Robert Ward - A Teachers Inside Advice to Parents: How Children Thrive with Leadership, Love, Laughter, and Learning

A Teachers Inside Advice to Parents

Praise for A Teachers Inside Advice to Parents

Robert Ward has written a clear, practical guide for parents to help their children thrive academically and emotionally in partnership with their teachers. If you are worried that your child is not reaching his or her true potential, I urge you to read this book. Through Wards leadership, love, laughter, and learning approach, parents, children, and teachers form a winning team. Naomi Manzella , parent and library media specialist, Norwood School, Maryland

A Teachers Inside Advice to Parents necessarily connects parents with teachers as allies in their joint mission of educating youth. The unassuming voice of master teacher Robert Ward provides parents with resonating wisdom and pragmatic tips on how to provide the optimal conditions for their children to flourish in the classroom and in life. Sarah Wu , parent, Palo Alto, California

Robert Wards credibility as a teacher, writer, and mentor speaks volumes in his latest book, A Teachers Inside Advice to Parents . He shares fresh insights and solutions for both parents and educators in supporting youth in todays educational setting. Currently a classroom teacher himself, Wards discussions are relevant and right on target. I had the pleasure of being mentored by him, and his passion for teaching knows no bounds and is always infectious. While other teachers spent their lunch hours complaining about the educational system, a group of us hung out in Mr. Wards classroom brainstorming ways to be more effective to our students and their families. He is like a breath of fresh air in a sometimes negative arena and brings with him a positive outlook on every area of teaching, parenting, and nurturing children. Tami Pearsall , parent and instructor, California State University, Northridge

I have worked with hundreds of educators during my thirty-two years in education, and I can count on one hand those with Robert Wards level of expertise. I worked with him for over twenty years, and it was a pleasure to see his level of commitment and consistent quality of instruction. He knows very well that parents are crucial partners in educating children, and this is the book to facilitate that process. Lorna Bounds , parent and retired assistant principal, Los Angeles Unified School District, California

Robert Ward has found a way to bring parents and teachers together to help students find greater success and satisfaction in the classroom, as well as at home. In this book, both parties will discover complementary approaches to nurture and educate children, while also lowering the frustrations of all involved. Dr. Donald C. Helvey II , parent and teacher, Meridian School, Utah

From one parent to another, one thing Im sure of is that it takes a village to raise a child. As a mother of three, my greatest allies have been my childrens teachers. A Teachers Inside Advice to Parents will give you the tools to be a better partner in your childs education. Linda Armstrong , parent, Los Angeles, California

Robert Ward was an inspiration to me during my first year teaching at a very challenging school in South Los Angeles. He is a teacher who managed to be gentle and caring, while also firm. His high expectations raised up all of his students and set a model for the rest of us to follow. Now that I am a parent, I am even more impressed by his structured, supportive approach. Parents and teachers alike can benefit from his lessons to help all children thrive. Ingrid Brennan , parent and teacher, Oxnard Union High School District, California

Having dedicated his life to teaching, there is no one more qualified than Robert Ward to help parents become powerful, positive advocates for their own children. Wards practical wisdom shows parents how they can help their children develop into responsible, healthy, independent individuals. Steven Ford , veteran English teacher, Los Angeles Unified School District, California

Invaluable insight for parents on how to better collaborate and communicate with the classroom! You will come to rely on Wards menus of essential questions parents can ask their children, their teachers, and themselves in order to transform the homeschool connection into the rewarding experience it was meant to be. Katie Hong , parent and assistant principal, Los Angeles Unified School District, California

A Teachers Inside Advice to Parents

How Children Thrive with Leadership, Love, Laughter, and Learning

Robert Ward

ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD

Lanham Boulder New York London

Published by Rowman & Littlefield

A wholly owned subsidiary of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.

4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, Maryland 20706

www.rowman.com

Unit A, Whitacre Mews, 26-34 Stannary Street, London SE11 4AB

Copyright 2016 by Robert Ward

All rights reserved . No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote passages in a review.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Ward, Robert, 1964

Title: A teachers inside advice to parents : how children thrive with leadership, love, laughter, and learning / Robert Ward.

Description: Lanham, Maryland : Rowman & Littlefield, 2016.

Identifiers: LCCN 2016033683 (print) | LCCN 2016037838 (ebook) | ISBN 9781475822892 (cloth : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781475822915 (electronic)

Subjects: LCSH: Parent-teacher relationships. | Teacher-student relationships. | EducationParent participation.

Classification: LCC LC226 .W37 2016 (print) | LCC LC226 (ebook) | DDC 371.19/2dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016033683

The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information SciencesPermanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.

Printed in the United States of America

Contents

Each year I have the honor and pleasure of traveling throughout the state of California as part of my position with a national program where I visit schools to determine whether they are worthy of being recognized as high-performing. This acknowledgment requires schools to show evidence of making strides to improve student academic performance, of responding to the developmental (social, physical, emotional, and intellectual) needs of students, and of possessing the proper organizational support that a school, district, and community provides for all of its children.

Many times I walk away from these experiences in awe of what professional educators are doing to nurture and enlighten children. Yet I also wonder what more could be done to support our students if we knew a little more about them and their families and if teachers and parents knew how to more effectively work together and communicate with one another.

Often when I am speaking at a school and celebrating its success, I am approached afterward by parents, elected officials, and community representatives with questions that leave me wondering: How did we neglect to inform these people of the great things happening at this school, and how is it possible that the parents did not already know about all of the programs and options available to them to support their childs developmental and academic needs?

A Teachers Inside Advice to Parents: How Children Thrive with Leadership, Love, Laughter, and Learning bridges the chasm that often exists between teachers, parents, community members, and others truly interested in the education and raising of children. This book is an experienced-based tool for parents and teachers to examine ways to improve learning for all students and to better understand the process of nurturing childrenboth at home and at school.