Dear Parents or Guardians,
I want to take this opportunity to introduce myself and express my excitement about working with your child this year. I love teaching high school science because I care deeply about each of my students. I believe students can grow and develop by examining the issues we cover in class. The main goal of my course is to cover the fundamentals of physical science. Over the course of this year, we will introduce our students to the wonders of science including covering subjects such as atomic structure, chemical reactions, Newton's Laws of Physics and Electricity. Additional information about the class is provided in the syllabus your students have received at the beginning of school as well as the copy of the syllabus linked to this website. Please read that syllabus so that you are familiar with our class rules and expectations. If you have any concerns or questions, please contact me and we can discuss them.
I have been blessed with the opportunity to have many different experiences in my life. As a child, my family worked in logging and I was able to travel with my parents to where ever the timber was. I spent several summers in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest. I love to travel and see the world. After high school, I joined the United States Coast Guard and had duty stations in Base Honolulu and a 378 foot Cutter based out of the San Francisco Bay. I attended school at Boise State University earning a B.B.A in 2004. I am a father of 4 wonderful and exciting children and have been married to my beautiful wife for 11 years.
I have high expectations for my students as well as parents and guardians. I believe in in student responsibility and in teaching my students to be advocates for themselves. Science and life is about experimenting and making mistakes. We all learn from experimenting and making mistakes, so I am absolutely okay including this as part of their education. One of the most important aspects of learning is how to deal with the consequences of our actions, whether they be good or bad, My request to all of you is to let your students make mistakes and learn from them. I will looking over them in my classroom all year long and I will not let them burn the building down, but I will allow them to make mistakes.
Also note that if you ever have any comments, questions or concerns, I am available for phone calls and meetings (by appointment please) each day before and after school. To schedule a meeting, you may contact me via my email, [email protected] or my phone 208-498-0571 ext. 6625.
I am excited about working with your child. I welcome questions or comments, and am looking forward to a great year!
Sincerely,
Dan Neddo
I have been blessed with the opportunity to have many different experiences in my life. As a child, my family worked in logging and I was able to travel with my parents to where ever the timber was. I spent several summers in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest. I love to travel and see the world. After high school, I joined the United States Coast Guard and had duty stations in Base Honolulu and a 378 foot Cutter based out of the San Francisco Bay. I attended school at Boise State University earning a B.B.A in 2004. I am a father of 4 wonderful and exciting children and have been married to my beautiful wife for 11 years.
I have high expectations for my students as well as parents and guardians. I believe in in student responsibility and in teaching my students to be advocates for themselves. Science and life is about experimenting and making mistakes. We all learn from experimenting and making mistakes, so I am absolutely okay including this as part of their education. One of the most important aspects of learning is how to deal with the consequences of our actions, whether they be good or bad, My request to all of you is to let your students make mistakes and learn from them. I will looking over them in my classroom all year long and I will not let them burn the building down, but I will allow them to make mistakes.
Also note that if you ever have any comments, questions or concerns, I am available for phone calls and meetings (by appointment please) each day before and after school. To schedule a meeting, you may contact me via my email, [email protected] or my phone 208-498-0571 ext. 6625.
I am excited about working with your child. I welcome questions or comments, and am looking forward to a great year!
Sincerely,
Dan Neddo
Very Helpful Advice
Although teens may act like they don’t want you to be involved in their school or life, and in fact may tell you to “mind your own business,” the truth is most teens crave their parent’s attention but either don’t realize it or don’t want to admit it.
MYTH: Parents of high schoolers need to be less involved so their teen can learn independence.
TRUTH: Parents need to stay involved, but in different ways, according to research. Rather than help students with homework or reading to their child, for instance, parents of teens should focus on setting consistent rules and holding high expectations of their students (with curfews, bedtimes, school grades, and school attendance, for example) and helping their teen with life skills such as planning, decision-making, finances and insurance, and civic responsibility such as voting.
MYTH: Parent involvement is for little kids; teens don’t want that.
TRUTH: Kids of all ages – including teens – desperately want to impress their parents. However, teens are more likely to deny it because of peer pressure or because they fear disappointing their parents (it’s easier to reject your parents than be rejected by them). While it is true that peer influence is very high among teens, getting a compliment from a parent is still No. 1.
MYTH: Parent involvement doesn’t matter as much when kids get to high school.
TRUTH: Research shows that students have better attendance, behavior, and grades when their parents show an interest in their courses and plans for the future. When parents have high expectations for their kids and communicate them clearly to their kids, the kids are more likely to have high expectations for themselves. Also, students try harder in school (although they may complain about it) when they know their parents are paying attention.
