity.

Thursday, February 15, 2018

Vaping 101: What's Important to Know


Letter discussing the Vaping and E-cigarettes Trend

PLYMOUTH-CANTON EDUCATIONAL PARK

Canton High School • 8415 Canton Center Road, Canton, MI 48187 • (734) 416-2850
Plymouth High School • 8400 Beck Road, Canton, MI 48187 • (734) 582-5500
Salem High School • 46181 Joy Road, Canton, MI 48187 • (734) 416-7800


February 15, 2018


Dear Parents and Guardians,

We would like to take a moment to alert you to a trend that is growing in popularity at P-CEP and other high schools in the area and nationally. Similar letters have been sent out by the principals of Northville High School and Livonia Stevenson High School. With permission, we are sharing much of the content they used in their communication. The trend we are referencing is called “vaping” or use of e-cigarettes.

E-cigarettes (“vapes”) can look like a real cigarette, a pen, or a small rectangular device (a little smaller than a credit card but thicker). The Sourin brand “vape” is very popular right now (again, a small rectangular device smaller than a credit card but a little thicker). Vapes all work basically the same way. They are battery operated, have a container filled with liquid (often nicotine based), and a heating device that turns the liquid into a vapor that can be inhaled. Vapes are widely marketed and easily purchased from “vape shops” or even gas stations.

E-cigarettes are often times very difficult to detect because the vapor dissipates quite quickly and there is less detectable aroma when compared with regular cigarette smoke. The devices are very small and some even look like pens/pencils. Use and/or possession of e-cigarettes/vaporizers is a violation of the P-CCS K-12 Student Handbook Student and is subject to school discipline up to and including suspension from school.

While there are many who promote the idea that vaping is much safer than smoking cigarettes, and therefore we should not worry about our young people doing it, it is important to consider several factors. First, most vapes contain nicotine, which is addictive and not good for people with heart problems. Nicotine has also been shown to be harmful to the developing brains of young people and could affect memory and attention. Secondly, according to the American Lung Association, some of the chemicals used in the flavoring in e-cigs can lead to lung disease. One example of such a chemical is Diacetyl. Third, a number of young people use marijuana oil and/or synthetic drugs in e-cigarettes (it is very concerning that one really never knows the true content of “vape” juice). Finally, there have been mechanical issues with e-cigarettes that have caused serious bodily harm to users. I would also like to note that a 2016 study in the journal Pediatrics reported that teens who never smoked but used e-cigs were six times more likely to try cigarettes compared to kids who do not use e-cigarettes.

Please have a conversation with your student(s) about the dangers of vaping (a few article links on the second page). Also, please note the illustrations of what vapes look like and how small they are being manufactured for concealment purposes.

P-CEP is partnering with Saint Joseph Mercy Health System to bring you an informative and educational program for adults and adolescents to learn the facts about vaping.Participants will learn:
  • What a vape is and how it is used 
  • What are the effects of its use 
  • What are the legal issues surrounding vaping 
Tuesday, March 13, 2018, from 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. and Thursday, March 22, 2018, from 6:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Canton High School Dubois Little Theater, 8415 Canton Center Rd., Canton, MI 48187
Please click the link to sign-up for attending either session: https://goo.gl/9mGctc

We want to share this information with all of you in the hope we can continue to partner together in educating our young people and parents to make healthy choices.

Sincerely,

Hal Heard                                             Cheri Steckel                                         Kim Villarosa
Principal, Canton High School     Principal, Plymouth High School        Principal, Salem High School
hal.heard@pccsk12.com               cheri.steckel@pccsk12.com          kimberly.villarosa@pccsk12.com

Please scroll down the page for examples of “vapes” and to find more information on this topic.





There are many educational resources and articles online. Below are a few. Please reference the links below:
https://e-cigarettes.surgeongeneral.gov/
Parent Tip Sheet from the Surgeon General
FAQs
Juuling

In the attached photo, you will see four different types of vapes (labeled A thru D). Vapes are getting smaller and more difficult to detect. There are other designs as well, but these seem to be the most popular at this time.

Vape A: This is the newest version (Sourin is the manufacturer) this year and as you can see, next to a credit card, it is smaller. It is extremely thin and very easy to hide. 
Vape B: This is as thin as a pencil and unscrews into two pieces. One can see the liquid in the smaller mouthpiece. The longer piece screws into the charger below it and plugs into the wall to charge.
Vape C: This is the older, heavier, larger style. The bottle next to it is an example of "vape juice" that is poured into the vape and smoked. This style takes a small battery.
Vape D: This is similar to B but is charged via USB. Again, very easy to conceal and is almost the same size as a pencil.









Great Book Recommendation for Helping Teens navigate through the Digital World



Social Media Wellness: Helping Tweens and Teens Thrive in an Unbalanced Digital World


Over the past decade, the new language created by social media and technology have ostensibly widened the communication divide between generations. Though students have long managed to find distractions, today’s technology innovations present new challenges for students and adults, and many adults struggle to keep up with what their kids are doing online. With a proactive, practical approach based on over fifteen years of working with students in private practice and in schools, Ana provides simple, implementable solutions focused around the three main tenets of socialization, self-regulation and safety. In the face of our “always on” culture, Social Media Wellness: Helping Tweens and Teens Thrive in an Unbalanced Digital World creates a new conversation around social media wellness — one that encourages tweens and teens to think about their own personal values and daily choices, while emphasizing the importance of parental attitude and a collaborative approach in helping all of us build healthier online habits and create more balanced lives.

