Looking over my last few posts, I realized it was time to share some positive happenings here in the Racine area. School has begun, and for the first time in a very long time, my children look forward to going to school. Okay, maybe they are not jumping-up and down with excitement (although the younger one is close!), but there is definitely a different vibe this year – and that’s a good thing.
Since one of them is attending the same school as last year, I spent some time trying to figure out what is so different this year from last. They are so much more relaxed and seem confident of what it expected of them. The answer dawned on my earlier this week after I signed what seemed to be the 1000th piece of paper that had to be returned to school.
In each and every class at my son’s middle school, they have been told what to expect throughout the year – the grading policy, the tardiness policy, etc. I’m not suggesting that this has never happened before, but signed contracts (with the exception of Orchestra) are a first! Every classroom contract was signed by the teacher, the student AND the parent with clear objectives and goals – it makes the student “own” his academic performance and record. I’m sure it will also help hone the soft skills that are needed for success later in life.
I’m not sure if this is done at other schools in RUSD, but I think it definitely should be!
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contracts having both child and parent sign in classes in both MS and HS has/had been done for many years now in the schools my children attended. I thought it was a very good idea, I had thought it was something that was being done at all secondary schools, maybe not
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