So what can parents do to stay involved, aside from attending high school events or parent-teacher conferences?
1. Communicate regularly with your child’s teachers to ask about classroom behavior and achievement.
2. Have a conversation with your teen every day.
3. Set and clearly communicate rules and expectations.
4. Ask her about plans for the future. Help him use the career planning tools at his high school, and to understand the various paths he can take after high school, and how he should choose the best path for him.
5. Show your teen you want to help her independence by helping her set up a bank account, purchase her own insurance, and register to vote.
How to Talk to Your Teen
► Use car time to have a conversation. Teens feel comfortable talking in the car – perhaps because it is often dark, and they don’t have to look at you, so it’s less daunting.
► Kids desperately want to impress their parents, so let them. Ask questions about something the teen is interested in, and let them educate you.
► Tell her something about your day – you feel great because you met a deadline, or had an awful meeting with your boss – and ask her what great or miserable thing happened to her that day.
► Listen and agree (yes, tests can be awful) rather than judge or fix their problem (you should have studied more).
► When the teen is around, model good conversation and interest in other family members. You’ll pique their interest because they like to be part of the action.
► Tell your teen you heard a good report from one of his teachers (or a boss or a neighbor).
► Start short and simple, but be flexible. Don’t expect long conversations with teens, especially if you’re just getting started. But be ready if they’re in the mood to talk.
► Keep trying. You wont’ succeed at drawing out your teen the first time, or every time. They are testing you to see if you’ll give up on them. Don’t.
Sources: Iowa Association of School Counselors; Center for ComprehensiveSchool Reform and Improvement; Harvard Family Research Project; North Central Regional Educational Laboratory; University of Chicago Chronicle; Vernal Express.
MYTH: Parents of high schoolers need to be less involved so their teen can learn independence.
TRUTH: Parents need to stay involved, but in different ways, according to research. Rather than help students with homework or reading to their child, for instance, parents of teens should focus on setting consistent rules and holding high expectations of their students (with curfews, bedtimes, school grades, and school attendance, for example) and helping their teen with life skills such as planning, decision-making, finances and insurance, and civic responsibility such as voting.
MYTH: Parent involvement is for little kids; teens don’t want that.
TRUTH: Kids of all ages – including teens – desperately want to impress their parents. However, teens are more likely to deny it because of peer pressure or because they fear disappointing their parents (it’s easier to reject your parents than be rejected by them). While it is true that peer influence is very high among teens, getting a compliment from a parent is still No. 1.
MYTH: Parent involvement doesn’t matter as much when kids get to high school.
TRUTH: Research shows that students have better attendance, behavior, and grades when their parents show an interest in their courses and plans for the future. When parents have high expectations for their kids and communicate them clearly to their kids, the kids are more likely to have high expectations for themselves. Also, students try harder in school (although they may complain about it) when they know their parents are paying attention.
So what can parents do to stay involved, aside from attending high school events or parent-teacher conferences?
1. Communicate regularly with your child’s teachers to ask about classroom behavior and achievement.
2. Have a conversation with your teen every day.
3. Set and clearly communicate rules and expectations.
4. Ask her about plans for the future. Help him use the career planning tools at his high school, and to understand the various paths he can take after high school, and how he should choose the best path for him.
5. Show your teen you want to help her independence by helping her set up a bank account, purchase her own insurance, and register to vote.
How to Talk to Your Teen
► Use car time to have a conversation. Teens feel comfortable talking in the car – perhaps because it is often dark, and they don’t have to look at you, so it’s less daunting.
► Kids desperately want to impress their parents, so let them. Ask questions about something the teen is interested in, and let them educate you.
► Tell her something about your day – you feel great because you met a deadline, or had an awful meeting with your boss – and ask her what great or miserable thing happened to her that day.
► Listen and agree (yes, tests can be awful) rather than judge or fix their problem (you should have studied more).
► When the teen is around, model good conversation and interest in other family members. You’ll pique their interest because they like to be part of the action.
► Tell your teen you heard a good report from one of his teachers (or a boss or a neighbor).
► Start short and simple, but be flexible. Don’t expect long conversations with teens, especially if you’re just getting started. But be ready if they’re in the mood to talk.
► Keep trying. You wont’ succeed at drawing out your teen the first time, or every time. They are testing you to see if you’ll give up on them. Don’t.
Sources: Iowa Association of School Counselors; Center for ComprehensiveSchool Reform and Improvement; Harvard Family Research Project; North Central Regional Educational Laboratory; University of Chicago Chronicle; Vernal Express.