Friday, December 1, 2017

Teens and Social Media


Familiar View of Today's Teens! 



This Upcoming Tuesday: We are extremely fortunate to be able to host Katey McPherson, the Executive Director of The Gurian Institute, to present a parent workshop on Tuesday, 12/5, from 7-8 pm in the Plymouth Cafeteria. In this one-hour session, parents will learn practical tips and strategies to manage, supervise, and understand the pressures our kid's face and how they can respond to the immediate need to recognize that this is a crucial mental health and wellness issue. All parents of students in grades 4-12 are welcome to attend. Trust me, you won't want to miss this one! Please help spread the word! Here is FLYER for details.

Thursday, November 9, 2017

Great Article on Anxiety from The New York Times...


This was a very insightful article on the topic of anxiety....click the link below to view the article

https://goo.gl/cDArjM

Monday, October 9, 2017

Career/College/ Military Visits for October


       CAREER / COLLEGE / MILITARY REPRESENTATIVE VISITS
October 2017


Check the schedule online at  www.pccsk12.com/pcep  > Guidance and Counseling > Career Center or put P-CEP Career Center in the search box. Check daily for changes or cancellations!  Passes are available in the Park Career Center in Canton room 127,  all Media Centers and the Plymouth / Salem Counseling offices. Passes must be signed by your teacher for the time of the visit. You can ask your teacher to sign your pass the day before so you can go directly to your visit the next day. Try to rotate classes you are missing. You must have the signed pass to attend. Attendance is taken at the presentation. 11th and 12th-grade students may attend any session that is convenient for them at any building. For 4th hour visits at 10:28  go to the session first at 10:28, then take C lunch.

Thursday, October 5, 2017

College/Scholarship Fair at Canton High School on Oct 10th from 4:00 pm-8:00 pm





We want to extend an invitation for an upcoming event we are hosting at Canton High School on Oct. 10th. Infinite Scholars will conduct a College/Scholarship Fair at Canton High School on Oct 10th from 4:00 pm-8:00 pm.  We are hoping to have a large number of students attend this event, please feel free to share it with others. The event is free, students will only have to register via Infinite Scholars website. I have attached a flyer for the event and some basic information about Infinite Scholars below: 

Infinite Scholarship Fairs are located in 27 cities and growing. We connect students with scholarship and financial aid opportunities from participating colleges. There is no cost to students or colleges to attend our fairs.

Nearly 300 colleges and universities annually participate in our scholarship fairs. Each fair hosts between 50 and 100 colleges. Our Featured Colleges provide Infinite Scholars with additional support beyond attending our scholarship fairs.

Thank you for your time, we hope your students will be able to attend this event. 

Friday, September 22, 2017

PCEP Dance Guidelines



Tomorrow begins the Homecoming season here at P-CEP! This is a time of great excitement and memorable events for Canton High School students.  We want to share this communication with you in an effort to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for all students as they attend Homecoming festivities. Please read and review the dance guidelines with your child:

PCEP Dance Guidelines
2017-18 School Year

By purchasing a PCEP dance ticket, the student attending a school-sponsored dance must adhere to following rules:

  1. If a student upon arrival at the dance does not meet the dance dress code requirements as enforced by administration, they will be expected to make their attire compliant with the dress code or they will not be permitted to enter the dance. Students not permitted into the dance will not be issued a refund.
  2. All students upon arrival will be given a wristband that must be worn at all times at the dance.
  3. If the student engages in inappropriate dancing or behavior during the dance, he or she
    1. Will be sent to the main office for a 15-minute break from the dance
    2. The wristband will be removed
    3. Their name and information will be collected and verified via MiStar
  4. If a student is witnessed to be dancing inappropriately for a second time and does not have on a wristband: a) They will be sent to the main office, where a call home will be made to parents explaining the behavior.
    1. The student will not be permitted to return to the dance.
    2. The student will not be given a refund
    3. Other disciplinary actions may be taken depending on student behavior.

We appreciate your assistance in reviewing the above guidelines with your child. Have a great weekend

Thursday, September 21, 2017

Distribution 

P-CEP Chromebook final distribution information from Technology Department


Please click this link for an update on the Chromebook distribution

Friday, September 8, 2017

P-CEP Students visit Cuba!


P-CEP Students visit Cuba! 

This past June several PCEP students had the opportunity to travel to Cuba for eight days. The trip was eye-opening, and gave students the chance to experience a dynamic music scene, practice their Spanish, and enjoy delicious cuisine. Students were able to engage with many locals and discuss the history and politics behind American/Cuban relations. Students came away with a renewed perspective on our Caribbean neighbor, and I believe all would say it was certainly a trip to remember!