Evelyn Vuko

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Teacher Says
Hosted by Evelyn Vuko
Washington Post Education Columnist
Tuesday, April 29, 2003; 2 p.m. ET

Need help in guiding your kids through their school life, school work, or in becoming better students? Join Washington Post "Teacher Says" columnist Evelyn Vuko every other Tuesday at 2 p.m. ET to talk about education and child development issues.

Join Post Teacher Says columnist Evelyn Vuko on Tuesday, April 29 at 2 p.m. ET for a free-for-all discusssion. The transcript follows.

Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.

Evelyn Vuko: Hello, boys and girls, and welcome to a free-for-all chat at Teacher Says. Though we don't have head butts or face rippers in this kind of free-for-all, I welcome a wide range of questions about how to help kids thrive in school. In the limited time we have, I'll try to answer every question, or at least, refer you to books, references, websites or past Teacher Says chats to further your quest for information. If your questions don't get answered during the chat, please feel free to email me at evuko@teachersays.com There's always the chance that your question will lead us to the next chat topic. Let's go!

Washington, D.C.: I have a question about becoming a teacher.

It would be a career switch for me (I'm 26), but am very interested in becoming a K or 1st grade teacher. Would getting an MAT be the best option for this? What about the new programs that DC and Prince Georges have - where they take you into a training program for the summer and start you off teaching in the fall?

Evelyn Vuko: If you haven't already seen a kindergarten or first grade class in action, and I mean action, that's the first thing you need to do. Contact a local public or private school and arrange for an observation day. Tell the school secretary that you are interested in pursuing a teaching career and want an introduction to the classroom dynamic. It might send you screaming or open your heart to a career like first graders did for me. Take notes about what you see: the content,instruction and discipline methods. How does the teacher handle the entire class? How would you handle the same situation?
After you've sampled a classroom, pursue the programs in DC and Prince Georges because they will prepare you faster for entering the classroom than working on an MAT first. You could do your master's while you're teaching full time.

Washington, D.C.: I've noticed that when our 6-yr-old is asked a question by an adult, his eyes wander and he only responds with a short answer. Is there anything I could be doing to help him with talking to adults?
Thanks

Evelyn Vuko: What you're seeing is a pretty typical 6-year-old response. Few first graders look you dead in the eye when you ask them a question. Start by pointing to your eyes and saying, "look at my eyes when I ask you a question and look at me when you answer me, too." Point to your eyes every time and repeat the words. Engage his siblings, grandparents and aunts and uncles in the process, too. Pretty soon he'll be doing it himself and probably reminding you when you forget.

Silver Spring, Md.: What can I do about my third grade son who is totally clueless in social situations? He doesn't know how to share and monopolizes conversations.

Evelyn Vuko: Please refer to my chat on April 1st with social worker, Cathi Cohen. We discussed a whole gamut of social issues that you might find enligtening and helpful. I'll send you the link in a separate response.

washingtonpost.com: Transcript: Teacher Says: Sticky Social Situations (washingtonpost.com, April 1)

Evelyn Vuko: Here's the Sticky Social Situations chat. Enjoy, and learn!

Arlington, Va.: Do you have any thoughts on the advantages and disadvantage of complete foreign language immersion programs such as those at Sligo Creek Elementary School?

Evelyn Vuko: I believe foreign language immersion programs offer a whole new layer on learning. They not only help kids develop stronger language skills by learning English and another language simultaneously, they go a long way toward developing an attitude of tolerance and respect between cultures.

Atlanta, Ga.: What are your opinions about Montessori preschool? My 4-year-old son seems to be enjoying himself and learning but I worry about how he will transition into the local public school.

Evelyn Vuko: As a former school principal in a school that had a Montessori preschool, I think the program is fabulous. The activities match the developmental level of kids while allowing them to observe more challenging work being done by older classmates. Moreover, Montessori engineers process right into its activities; kids learn how to obtain, assemble, organize and replace all materials used. It also encourages even preschoolers to take an active role in planning their own activities. I think it provides an excellent foundation for transitioning into any other kind of school.

Rockville, Md.: My son recently turned three, and he knows his alphabet as well his numbers up to ten, and loves books. He also knows the phonetic sounds that most letters make. I wonder if it is too soon to teach him to read. Are there other things we should focus on now? How can I best help him get started? He also loves to play with other kids, ride his tricycle, play with his trains, and work on puzzles. I want to encourage him to learn, but I don't want to put too much pressure on him.

