Dr. Maureen Marshall
Principal

Dear Families,

This is a great time of year to talk with your child about what he/she is learning at school.  Often times I hear from parents that the way we teach now is not the way they learned.  This is absolutely true!  There has been so much educational research in the past twenty-five years and the instruction that your child received reflects this research.  When I went to school, we would do worksheet after worksheet, resulting in a lot of busy work and not much interaction with each other or the teacher.  Today, your children spend a great deal of time learning the skills they will need to be gainfully employed in this century, cooperation, critical thinking, and perseverance.  Often times the Friday folder may not have too many papers in it because students are learning problem solving with their hands and manipulatives, they are learning to read with read books and questions.  If at any time you want to see more of what your child is doing, please contact the classroom teacher.  Your child’s teacher knows exactly what your child is learning and what is easy and hard for him/her right now.

This week I talked to a few families about removing televisions from children’s bedrooms.  Television makes life easier for parents.  I know this because I sit my three and a half year old in front of Sesame Street in the morning as I get her one year old sister ready.  It is a quick solution to a hectic morning.  But television has some serious implications.   Children see advertisements for junk food on T.V. and often eat in front of the TV, leading to an increase in calorie consumption and possibilities of childhood obesity.  Studies find early TV exposure increases the risk for attention challenges in children.  Children are more apt to see violent TV when watching TV non-stop, especially instances of violence and crime on the nighlty news.  Viewing TV after 7pm disrupted sleep for the children rather than calming them down, like parents intend.  The American Academy of Pediatrics have set the following guidelines; no TV prior to age 2 and then after age 2, only 2 hours maximum screen time daily.  In this age of DVR and recorded programs, have your child choose the shows he/she wants to watch and ensure that your child does not have free reign over television programming.  Children learn too much from TV and we want to make sure children are learning their values and habits from you, and not from characters on television. 

Sincerely,

Dr. Marshall
maureen.marshall@fcps.edu