Category Archives: Parents

You Thinking of Uni?

Posted by hopejohnson on 13 November, 2017 None comments
October was a month of college prep for our upper MYP and DP students here at SEK: We visited Education
City, held a Canadian university fair, and were welcomed by Qatar University for a tailor-made tour. Lots of
students received inspiration, some gained surety, and others now have more questions than when we
began! All in all, we can be sure that our students have excellent options for undergraduate study, whether
here in Qatar or further afield. Deciding where to choose to go remains the challenge.
The dean at the University of Pennsylvania offers the following framework for guidance in choosing the right school on his blog:

 

  1. Culture:
    • What is the history and mission of the institution. How is the mission relevant today?
  2. Curriculum:
    • More than a listing of majors and programs, what is the design and aim of the courses you will take over 4 years?
  3. Community:
    • Who are the people, the physical spaces of campus and the relationship of the campus to the local environment?
  4. Conclusions:
    • What should I envision for myself at the end of my college experience
    • What are some of the outcomes I may expect?

 

These four Cs are good place to start when students are deciding what school they want to be a part of in the next chunk of their lives. As a prudent parent, I would go ahead and add a fifth C: Cost. It is a very necessary discussion to have!

All of a our students will find welcoming places around the world. As directed above, I encourage them to look beyond a course title, or school name when making that determination, and to ask: What will my day-to-day be like there? What will my classes actually be about? How will this program serve me in my future endeavors?

I am here to help students pore over course details and catalogs, to get in touch with program supervisors,
and find illustrative answers to questions that may help guide their choices. Please have these conversations
at home, and check in with me if you too have questions! It is my pleasure and privilege to be a part of this
exciting time in our students’ lives.

The Growth Mindset

Posted by hopejohnson on 12 November, 2017 None comments

What is the growth mindset?

Have you ever really struggled with a new concept? How did you feel? Were you able you overcome? How?

Research shows that mindset greatly affects how well one succeeds in new or challenging situations. To simplify it, I’ll quote Henry Ford, “Whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right.”

What does this mean to our students? The most successful students know that they can grow their brain, retrain themselves to improve, and get better by learning from their mistakes.

When you fail, do you criticize yourself, or your approach? Do you try again?

Being willing to try again after a failure is key. Students, especially those who sit quietly puzzled for fear of looking dumb, are incapable of reaching their potential if they follow this path. Asking questions, making attempts, and yes, failing, are what help us learn. This messaging needs to make it to our students’ ears. When we fail, we must reflect and evaluate, and then try again.

When you succeed, is it just because you are super smart, or because you have mastered your strategy through trial and error?

Most masters at anything will tell you, they are not intrinsically their most capable, but they have become so with thoughtful, continued effort.  We must praise the process, not the person to ensure students continually take responsibility for their results, and reinvest in themselves.

Below is a great site for parents to consult. We can help our students succeed by giving them the gift of a growth mindset. It is not an instantaneous shift, but a practice best adopted familially  and communally.

https://www.mindsetkit.org/growth-mindset-parents

 

 

Moving From Qatar?

Posted by marlofrontiera on 7 June, 2017 None comments

Transition – Leaving

While moving can be in many ways exciting and positive, it also inevitably entails a sWinnie 1ense of loss.

 

 

What are some of the possible losses?

  • Friends
  • Being seen a certain way
  • Knowing how things are done
  • For some, as much family closeness
  • Sense of control over one’s own destiny
  • Involvement with certain activities

 

Winnie 2

 

What are some ways that kids express their feelings of loss / lack of control / fears of the future?

  • May be negative, argumentative or angry
  • May break family rules and expectations
  • May become withdrawn or over-sensitive
  • May be excessively helpful and obedient, quiet and complacent
  • May need more reassurance then usual about all sorts of things
  • May be “clingy”
  • May regress to earlier behaviors

These are all normal responses. However if your child doesn’t acknowledge and process his/her sense of loss now, more serious consequences can result.

Winnie 4

Age Differentiated Issues

While any of these reactions can occur in any age group, they occur with the most frequency in the following age groups.

Preschool:

  • Separation worries
  • Need for connections
  • Need for a part in the move / responsibilities
  • Difficulty understanding what’s really happening

Primary School:

  • Dislike of change
  • Need for security of everyday routines
  • Need to know about familiar and/or positive change in a new environment

Middle and Senior School:

  • Loss of friends and peers
  • Concern about fitting in / being accepted
  • Loss of control or independence
  • Stress of losing status and being unknown
  • Stress of not knowing the new routines

 

