What have you done at School today?

#AD

Hi Darling, How was school?…. *tumbleweed*…

Like many parents, I often feel guilty that I am not more of an organised Mum. I have mentioned before how I am *that* Mum on the school run. The one who is always in a bit of a rush. The one who appears in a flushed mess ushering my daughter through the school gates at drop off before continuing on a mad dash to the office. The one who relies far too heavily on other parents to remind her that it’s non school uniform day and gets more than a little overwhelmed with the amount of homework, spellings and reading that they bring home during the week. I am *that* school Mum who tries to squeeze as much educational conversation into the limited time I have with my daughter before bed (whilst secretly just wanting to have a cuddle) and ask that all elusive question “How was school? What have you done today?”

Unlike the myth that the movies would have us believe, she doesn’t sit curled up in my lap and recite with enthusiasm all the things she’s learned that day. She doesn’t tell me about the stories she has written, the pictures she has drawn and the puzzles she has solved. She doesn’t tell me about how she has danced her heart out during PE or practiced her songs for the celebration assembly. She is exhausted, and she just wants to relax. Like many parents, who I am sure have similar frustrations, the answers to the above question normally goes something along the lines of “It was good” and “Erm…. I can’t remember. *Sigh*

It’s hard not to feel a bit out of the loop. At 5 years of age, over 37 weeks of the year (approximately 190 days) are spent in the care of someone else, so it can be really frustrating to not have more insight into what happens in such a huge part of her life. When parents’ evening dates come around I can’t help but feel a little bit nervous, worrying that Erin will be struggling or not listening, when 9 times out of 10, more frequent feedback from her teachers would have put my mind at rest.

I’m most definitely not alone. A recent survey completed by ClassDojo (the most popular school communication app for teachers, students and families) found that when it comes to children communicating about their day, we all struggle to get an elaborate response!

A ClassDojo poll of 1000 parents with children between 5 and 11 years old found that:

• • 93% have NO IDEA what their children learn in the classroom on a day to day basis.
  • 75% say they have to make do with snippets of information.
  • 27% say that getting information about what their children did at school is like getting blood from a stone.
  • 34% say the sentence they would most like to hear their child utter is “would you like to hear about what I learned at school today?”
  • As frustrating as they may be with the lack of insight from their children, 72% admit that they too only talked about bits and pieces of their life with their parents.

ClassDojo is a great tool to help make parent child communication just that little bit easier. Currently used by 85% of primary schools in the UK, ClassDojo helps bridge the gap between school and home by creating a portal via which teachers can instantly share pictures, videos and messages with family members, keeping them updated on what is happening throughout the school day.

Free to download on Apple and Android devices, ClassDojo has loads of great features for parents including:

• • • Portfolios – Students can instantly share photos and videos of projects from class, make journal entries, create drawings, and share voice notes from any device. Once teachers approve what the student has posted it then gets shared with that child’s parents.
    • Where language is a barrier or where children have English as a second language, updates can be instantly translated into the language spoken at home. 40% of parents in London alone speak English as a second language (EAL). and ClassDojo instantly translates captions into one of 35 different languages to help close communication gaps between teachers and parents.
    • Parents can share their unique ClasssDojo login with grandparents or other family members so that they too can view what their relatives have been up to at school. This is great for grandparents who want to be more actively involved in their grandchildren’s lives but who may not be able to see them as often as they would like.

  ClassDojo is a great tool to use as a conversation starter with your children, providing parents with information and insight which can be used to form the basis of the discussion. e.g.I see you’ve been learning about the planets today, what did you enjoy about that?” or “I saw your painting! How amazing is that? Do you want to tell me about it?”

  Erin is about to go into Year 2, after which she will be moving to her new Junior school. I live in hope that at some day in the not too distant future we can have a proper chat about her day, and I can feel just a little bit more connected to her school days – undeniably the most important days of her life!

  You can learn more about ClassDojo and the communication benefits it can provide for your family here.