Galway Advertiser 2005/2005_05_19/GA_1905_E1_018.pdf 

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Galway Advertiser

May 19 2005

NEWS

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FASHION

BEAUTY

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H E A LT H

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LIFE

MARY
How do you view your child's teacher? As an ally and partner in your son or daughter's education or as someone with whom you disagree on everything from her attitude to discipline to her belief that homework should be lengthy? If your feelings tend to be negative, it is wise not to transmit these to your child as this will only colour her view. Equally, if your experience of school was not happy avoid mentioning this. If you have real issues that need ironing out, seek a meeting with the teacher. It is important to establish a good relationship with the teachers at her school so you are aware at an early stage of any difficulties your primary school child is having. It is also useful so that you can keep the teacher informed of any factors in her life which could affect her school performance, such as a new baby in the family or the death of a grandparent. If your child is having a problem with homework or does not understand what is happening in class, contact the teacher as soon as possible. If you have a close relationship with your child and supervise her homework, you may even figure out that a problem exists before the teacher does. By alerting the teacher, you can work together to solve a difficulty in its early stages. Start by requesting a meeting with the teacher to discuss any problems. You can use your child's homework diary for this. Explain briefly why you want to meet. You might say, "Ciara is having difficulty doing her maths homework and I'd like to know how we might help" or "John has no-one to play with at break time and is very upset". Or maybe you feel the teacher is treating your child unduly harshly, you do not approve of the dressing-down he got in class or you disagree with some of the class rules. It helps to write out questions and jot down what you want to say in advance. That way you won't come away regretting the fact that you did not mention something. Be prepared to listen as well as to talk and take notes, if necessary. Be sure to ask for an explanation if you do not understand something or seek clarification. Approach the meeting with a positive attitude and a willingness to co-operate even if you have different views on some things. If you are not happy with the meeting or do not feel you are being understood or taken seriously arrange to talk with the principal. Parent/teacher meetings are another way of learning more about your child and furthering the relationship between home and school. You will be given specific details about her work and progress and how she is interacting with the rest of the class. Share any concerns you have about study habits, whether you feel she needs extra help or if there are special family circumstances, such as moving house, a parent losing her job, or divorce that may be affecting her adversely. Ask about specific ways to help your child at home and check whether she is spending too little or too much time on assignments each night. If the teacher tells you your child needs to improve in certain areas, check back in a few weeks to see how things are going.

O'CONNOR

Handling problems at school

When you meet the teacher, try not to let your feelings cloud your view or judgement.

Tips for success
* Try to foster a good relationship with the teacher from the start. Praise him/her for the good things he is doing and keep the lines of communication open by writing notes, attending parent/teacher meetings, school fundraisers, etc * Take action sooner than later. If there is a problem, do not let it fester. * Help your child by providing his teacher with information about him. The more she knows about your child's home life, the more she'll be able to help him learn. * If you have a difficulty which you want to discuss with a teacher, your first reaction may be to go in and make a scene but this is not the best approach. Instead, try to deal with the issue in a calm frame of mind. First, telephone or send a note seeking an appointment. You do not need to go into details just say you are concerned about your child's grades, behaviour or the fact that he is refusing to go to school. * When you meet the teacher, try not to let your feelings cloud your view or judgement. Try to explain yourself without making him/her feel threatened or put down. You want his cooperation and help. * Remember, your aim is to get the difficulty sorted out, so keep to the point . Do not be tempted to drag up other issues just to score points * Explain the problem factually. Discuss the specific things that bother you as they relate to your child. Do not generalise. Do not say to the teacher, "You are not teaching my child. This is going to be a wasted year." Instead, say, "The maths programme does not seem to be working for Alan. Is there a way we can change it to better meet his needs?" * Do not aportion blame or try to ruin the teacher's character. If your child is terrified of a teacher who screams a lot in class you could say something like; "Michael is very nervous of Mr Egan and is afraid to go to school each day" * Be willing to listen even if you are not hearing what you would like to hear. Try to be open to finding innovative solutions too * Offer to try to find ways to tackle the issue. Is there anything you could do to help? If the child dislikes school because he is finding reading difficult, maybe some extra help and encouragement at home would make a difference. The teacher may also be able to arrange additional reading support at school. * If you do not get a favourable response from the teacher, you may need to take the problem further. If so, seek an appointment with the principal. If the particular issue affects a number of children then several of you may want to approach the situation together. * Be a team member. Do your share of the work. Teachers cannot fix everything themselves. A child's education takes place at home, too. * Join the school's Board of Management and work with other parents to create a better school environment.

ALL SIZES STOCKED

15% OFF
THIS WEEKEND

* Most teachers welcome the involvement of parents and want to hear your ideas.

20% OFF
THIS WEEKEND AND ALL NEXT WEEK

Competition
Summer is in the air and if you want to look like a bronzed goddess, then visit the Elizabeth Arden Counter at Brown Thomas. As part of the Body Zest Tone, Treat and Tantalise Beauty and Fragrance event which runs at the store until Sunday May 29, it will unveil its latest sunkissed range. The collection has a metallic edge, shimmering and gleaming. Shades reflect the warmth of the sun and create a golden look. Skin is burnished in bronze with luminous bursts of copper and pink. Eyes sparkle. Lips shine with opaque metallics or sheer shimmers. Choose from Sheer Body Bronzer (33) which provides a radiant sun kissed look - an ideal way to create a glow or enhance a tan or Sun Goddess Bronzing Powder (28) which gives a natural, healthy glow with this radiant bronzing powder. Brush onto cheekbones, decolletage and shoulders for a rich, sunbronzed glow. Other tempting treats include Colour Intrigue Eyeshadow Quad which comes in four shimmering shades, beach, sun, bronze and party, a metallic lip pencil which glides on in just one swipe to provide opaque metallic colour and high shimmer and a high shine lip gloss duo which promises to deliver brilliant shine and beautiful color. To celebrate this new make-up collection Elizabeth Arden is offering three Galway Advertiser readers the chance to win a bronzing package which includes a makeover and four products from this range. All you have to do is send your name, address, and telephone number to the Elizabeth Arden competition, The Galway Advertiser, 41/42 Eyre Square, Galway by Wednesday May 25.

LINGERIE