Evelyn Vuko: Why don't you try the Montessori method of asking him what learning activity he's planning to do today? Would he like to read? Play with his puzzles? Or would he like to try something new? Let him pick one and if he picks the old favorite, do that first and add your new activity later in the day. If he wants to learn how to "read," start familiar names like: Mom. Use letters he can feel, like felt or puffy ones. Place them together and drag your fingers across the letters elongating the sounds. Do this for his and other family names, too.

Anchorage, Alaska: We have a 16 year old son who is a classic underachiever. He is extremely well adjusted socially, funny, caring and warm. He had some early reading and language arts struggles but is very bright. He rarely puts as much effort into his work as he should and typically gets grades in the B to C range. We have tried nagging, tutors, homework checks. At this point we have armed him with enough info on admission requirements for the colleges he'd like to attend and feel he needs to make or break this habit for himself though we are here with whatever support he needs from us, he just needs to ask. Part of me feels like it's my responsibility to ride him through 12th grade, the other part of me feels this is his battle. I KNOW I am not alone in this. Any sage advice?

Evelyn Vuko: Strap on your saddle and ride it out with him. Where's the rule that says that because our kids are in high school, we can't get involved as we were when they were in first grade? Your job in the next two years is to arm him with all the tools that you can find that will equip him to do it on his own. Read Natalie Rathvon's book "The Unmotivated Child" published by Simon & Schuster. I wish you strong energy and calm resolve.

Lancaster, Pa.: How do I encourage my eight-year-old son to read more? The video game revolution has taken over my household.

His reading level is average for his age and grade level (3rd), but I don't see signs of wanting to read or the understanding that the entire world is waiting for him inside each and every book.

Thanks.

Evelyn Vuko: Take him to hear professional storytellers. Libraries and communities often sponsor festivals.

Arlington, Va.: When we moved last year, we thought (erroneously) that all schools in Arlington would be the same quality-wise, or close enough, and transfered our son to 3-rd grade at our neighborhood school. Academically, he did well - socially, he felt left out and out-of-place. Our year went as such:

"Give it a couple of weeks, you'll like it."
"Give it a couple of months, it'll get better."
"Give it until after Thanksgiving, it is bound to improve."

Well, after Winter break, he still was miserable, and no amount of conferences and meeting with the pricipal was going to make a difference. We have arranged to transfer him back to his old school. My guilt is that we left it too long, and should have taken to heart his unhappiness earlier. Your thoughts?

Evelyn Vuko: I think you did the right thing. There are so many emotional variables in elementary school that it is always wise to wait and see if patterns are periodic or look like habits that are setting in for the long haul. Don't look back now, look ahead and help him do the same thing.

Ballston, Va.: My son was reading at three, but I really don't remember doing anything extraordinary or even "teaching" him. We read to him a lot, he had ready access to books, both at home and weekly trips to the library. The only "teaching" thing I did was label the furniture and other things in the house (phone, chair, computer, etc.). He is now 8 and finally asked if he could take the label "lamp" off his bedside light (I had forgotton it was there!).

Evelyn Vuko: That "only teaching thing" you did was a powerfully visual method that works wonders for teaching kids how to read, and to learn vocabulary in a new language. You wise teacher, you.

Arlington, Va.: Hi, I want to switch career fields and work as an art teacher. I'm 24 and have a bachelor's degree with a double major in psychology and art, and have been considering going for either my master's in education, or a master's or certificate in art therapy. Someone at the art therapy program at GWU said that some art therapists teach art classes to special ed students at Fairfax County public schools. I'm also thinking about maybe doing a masters in education with a certificate in art therapy, or a masters in art therapy with a teaching certificate. I want to teach art in elementary school, but I'm also wondering how hard it is to get a job teaching art, compared to teaching general studies. I know that you can get an art education certificate at the bachelor's level, but I don't think there's any such focus in a masters program. I'd appreciate any advice you have on landing a job as an art teacher, and if an art therapy certificate/degree would increase my chance greatly. Thanks!

Evelyn Vuko: Why don't you look into a visiting artists program? Ask about it at GWU. It might give you the first-hand experience you need before investing in another degree. Art therapy, however, is fascinating and incredibly helpful when kids have experienced any kind of trauma or emotional disturbance. GMU's program is one of the finest in the country.

