Partner with students!

What is one of a teacher’s most important roles?

When you think of teaching, what roles automatically come to mind? Being a teacher is definitely about scheduling, planning, teaching lessons, guiding, directing, correcting, and student accountability. It is also about partnering with your students to help them accomplish needed goals. The partnering role is one that is easily overlooked in the “structure” of the daily plan. Today’s tip is a reminder that the partnering role may be our most important role of all!

What does it mean to “partner” with your students?

Partnering means being ready and willing to help in whatever way is needed for your kiddos to be successful. This means when students fall behind in their day, it is part of our job to jump in and help them catch up. Maybe they fell behind due to struggling with an assignment or a lack of understanding. Perhaps an assignment went longer than expected or the kiddos were just plain dawdling. No matter the reason they fell behind, partnering means our kids’ success is linked to us. So, if they are falling behind, we need to jump in and help.

What are some ways you can partner with your students?

One easy way to partner with your students is to do the English lesson orally. While you still cover the entire lesson, your students tell you the answers instead of writing them. Or, you could write part or all of the Drawn into the Heart of Reading Student Book assignment for your child. In this scenario, you act as the scribe to complete the Student Book page while your student tells you the answers. Another option is to write your child’s responses on a markerboard to be copied later (as copying is easier). Another easy way to partner with your students is to sit nearby while they complete an assignment. Often simply being available for immediate help is a huge partnering tool.

For math, you might have your child say the math answers while you write them in the textbook. For vocabulary, you could write the definition from the dictionary as your child reads it aloud. Then, your child could do the rest of the vocabulary card. You could get out books, open them to the right page, and put books away to speed along that process. Perhaps you partner by getting out needed supplies for a science experiment, or clean up when the experiment is over. Maybe you set up part of a history project so your child has no wasted time. However you choose to partner with your child, be sure none of these helps become habitual. Used only as needed, they can save the day and help save your child’s attitude too!

What is the difference between partnering with your child and skipping assignments?

Partnering with your child is not to be confused with skipping assignments. As you can see from the examples above, the assignments are still being completed. This is different from portions of the assignment being omitted or skipped altogether. This week give yourself permission to partner with your child. See if you notice a positive change in your homeschool day!

Blessings,
Carrie