National Conversation Week
This year’s National Conversation Week takes place from the 23rd – 29th May. We would like to encourage all parents to spend the next 4 days trying a little bit harder to engage with your children about how what kind of conversations they are having with their teacher, we simply want you to talk more. A great topic to focus on is the inquisitive side of conversation, the one that helps us gain an understanding of the world around us – asking questions. Your child should feel liberated to ask whatever questions they want to their teacher. Asking questions is incredibly important, as questions help us to develop deeper knowledge and boost confidence, the exchange of ideas, fuels innovation as well expanding the human connection. It can give your child a whole new perspective! However, whether it’s concerns over wasting the teacher’s time, admitting they don’t understand, worries about make a fool of themselves or a general lack of self-assurance – for some children, or in some situations asking questions is a total no-go. Instead, it is often easier to keep up the appearance that we know the answer, by smiling nodding and bluffing. The downside to this is that we can end up missing the opportunity to find out something new or walk away without the understanding we need, and where education is concerned this could restrict academic progress and affect the child in later life. When it comes to the relationship with the child and teacher there’s no such thing as “A silly question”, after all, if you don’t ask, you’ll never know where it might take you.