Woodbridge, Va.: First, let me state that I am not yet a mother (hopefully soon). However, I am curious about your thoughts on employing a full-time nanny and the emotional development of a child towards his/her mother and father. Close friends of mine (husband & wife) currently employ a full-time nanny that has been with the child since 5 months of age (he's now going on 3). How will this affect how well the child responds to the instruction and discipline of his own parents as he gets older? Are the roles easily confused by a child in this situation?

Evelyn Vuko: My niece has beeen a nanny for the last five years and loves it. She tells me that there is no debate in the minds of any kids she's nannied as to who the parents are. A good Nanny can be like another parent, well-loved and long remembered.

Silver Spring, Md.: When my nephew was younger (5 years old), he could recite all the states, dinosaur names, etc. But as he gets older (11 now), he doesn't seem to remember them and he's busy playing video games, basketball, skateboarding and reading books. Is this a common growth development in kids?

Evelyn Vuko: He's reflecting the common interests in kids his age. Kids in puberty, especially, are experimenting with the new-found strength of their rapidly growing bodies and are eager to put it through its paces.

Somewhere, USA: I teach a much-studied foreign language. Have done so for many years. At different post-secondary institutions (including community colleges). Strong evaluations and recommendations. I have a PhD in the field. (Didn't pursue the "scholarly" career path too seriously for personal reasons.)

I genuinely believe that I could be an excellent high school language teacher. I would need some training (eg, ONE course about how to handle adolescents and ONE course in legal issues about teaching in the public schools). But I'm simply not willing to commit to a long series of education classes. Just won't do it.

My situation isn't completely analogous to that of, say, an accountant who wants to teach high school math: I know how to maintain a grade book and have a decent idea of how to keep a classroom full of young people productive.

I could teach in a private school, or maybe a charter school. But why can't I do so in a typical public high school?

I would genuinely appreciate any comments. Not so much about what I should do, but in more general terms. Graduate programs in the humanities are turning out lots of smart, knowledgable people who also know how to teach. They seem to be an overlooked resource.

Evelyn Vuko: Public high school teachers go through a long education and certification process to qualify them to teach at the secondary level, much like your PhD qualified you to teach at the college level. I think you should take advantage of a position in a school which will not require secondary level certification to see if you'd like teaching high school better than college.

Somewhere, USA: I grew up in a small town where the school had multiple grades in a classroom. I really believe that this was a huge factor in the high quality education I received. With so many grades in the same room, each student was able to find their own level of learning - if you were good at math and somewhat less skilled at spelling, you might study math with a higher grade and spelling with a lower grade. I'm wondering if there's any way to find the same kind of highly customized education for my child without moving back to the middle of nowhere. Are there certain types of urban schools (Montessori maybe?) that offer that sort of environment?

Evelyn Vuko: I taught a fourth/fifth/sixth combination for four years in a suburban Philadelphia school district. I loved it to smithereens and so did my students! Multi-level classrooms are making a come-back in some public elementary schools. Call around your area schools and ask who has them.

Washington, D.C.: What can I do about my 15-year-old daughter who does her homework while she listens to loud rap music?

Evelyn Vuko: Conduct a music test. Give her a textbook to read and turn on her favorite rap music. Set a timer and watch how long she reads without getting distracted. Then ask her questions about what she read. If she answers correctly, it means the music doesn't interfere with her learning. In that case, get her a set of earphones, and one for yourself.

Boston, Mass.: To the person who asked about Immersion programs- there are so many advantages! I am a proud (23 year old) alumnus of the Montgomery County French Immersion program (I had many of the same teachers who are now administrators at Sligo Creek ES) and the experience has helped me tremendously in both academic and non-academic settings. Languages really are best learned young- I still remember my French whereas my peers who started in high school are by and large not nearly as proficient.

Evelyn Vuko: Languages are best learned young! How right you are! I hope your good experience helps others decide that such a program might be good for their own kids. Thanks for your reply.

Chantilly, Va.: Hi Evelyn, to add onto the previous question, what are some colleges in the NOVA/DC area that help people with the courses required for a career switch into teaching?

Evelyn Vuko: Try George Mason University in Fairfax.

Evelyn Vuko: That was such fun! I'm sorry I can't stay on another hour. Your questions were broad-ranging and interesting. Thanks for taking the time to chat today. I hope I've sparked some ideas that will inspire you to keep up your good work with your kids. Join me again on 13th.

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