Jackson: Option For Student Study

A Call From Jackson's Mother, Getting to Know More About Jackson

Pretend you just spoke to Jackson's mother and found out the following...  

He:

• • • is a passionate and creative writer

    • has a history of not fitting in with peers (doesn't have many friends)

    • has never liked group work

    • is strong academically - has been on the honor roll with a 4.0

    • has been enrolled in all honors classes with an A average

    • can dominate conversations

    • wants to write a book and loves science fiction

    • is a bit of a computer geek

    • is a bit of a loner

    • has a very extensive vocabulary

    • is bullied a lot

Making connections with parents as partners in their child's education is paramount.  Now that you have heard her thoughts on her son what do you think?  

The reality is, as an educator, at some point in your career you might have to call a parent for a similar reason.  As you plan to call parents, here are some questions you might ask a parent in an interview:

a)    What is your child good at?

b)    What does he like to do in his spare time?

c)     What is hard for her?

d)    Does your child like school? What does he like or dislike about it?

e)    Has your child had any testing done outside of school?

f)     What do you wish teachers knew about your child?

g)    What’s the best thing about your child?

h)    What else would you like me to know about your child that might help me work more effectively with him?

From what was gathered from the "call" with your student's mother - consider what should you note in your student study form.