A bit of boredom is not a bad thing.
October 15, 2021
Next week we celebrate Thadingyut and have a break from classes. This is a well deserved break for our students who have really impressed us with their engagement and participation. It is also a time for them to rest and refresh their minds from the structure and schedule of school.
It is good for young people to have a break from schedules and structured activities – even if they say they are bored from time to time.
My 7-year-old and 13-year-old will often tell me they are bored on the weekend or during a break from school. I try to keep them occupied as best as I can but I would also like a break to rest and refresh my own mind! So I was very happy to stumble upon this article that boredom isn’t a bad thing for kids.
Of course, being bored all the time is not good but occasional boredom can stimulate creativity, nurture self-control and problem solving skills, and foster independence. Now when my son says that he is bored as soon as we come home from playing tennis together, I might say ‘you’re welcome’ and make myself a cup of coffee!
I hope you and your children all have a chance to rest and refresh your minds next week. We look forward to seeing your children back online with us on Monday, October 25.
COUNSELOR’S CORNER with Ms. Patty:
Goal Setting with Your Child: A Skill for Life
It seems hardly possible for us to be at the end of the first quarter already and yet we are here. Students have done an amazing job staying focused and engaged during this extended time away from campus. At the start of a new quarter, it can be helpful to set goals for the coming weeks. Goal setting is an integral social and emotional skill that helps students plan for desired outcomes in many areas of their lives. Helping your child craft a personal goal not only helps them create a vision of a desired outcome but also supports perseverance and follow through.
- Allow your child to determine the goal. As parents we are motivated to push our children but research indicates that when a person sets their own goal, they are much more intrinsically motivated, thus more successful.
- Help your child brainstorm a list of goals and determine the most appropriate goal or goals. A goal that is challenging yet achievable. Specific and measurable are more likely to be successful.
- State goals in positive terms. Replace the terms such as “I will not” to “I will.”
- Track progress and celebrate along the way. Have a system in place to monitor progress. Encourage your child with positive comments not material rewards. A supportive word or special time with mom or dad are generally more motivating than a new toy or gift.
Goal setting is a life-long skill. Supporting your child to develop this skill will help instill a “can-do” attitude and nurture your child’s self-esteem.
If you have any questions or are seeking support for your child, please feel free to reach out to Ms. Patty at escounselor@isyedu.org
Patty Amundson-Geisel
Pre-K to Grade 6 Counselor
Quarter 1 Progress Reports & Conferences
On Friday, October 29, you will receive a written Progress Report on your child(ren)’s progress at the end of Quarter 1.
This Progress Report will provide a focus for our first set of Parent-Teacher Conferences which will be held on Wednesday, November 3. More details about how to schedule a time for a conference will follow in a later email and blog post. There will be no classes on this day.
Internet Issues
Offline Learning Activities
Every Friday, your child’s homeroom teacher will email you a PDF of offline learning activities that your child will be able to do if they lose access to the internet.
Please only use these plans if your child is unable to access the internet. If you have the internet, your child will be able to attend online classes as usual.
To make sure the offline learning activities stay connected to what is happening in class, our teachers will review and, if necessary, update the offline learning activities each week. Please download the PDF document attached to the email as soon as you receive it on Friday. The email will also have a link to this instructional video:
Elementary School Blog – June 5th, 2020
I hope the students enjoyed the assembly this week, it was a lot of fun. It was great to still be able to farewell our teachers and leaving students.
Elementary School Blog – May 29th, 2020
Next week will be our last full week of school. There will be slides up until Thursday. On Friday the 5th of June there will be no slides, the teams will have conferencing type activities planned, they will communicate these to you. Report cards will go home on Thursday the 4th of June.
Elementary School Blog – May 22nd, 2020
Thank you to all those who attended the parent meeting last night hosted by Dr Hedger. There is a lot of planning going on at the moment and as mentioned later in June you will be able to view more information on what the new school year might look like.
ISY Elementary School Blog – 15th May – 2020
Another week of virtual learning fun and experiences is over. We love keeping the learning connections with our students. Our teachers are working very hard to ensure that your children have access to the best learning virtually that we can possibly give them.
ISY Elementary School Blog – 8th May – 2020
Thank you to everyone who participated in the survey this week. The feedback you provide is so important to us. An email will be sent out soon that will summarize the feedback given.
ISY Elementary School Blog – 1st May – 2020
See this weeks blog for a recording of the virtual coffee morning meeting.
The International School Yangon
20 Shwe Taungyar Street
Bahan Township
Yangon, Myanmar
+95 (0) 9 880 441 040