Director's Wave | Volume 5 Edition 16

Dear CIS Community,

Something to Ponder
“The first time a child realizes that a little learning is a dangerous thing is when they bring home a poor report card.” - Mark Twain

Monday, 27th January is National Heroes’ Day in the Cayman Islands, and the reason this weekend is a long weekend (no school for students on Monday). There are many opportunities around the islands to learn about and celebrate the Beloved Isle Cayman.

Next Friday, 31st January 2025, report cards are sent home, Mark Twain’s wit aside, it is important to note that report cards are but one piece of the vast mosaic of indicating how a child is doing in school. It is helpful to not get too excited about what one may deem as an excellent report card (especially in a public setting). Conversely, it is helpful to not get too excited about what one may deem as a poor report card. In reading your child’s report you may feel a strong urge to voice your opinion and thoughts right away. This approach tends to result in frustration on the child’s and eventually the adult’s part too. It is kind of like eating junk food in place of a meal - it feels good going down at the time, but quickly leaves you unsatisfied, hungry and perhaps a bit disappointed (even in cases when your child may have earned what you define as a stellar report card).

The information found in a report card presents an opportunity to ask open ended questions. Generally, it is more fruitful to ask questions related to effort, habits, preferences, and well-being. Doing so can create the atmosphere, and sometimes a conversation that could lead to your child asking you to share your opinion in an organic fashion. Examples of some open-ended questions related to report cards are as follows,

• What are some of your highlights of the school year so far?
• In what subject do you work your hardest? Why?
• What are some of your habits that help you learn?
• What are some of the habits you have that make it difficult for you to learn?
• If you could press rewind, what is something you would do differently this school year? How might you apply this for the remainder of the school year?
• What are some of the things you most enjoy doing at school? Why?

If you prefer something a little less formal the classic thinking routine of Rose, Bud, Thorn may be helpful.

• Rose → What things are going well / what things are particularly enjoyable?
• Bud → What things are you excited about in the future / what areas are you growing?
• Thorn → What are some challenges / what things might be difficult?

For some fun, it is recommended that you do not ask your children the following questions.

• You graduate in five months - when do you plan on stepping things up? Do you have a job yet?
• Why do you have an F+. Does that mean you are positively failing?
• You are in grade one, it is about time you start thinking about university. What are you going to do about it? You can’t even write a flawless five paragraph essay?

Wishing you a wonderful Cayman Islands National Heroes’ long weekend and see you at the International Festival on Saturday 1 February - sincerely,

Jim Urquhart
Director - Cayman International School