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How Do I Talk To My Child's Kindergarten Teacher About The Reading Curriculum?
976 Plays6 months ago
Listener question: “How do I talk to my child’s veteran kindergarten teacher about them saying to memorize sight words, I don’t want to be rude.”
Let’s be clear: it’s not the teachers fault if they tell you to memorize words. They might not know! Teachers are expected to be an expert on every subject and that’s WILD to think in their free time they’re researching and teaching themselves everything. And then writing their own curriculum and often hiding that they’re doing it one they learn if their district hasn’t approved the switch yet 😳
Curriculum is not usually the decision of the teacher. I also was a teacher that thought this was how to teach kids how to read.
(I have a f r e e and easy guide for parents on the do’s and don’ts of sight words. Message @bigcityreaders on instagram the phrase: sight words and I’ll send it to you!)
4 tips on talking about this:
⚡️Remember you’re on a team- school admin, teachers, parents. We all have the same goal. We all want kids to succeed.
⚡️Be curious. Don’t go into a conservation with “I’m right” but I’m curious- “can you tell me more about the schools reading curriculum, this is new for me!” Be ready to learn more, not to have a “gotcha I know more than you” moment. Maybe we don’t have all the information. Maybe the school is in the process of changing. Maybe you are the first person bringing this to their attention.
⚡️Great schools LOVE when parents ask questions. You’re showing how invested you are in the entire school community. Check how you’re asking. Is it accusatory or is it actually to advocate for your child and other kids?
⚡️Be ready to be a part of the change!
More info: bigcityreaders.com/podcast
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Transcript
Introduction: Navigating Parent-Teacher Communication
00:00:00
Speaker
Hi, Ms. Beth. I love your podcast. My question I hope you can answer is that I want to bring up sight words with my child's kindergarten teacher, but they've been teaching for 28 years and I don't want to ruffle any feathers. Do you have any suggestions?
00:00:24
Speaker
What a good question. And actually this question comes into my DMs and emails at least 10 times a week, which just shows that parents care so much about teachers. That is undeniable. Welcome back to the Plan Words podcast. It's Ms. Beth. This is the podcast from Big City Readers, an early learning company that focuses on empowering parents and teachers
00:00:54
Speaker
on the very beginning stages of learning to read.
The Importance of Open Communication in Education
00:00:59
Speaker
So this topic is kind of tricky because nobody, I don't think parents or teachers ever want to get into an uncomfortable discussion where it seems like they're not respectful of the other party, which is amazing that everybody is asking about this because that just shows that parents and teachers both do know that we
00:01:22
Speaker
are on a team together. So today we're going to talk about reading curriculum and specific to kindergarten in this episode, but really this can be used in all grade levels. But we're really just going to talk about how to have an appropriate conversation around asking your school or your child's teacher about
00:01:45
Speaker
the reading curriculum they are using. I think that it's important to remember that open communication about everything is the best way to have a successful school year. So not just talking about things that are not going well, but talking about things that are going well and asking your child's teacher how you can support them from the very beginning.
00:02:12
Speaker
that building that relationship in that way is going to set the stage for really easy conversations or easier conversations when something tricky like this comes up. So it's a common hesitation that parents feel asking about the curriculum. It feels like we're saying we don't think you're doing a good job, but we need to get rid of that.
00:02:37
Speaker
Because let's just say that you've already shown so much appreciation every day to your child's teacher that they would never even think that you are asking about the job that they're doing with your child.
Empowering Parents and Children to Ask Questions
00:02:52
Speaker
We know that these conversations can be tricky, but
00:02:58
Speaker
It's not disrespectful to ask, right? We want to think about how you would talk to your kids. Would you say it's disrespectful if they asked a question about something they don't know about?
00:03:10
Speaker
I don't think so. I think that you would be really encouraging and you would say, oh, that's a good question. And you would show them that they came to the right place. We don't want to raise, I believe we don't want to raise kids that are afraid to tell us something when, when they're scared or when they're unsure or when something goes wrong. We want them to come right to us. We don't want them to say, don't tell mom, don't tell dad.
00:03:35
Speaker
We want them to say, oh, this is a problem and I got to tell mom or dad. So think about your child's education in the same way. Your child's teacher does not want you to say, oh, I don't really know what's going on, but I'm going to Google this or I'm going to ask someone else. They want you to come to them. They want to say, oh, I'm so glad that you came here and that we can talk about this together. So remember that first and foremost, too.
Understanding Curriculum Constraints
00:04:04
Speaker
Your child's teacher probably spends a lot of time writing their lessons and their curriculum and creating a really fun atmosphere for learning. I personally would love someone to ask me more about things that I am teaching. I love to talk about it.
