When you know.....

This post is something that I spend a lot of time thinking about but I haven't blogged about.
This comes in part from a Playschool parent asking me what their child needs to know and part from my background as a grade Two teacher.
One thing I would like all parents to do with their children from a young age is talk to them.  Talk to them all the time and expect that they converse back with you.  I tell the kids all the time to "use their words".  It is easy as a parent to "rescue" our child when you know what they mean and you give them the sentence or you just do it for them.  When we know better as parents we do better.  I will share one of my favourite stories from growing up to hopefully better illustrate this point. 

When my brother was four (he was the second of four) and my mom was pregnant with her third child we were at my aunts house one day and my grandma (a teacher in the nineteen forties and a very wise lady) witnessed my mom asking my brother how he wanted his toast cut. 
"Tch, tch" was the response along with a slight hand movement.

And my mom cut his toast in four pieces.

Grandma watched the exchange and told my mom that she had to make Boyd talk.

"What do you mean?  He talks."

"How did you know what he wanted?"

"He told me."

"How?" 

As the light started to dawn on my mom she realized that she was rescuing him.  When she realized what she had done she started to expect more from Boyd.  Amazingly, Boyd WAS able to "use his words" and once the expectation was there he amazed her. 

As a parent I am as guilty of helping my own kids finish a sentence or just handing them something rather than taking the time for them to ask in a full sentence. It is just easier sometimes than having to have the whole conversation.  Just this morning I told the kids that they had to ask where to put their library books.  Without waiting for a response the librarian told them where to put it. I asked them to ask the FULL question  before the librarian would respond and they did.  And then one of the boys said, "Can we please get the sticks too?"  My internal teacher cheered loudly when I heard that.  I really am proud of them!
So in our room I have and will continue to ask for the kids to ask full questions, speak in full sentences and make sense with that they say. So sometimes it may mean that a simple request will take a couple minutes as we practise how to do it but it will get easier.  It always does. 
So in the next couple weeks look for the following:

• Do they speak in full sentences or just phrases?
• Do they have trouble recalling words?
• Do they use the proper (he/she. him/her) pronouns when they speak?
• Does their conversation or explanation really make sense or do we just "translate" because we know that they mean. 

Thank you for your continued support.  I have a pretty amazing group of kids and I am proud of how far they have already come!