Turn parents into partners for literacy development

There's only so much time during the school day, and students need to read and write at home in order to develop the skills they are being taught in the classroom. Imagine how much more your students could get out of their reading and writing work at home if their parents or guardians were given the tools to effectively support their children's development. These workshops are perfect for PTA meetings, before open house or parent-teacher conference events, or as stand-alone events.

Encouraging Readers: Ideas for Fostering a Love of Reading at Home
This workshop will equip your students' parents with an extensive toolkit to draw from to support their children's development as readers at home. Topics that will be covered include reading levels and selecting a "just right" book, encouraging reluctant readers, developing reading habits, strategies to use when helping struggling readers, carving out time for reading, how to talk to a child about a book you haven't read, and making reading a family tradition. Parents will have opportunities to role play in order to practice the techniques being introduced. All participants will receive a packet with helpful tips and resources.

Coaching Writers: How to Support Your Child's Writing Development Without Doing the Assignment Yourself
Parents often complain about their child's lack of grammar or organization in written work, but how they respond varies widely in approach and effectiveness. Some parents cover the paper in red ink for the child to correct, others rewrite it themselves, and still others make a blanket statement about carelessness and leave it at that. This workshop will explore the fundamental expectations of written work for each grade level so that there is a common understanding of expectations. Parents will learn how to use graphic organizers and other strategies to support and motivate struggling writers. We will discuss how parents can be most effective during the revision and editing process and practice strategies that don't include rewriting the assignment themselves. The workshop will conclude with ideas and resources for inviting writing outside of school, finding authentic audiences for children's writing, and improving grammar and vocabulary. All participants will receive a packet with helpful tips and resources.

Homework without tears: Helping your child develop resiliency, organization, and time management
Today’s world of hectic schedules, information overload, and high expectations demands that our children be masters at time management, organization, planning, and flexibility. Recent research has shown just how crucial these executive function skills are to future academic, career, and life success. This workshop will present parents with an overview of executive function skills and explore strategies parents can use at home to end the nightly homework battle while helping their children develop these essential skills. Topics that will be covered include: daily and weekly routines and procedures parents can implement to help children stay up to date on homework and organization; strategies to help children improve study skills, time management, self-regulation, and organization; tools for troubleshooting problem areas such as getting out of the house in the morning, forgotten materials, incomplete homework, and homework meltdowns; and ideas to help children develop coping skills, resiliency, and a growth mindset in the face of challenges. ​The workshop will include opportunities for roleplaying, discussion, and questions. It is appropriate for parents of elementary through high school students. To learn more about Ms. Hawe's executive function workshops and coaching services, click here. 

Additional parenting workshops

Please visit our partner website to learn more about Ms. Hawe's parent workshops and consulting services. 

How to Talk So Kids Will Listen
Ms. Hawe believes strongly in the correlation between a child's home life and his or her success in school. She is a trained facilitator for this workshop based on the renowned parenting book How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish. The interactive 6 session workshop follows a curriculum written by the book's authors and gives parents the skills they need to communicate effectively with their children and restore harmony to their homes. The main ideas can also be presented in a stand-alone introductory presentation.

Simplicity Parenting
Invite your students' parents to join the slow parenting movement and learn ways to simplify and slow down their home environments, create predictable and connecting rhythms, simplify schedules, and learn to filter out the adult world. This 6 session workshop is based on Kim John Payne's Simplicity Parenting: Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier, and More Secure Kids. An introductory presentation is also available.