00:04:24
Speaker
So they probably are excited. So keep those two things in mind. Now let's dive into some more specifics. So the education crisis in America is largely based on the fact that teachers aren't being taught in both undergrad and graduate programs how to teach kids how to read using the body of research known as the science of reading. It's not new research. It's almost 100 years old.
00:04:53
Speaker
And it is all about how the brain is not wired to learn how to read, which means that our brain is typically wired to learn how to walk and talk. It is not wired to learn how to read. That doesn't just happen naturally. We have to explicitly teach it. So teachers are often in their programs that they're going to not being taught how to teach kids how to read, which is not the teacher's fault. They are also
00:05:23
Speaker
expecting that the officials that they trust their college dollars with are going to support them the right way. So it's not the teacher's fault. We need to remember that. And they probably don't have a big say in choosing the curriculum.
How to Discuss the Curriculum with Teachers
00:05:43
Speaker
So I think let's keep all these things in mind and remember
00:05:50
Speaker
that when we go to have a conversation, we're going to lead with curiosity. We're not trying to be right. We're not trying to say, ha, gotcha. We are on a team. We are all connected and we want to say, Hey, this is what I would say. Hey, I am brand new to actually everything. Like my, this is my first child in kindergarten and I want to do everything right. I don't want to be,
00:06:20
Speaker
annoying, but I've been reading a lot about how kids are learning to read. And I'm wondering if you could tell me more about the curriculum that you use. I, I didn't go to school for this. I don't really know anything about it. Could you walk me through what a lesson looks like? And then maybe you do know, maybe you don't, but you're going to listen for those parts. And then you can say, okay, wait, so is that aligned with this body of research known as the science of reading?
00:06:49
Speaker
Science of reading is not a curriculum. It's a body of research. So you could ask those questions. Maybe you find out that your teacher says, I actually don't know. Maybe they say, I've actually never heard of this. Maybe you're the first person that's introducing it to them. Maybe they say, you know what? No, it's not. And our school hasn't changed curriculum yet. And I've been fighting for it. Or maybe they say, yes, it is. But we don't have all the information. I think a lot of people get confused if their child's teacher sends home sight words because
00:07:17
Speaker
The science of reading research does not support memorizing sight words as a proper reading strategy, but that doesn't mean we ignore those words. We just teach kids how to decode those words just the same way we would teach them how to decode regular words. We just teach them how to notice the irregular part. So it's not that anything about sight words is bad, it's just the way that we are teaching them.
00:07:44
Speaker
Memorizing the whole word is not good. That's what we do not want. But mapping the word, decoding the word and actually understanding the part that does follow rules and the part that doesn't is what we're looking for. So maybe that is what's already happening and you're going to find that out in the conversation.
Becoming an Agent of Change in Education
00:08:06
Speaker
But no, I do not think it's rude to ask about your child's curriculum.
00:08:14
Speaker
In fact, I think it's rude not to. I think that shows your teacher, your school, that you care so much about your community, your neighborhood, your teachers, that you're asking. So you don't want to just say, oh, whatever, I'll get a tutor for my child. You want to make sure that every child has the same access to resources that actually are going to change
00:08:44
Speaker
the trajectory of their life. That being said, if you do find out, you know, one of the other two, like maybe they haven't changed yet or they're resisting change, you have to be prepared to be a part of the change. So maybe they say, you know what, we aren't changing yet, blah, blah, blah. Then your job is to say, not just to say, well, I'm upset, but to say, how can I be a part of this?
00:09:13
Speaker
What do you need? What does the school need? Does it need to make parents more aware? Does it do as a parent play a crucial role in advocating for your child and every child's education? You can, from a place of love and kindness, advocate and remember that you are on the same team as the school.
00:09:39
Speaker
and say, I'm here to be a part of this change. What can I do? I'm here. Can I align other parents to be a part of this?
Respectful Inquiry and Continuous Engagement
00:09:53
Speaker
Can I help with volunteers to cover lunchtime? If that's the only time that teachers are trained, get creative and just be the squeaky wheel that you are part of this.
00:10:09
Speaker
But asking about your child's curriculum is not rude. In fact, it's a really good idea to ask a lot of questions about what your child is being taught at school. But the way we can deliver it is the thing that determines if it's rude or not. If you're just curious and say, I really care about my kid and I care about every child in this class and the whole school and like I want this school to be
00:10:35
Speaker
A place that all of my future kids attend. I want to be a part of this Then no one is going to be upset with you. In fact, they're probably gonna be really appreciative they are probably gonna feel seen cared for and loved and That's all we can ask for right? So be ready to be a part of the change be curious and Remember that you're on the same team but do not
00:11:03
Speaker
be afraid to ask questions because you think that it is rude because you are advocating for your child and every child that will go to that school too. So I hope that helps give you some confidence around asking about this. Please reach out if you have more questions and stay tuned for a really great episode later this week. I'll see you later.