Report cards are stressful. Report cards can be confusing. And, like it or not, they will be here before you know it.

Now that families everywhere have settled back into their school year routine, it’s time to start thinking about report cards. Too often, after the back-to-school rush is over, families relax into the school groove. Then the first report card arrives, and BLAM! Bad news: things are not going as smoothly as they should be.

Luckily, there are plenty of stay-in-the-loop tricks that parents can use to prevent a report card sneak attack.

5 Easy Tips to Take The ‘Uh-Oh’ Out of Report Cards:

1. Take five minutes to communicate with the teacher every week, via phone, email, or in person to ask how your child is doing in math/ reading/spelling/ listening, etc.

2. Go online. The Internet is a wonderful tool to keep informed. If your child’s class has a web page, log on and get involved.

3. Review past report cards. Chances are that school issues from last year will re-appear, so review previous report cards and keep your eye out for repeat problems.

4. Follow up when tests and assignments are returned to your child. How did it go? Were the results what you were expecting?

5. Don’t wait. If there are any issues, seek help as soon as you learn of them. The earlier that problems are addressed, the easier it becomes to fix those problems for the whole year through.

Parents don’t need a report card to know how their child is doing in school—staying involved every step of the way helps avoid report card stress, and gets school problems taken care of before they get out of hand.

After all, the only thing that should surprise you about report cards is how quickly they arrive.

Not everybody learns the same way. I learn much better with hands-on work.

My English teacher was one of the best with this technique. During our Shakespeare unit, one of our assignments was to better understand the character of our choice. She didn’t ask us to write a two-page essay, double-sided. She didn’t even ask us to explain a lot.

Our assignment was to create a Facebook profile for this character. It could have whatever information you wanted on it, as long as it had a photo, biography, and the basics: who the character’s lover was, his or her interests and friends, and status
updates suiting the character’s personality.

My geography teacher was also great at making learning hands-on. The reason I did so well in this class was because we rarely had tests and quizzes. Instead, we had all hands-on assignments. One of our units involved studying different cultures. We had to look up living conditions of another city and try and apply them to our own. We also had to cook a meal for the class from whatever city we were studying.

However, my favourite project in geography was called the Mystery Island Assignment. For this project, we had to map out and design our own island. It had to include two towns, transportation to, from, and around the island, and a source
of power. We learned how to draw professional maps, and we learned how everything in a city depends on other things to operate.

Everything I have learned in so far in high school involving hands-on work I have no trouble remembering, because all I have to do is think of something as simple as a shape, and from there I can easily recall the information I have learned by touching,
seeing, or creating.

My mistake: Stopping While I’m Ahead. I started with a great mark in science and decided I could just sit back and relax for a while. Bad idea! Never stop while you’re ahead. It is always best to keep working hard, so that you stay ahead.

About me: I go to South Secondary School in London, ON and I have two younger siblings. I have always been a movie guy. But movies aren’t the only thing I enjoy. In the summer I love to bike with my friends down to the Thames River and ride along the trails. The sights and the entire ride are always beautiful. Anyway, hopefully you’ll enjoy my posts! Remember to leave feedback and comments at the bottom! – Dylan.

Ryan Parker from Toronto radio station Q107 goes back to school with Oxford Learning!

Watch this fun video shot at the Rosedale location to discover how your child can build confidence while learning the ABCs and the 1-2-3s:

The first weeks of school are critical: the habits that are formed during the first weeks can follow students—and parents—for the rest of the school year.

Now that school is back in session, ensure that students are on track and hitting the important milestones with this checklist:

1. Communicate with teachers
Don’t wait until the first report card to find out that things are off-track. Take 10 minutes to chat with the teacher about progress and nip any problems in the bud.

2. Do homework, even when there is none
Homework is school inevitability, the sooner students learn good homework habits, the less of a struggle it is. Do homework at the same time every night, even if none was assigned. There is no such thing as no homework, ever.

3. Use agendas
Agendas are the number-one school organizational tool. Students should be writing homework, assignments, and to-do lists in their agendas everyday. If schools don’t provide agendas, purchase one—it’s that important.

4. Talk about school
School is a major part of kids’ lives. If they are unwilling to discuss their day, something may be amiss. Talk to kids about their day and have an open dialogue about school and learning challenges.

5. Watch frustration/stress levels
Between learning new subjects and balancing homework, chores, and social lives, it can be easy for students to become overwhelmed. This can be very de-motivating and can lead to a drop in grades, and bad attitudes about school. Get help as soon as it’s needed.

6. Keep an eye on procrastination
Leaving work to the last minute/not wanting to do work is a sign of poor organization skills. Last-minute rushing means poor preparation and poor grades.

7. Forgetting work
A red alert of poor organization skills, forgetting work, misplacing assignments, or losing textbooks is a sure sign of an off-track student. If students are showing signs of disorganization, get help as soon as possible.

Bonus Tip! Get in the habit of opening and sorting through book bags right after school. Students should come home, open the book bag, take out lunch boxes, and place their agenda on the table. After a snack, or chores, open the agenda and get to work!

Check out our printable version!

Our fall newsletter is packed full of great tips and techniques to help your make sure that this school year starts off on the right foot!

Click to download our 4 page, printer-friendly newsletter

The Canadian Council on Learning recently published a report that says that comic books can help close the reading gender gap.

When it comes to reading, studies have shown repeatedly that boys trail behind girls. This is not a new idea. The gender gap in school success has been on educators’ radar for quite some time.

There are multitudes of resources that speak to the issue, and even websites that are geared just to help boys improve their reading performance in—and out of—the classroom.

According to the CCL, comic books are just the tool to spark boys’ interested in the written word. But just what is about comic books that hold boys’ attention? And, are comic books enough to help boys close the reading gap?

According to studies, comics appeal to boys’ more visual nature. The graphic images help to dynamically add dimension to the story. Even though the amount of space allotted for actual words is limited, the narrative is not hindered by a minimal word count.

A Science Daily article says that boys are not just looking at the pictures, and that comics impart the same benefits of reading any other books.

Websites such as Getting Boys To Read say that comic books are very important educational tools. Not only do they appeal to boy’s visual nature with bright images, and male-geared story lines, they teach literacy devices such as metaphor, tension, and tone.

But, in order for comic books to help boys close the reading gender gap, they have to be available and recognized as school-worthy reading material.

The facts are:
• Reading and literacy skills are critical to a successful education.
• During the early and middle school years, boys trail behind girls when it comes to reading.
• Boys tend to have a greater affinity towards comic books.
• Comic books can help boys increase their reading skills.

It’s important that the experience of reading comics is not too easy for readers, which is quite often the concern, given the limited text and the eye-catching images. Young readers need to be challenged to think actively about what they are reading, and to develop the skills needed for deep, sustained reading.

While gender differences in reading abilities exist, it’s important to not create gender-based reading stereotypes. Boys should never be told that they wouldn’t enjoy a text-only book, or girls that comics are just for boys. Reading skills are very individual, and either sex can defy gender-based learning challenges despite genetics(I.E. girls are bad at math; boys lag in reading), and become successful students.

Comic books in the classroom can provide a dynamic reading experience for girls and boys alike. And for boys who are lagging behind in their reading aptitudes, comic books could be just the ticket to spark a love of reading that helps them take the next step in their reading journey.