By Kyle Arlington, Superintendent of Schools

Note: I’m recycling this blog from October 2019. Sure, a global pandemic has changed teaching and learning. But really some things have stayed the same, including that most kids grunt a reply of, “I dunno,” when you ask them how their school day was. Mine included. But, that doesn’t mean we should give up asking.

From October 2019: I learned a long time ago that if you want to know what school is like for kids, ask them. I’ve also learned that sometimes that’s easier said than done, especially when the stock response to the question, “What did you do in school today?” is met with a mumbled “Nothing.”

I encourage you to stay connected with your children’s school experience by committing to learning about their school life each day. To work towards eliciting a deeper response from them, consider swapping out the question, “How was school today” for one of these questions instead:

• What was the best part of your day?

• What's the biggest difference between school this year and last year?

• Tell me something that was easy for you today?

• Tell me about something that was hard for you today?

• What’s something you like about your teacher?

• Was someone really kind to you today? Were you kind to them?

• What’s one rule you have to follow at school that you don’t have to follow at home?

• What do you wish was different about school?

I hope these questions, and others that are hallmarked by specificity and open-endedness, allow you a sneak peak into your child’s school world.