Suggested Strategies

  • Organize a “Goodbye/Farewell “party for both adults and children so you can formalize the goodbye process. Ice cream sundae party, movie party, theme park outing, pool party, etc.
  • Saying goodbye is extremely important to prevent unprocessed “emotional baggage” later on for both children and adults.
  • Have the children make a special “Memory scrapbook”.
  • Give your child a disposable or digital camera so they can take their own photos of special people and places.
  • Have your child pack one special box (just for them) with what they want to keep.
  • Stay connected with your special friends here after you move because they will be missing you.
  • Give yourself a special treat (going to a spa, Etc.) and just be easy on yourself. You are doing a great deal of hard work and it is an emotional time.
  • Phone/email the new school with questions before you arrive. Children can also look on the new school website to prepare themselves.
  • Keep on thinking positively and talking positively about the move. It is an opportunity to have a fresh start.
  • Research the new location as much as possible.
  • Remember that children are resilient and can adapt quickly.More Strategies
  • Make a family chart together listing the pros and cons about living here and then the pros and cons of the new location. E.g. What I will miss? What I am looking forward to?
  • Be honest with the children about the reasons for the move.
  • Buy books or look at movies about moving and/or about the new location.
  • Be aware that reverse culture shock will exist for a period of time if you are moving back to your home country. You have changed in your outlook and experiences.
  • Be a ‘tourist’ when back in your home country and travel more.
  • Make paper chain with the links representing the countdown to the move. Each evening your children remove one link.
  • Make a countdown calendar and post it where all the family can see it.
  • Use the Skype system and email to keep in touch and allow your children the chance to communicate with technology.
  • Have children make special “Let’s Keep in Touch” cards with contact information.
  • Explain to your children exactly what moving involves: packing boxes, moving company, Etc. Do not assume that children understand the process.
  • Allow your children some choice in decorating their new bedrooms and talk about this ahead of time.
  • Sit with your children and make a list together of what is positive and what is negative about the move.
  • The children can pack their own airplane carry-on bag with important items/treats.
  • “Wherever you go a little bit of you stays behind”.
  • Life in the new location will be different but keep an open mind. Remember that your reaction to transition sets the tone for your children’s adjustment.Winnie 3

 

Building Self-esteem with your children

Posted by Natalia on 21 January, 2015 None comments

I would like to thank everyone who attended our coffee morning and shared their experiences with all of us. I think that this is the best way to learn and know that we are not alone, in this difficult, but enjoyable task of being parents.

Self-Esteem-01Self-Esteem-02

For those of you who were unable to attend, listed below are the points we discussed about how to help our children improve their self esteem.

Self esteem is how we see ourselves. It´s not something that we are born with, it is something that we learn from the environment we grow up in.

How can we help our children to build their self esteem?

Set a good example: Children learn by what they see and hear, watch your words and actions.

Be encouraging: Encourage your child to try new things and to keep trying, even when they struggle or faSELFil.

Be a good communicator: Talk in a positive way with your child, not to your child. Listen to them attentively and keep lines of communication open. Value their thoughts, even if you do not always agree.

Discipline with love: Separate the child from the action and punish the action not the person.

Help them to set realistic goals: Write it down and your child to follow them.

Energise your child with a healthy lifestyle: Exercise daily, eat healthy and get sufficient sleep.

Allow your child to make mistakes: When your child fails, support them and discuss the lessons learnt and ways to improve the next time.

Spend time with your child: Acknowledge their effort. Give support even if you don´t agree with their choices.

It is never too late to star building self-esteem. START TODAY.

Helping others.

Posted by Natalia on 29 September, 2014 None comments

I will like to share with all of you an interesting video. I am sure that this short film will make you think about the importance of helping others.

9 Ways Students Can Develop a Growth Mindset

Posted by Natalia on 9 September, 2014 None comments

what_can_i_say_to_myself

Key points for supporting children’s friendship skills.

Posted by Natalia on 1 June, 2014 None comments

Parents, carers and teaching staff have important roles to play in helping children develop friendships. They set examples for children to follow through the ways they manage relationships. They can also act as coaches and mentors for children, teaching them helpful social skills and talking through friendship issues to help with solving problems.

Provide children with opportunities to play with peers. Children gain experience and learn important social skills from playing with friends.

Teach positive social skills. Little things like smiles, looking at the person, knowing names and using a confident, friendly voice can make a big difference when making friends. Being able to better control negative emotions and paying attention to the needs and wants of others are also very important.

You may act out the situation and even demonstrate what to say. Take turns ‘acting’ until your child can demonstrate what to do.

Be a coach. Coach your child to practise positive social skills in everyday situations with family members and friends. Support children’s learning by giving positive feedback and praise.

Help children solve friendship problems
Talking problems through with a supportive adult helps children to think about what happens, how they feel about it and what to do next.

Don’t be too serious. Make it a fun experience.

GRAPHS, STICKERS or POINTS

Posted by Natalia on 11 May, 2014 None comments

How to improve your child´s behaviour at home using GRAPHS, STICKERS or POINTS.

The Graphs are a means of reinforcing specific types of behaviour and in order to do this we can use stickers or points.

1. You can choose 3 types of behaviour to focus on, they should be obvious and always formulated positively. For example don´t say to your child, behave yourself, be good, be quiet, instead try and get them to do something positively, for instance, dress yourself, tidy up your toys, fasten your seat belt in the car…..

2.You should inform your child that you will give him or her points or a sticker every time they behave correctly, and these should be given as soon as possible so that your child sees this as a prize.

3. Points or stickers should never be removed or taken away from the child for bad or inappropriate behaviour, in this case different measures should be taken.

4. When the graph has been completed you may want to consider giving a treat to your child, this could be something that you have previously agreed with him or her.

chart

9 steps to manage temper tantrums.

Posted by Natalia on 17 March, 2014 None comments

Father-teching

1.  We should not pay attention to the tantrum. If you give in to your  child while he is having a tantrum you are not allowing him to learn to tolerate his frustrations.

2. Wait for your child to calm down.

3. Explain that when they are calm you will pay attention to them and help them solve their problem.

4. It is very important for us to stay calm at all times, children recognize our frustration as well and that in turn makes them more frustrated.

5. Be firm and consistent, but show your child affection, not anger.

6. Try to divert your child’s attention to something else.

7. You have to act as a role model therefore when you feel frustrated or angry try to control the situation and don’t lose your temper.

8. Talk to your child, express your own emotions and help them to feel comfortable when expressing their emotions to you.

9. Do not judge your child, be understanding and only criticize exactly what they did wrong, do not make a general criticism of your child, as this can  be negative for your child’s emotional development.