Getting Ready For Next School Year

Getting Ready for the Next School Year

Once you decide on a school for the upcoming school year, it is important to plan ahead throughout the spring and summer. For example, during the last weeks of summer, it is important to help your children plan for the first days of school by coaching them to become organized for the first day of school. Many children have later bedtimes during the summer. It is helpful to slowly adjust their wake-up and bedtime hours to align with the school year schedule a couple of weeks before school starts. Your children may resist at first, but the family will feel successful that they are ready for the new school year.

Schedule Dates with Children to Prepare for School

You can also schedule quality time with your children to plan for the first days of school. These special times may include:

Completing all required medical exams
Scheduling the school bus or carpool for student transportation
Getting help for childcare options if necessary
Scheduling before school, afterschool, and school break childcare and enrichment activities
Preparing for nutritional breakfasts and school lunches
Discussing with each child their food preferences
Encouraging older children to help younger siblings pack lunches the night before school
Planning for daily reading with your children or having them read independently each night before bed
Scheduling homework help and summer review as needed
Helping children organize their clothes for school
Having children practice how to select outfits at bedtime for the next day
Taking children shopping for shoes with added support from family members
Purchasing grade-level school supplies

Middle and High School Considerations

Additional middle or high school student support can include:

Purchasing sports and physical education uniforms and equipment
Having your children meet with academic counselors for course selections
Ensuring that children complete summer reading and homework assignments
Completing documentation for internships, summer jobs, and community service projects relevant for specific course prerequisites, and college and career planning

Family Organizing Activities

During the last summer days, your children will cherish the time you spend with them preparing for the coming school year. It might be a great time to initiate new family routines and rituals for buying school supplies, family shoe shopping, purchasing new clothes for school, cleaning out bedrooms, organizing the arts, crafts, and school supplies, and celebrating with some family fun. Many parents spend the final days of the summer playing at parks and visiting the beach. Parents can shop with their children for school and help them organize their bedrooms and school supplies. Whatever your new routine will be, take the time to talk with your children about their dreams, fears, and anxieties. If they are starting a new school, try to schedule some playdates with neighborhood friends so that they can spend time talking about the first days of school. You can also host a back-to-school family barbecue, moms’ night out, or dads’ sport activity.

Managing the Daily Schedule

After months of planning, playing, and getting ready for school, the new school year is beginning. You have purchased the mandatory school items, helped your children organize themselves for the first day of school, and completed all paperwork and scheduling for transportation, aftercare, and extra-curricular activities. The best plan is to talk through the first day of school at dinner or before bed so that your children know what to expect. Also encourage them to express their concerns and feelings. Sometimes, schools have parents visit with their children in the classroom on the first day of school. Other schools encourage parents to drop their children off at the front of the school or have them take the bus independently. If you are feeling anxious, share your concerns with another parent who has children already attending the school. That parent can answer your questions and their children can help for added support.

First Day of School

Summarized below are suggestions that may be helpful for the first day of school:

Plan meals and clothing options for school.
Talk with your children about what to expect at the school.
Visit the school with your children before the first day.
Meet the teachers when appropriate.
Confirm that your children know the daily drop-off and return from school schedule.
Encourage the children to play outside on the playground and socialize on the school grounds.
Relax with your children when they return home and discuss their successes and challenges.

Additional middle or high school activities may include:

Encourage children to use their course schedule to locate the assigned classroom for each course.
Have children locate their lockers and confirm that the locking combinations work.
Ensure that your teens attend mandatory orientations and school leadership, sports, and activity orientations.
Confirm that the children have their physical fitness and sports team clothing and equipment ready for use.

May your first days of school be filled with many happy memories and adventures as you support your children’s new school year!

I Don’t Help My Child with Homework

I hate homework. No, here’s a better statement: I loathe homework. I suppose that’s a pretty bold, maybe even a hypocritical statement to make, considering I was a former classroom teacher! Allow me to clarify: I believe there’s value in homework, either to practice what was learned in class because our brain’s muscle memory benefits from repetition, or to continue the learning process by applying what was learned much like revising an essay for better word choice or for better organization.

Ok, so a more specific statement is: I loathe doing homework. More accurately, I loathe doing my children’s homework. The truth is, only the person doing the homework can reap the benefits of doing the exercise, so I have resolved never to help my children with homework. Instead, I equip them to be problem-solvers. I ask a series of questions that enable them to take responsibility for their own learning. Here’s what I ask them:

Questions I Ask to Guide Math Assignments

Do you understand what the question is asking?

Most of the time, clarifying the terms or steps that need to be taken to solve the problem will put them on the right track to getting it right.

Do you need me to demonstrate an example?

Without solving their actual homework problem, I will walk them through the procedure of solving their problem. Once they understand the process, they can apply it to all other problems.

Can I direct you to another resource for help?

When children come to me for help, they see me as an expert on the subject. While this might work for elementary school subjects, this would simply be impossible when their studies get more advanced. They have to acknowledge other sources of authority on topics they are learning.

Questions I Ask to Guide Writing Assignments

This seems a bit confusing, can you read it out loud to me?

When kids hear their own writing, some of the errors in their writing will become apparent. If they are stumbling over their own reading, they will be able to tell which areas still need more clarification.

Can you explain what you mean in your own words?

Sometimes, they really can’t hear where their organizational flow or logical arguments are lacking. Take away the obstacles of writing by treating it like a conversation. When they explain their ideas verbally, take notes so they can see how they want to convey their ideas.

This is a great word here, but is there something better?

Children will use simple and general words because it’s easy. However, finding more apt words to describe their ideas and feelings (other than mad, sad, glad, for example) will be the mark of a sophisticated thinker. I aim to point out 2-3 words for them to reconsider so they get in the habit of evaluating words they use.

Here’s to lifelong, self-directed, problem solvers!

Jaime

Adjusting to the First Weeks of School

In California, school now begins in mid-August through the beginning of September catching many of us by surprise. All of a sudden, it is necessary to mobilize our children and get them out the door early with their lunches, homework, backpacks and freshly brushed hair. How can we best smooth this transition?

The prospect of a fresh start to the school year is marketed through back to school shopping for new outfits, school supplies and backpacks. The prospect of reconnecting with friends, sharing summer experiences and finding the new classroom are also helpful. How can we best sustain this energy and enthusiasm beyond the first day?

Learn the Classroom Rules

One of my sons had a sixth grade teacher whose mission that first week was to hit the ground running in terms of organization and parental involvement. Each day my son brought home a checklist for us to review, initial and then sign for him to bring to school the next morning. My son earned points for having all of his homework completed, his notebook organized etc. He lost points for loose papers, and notably the absence of a make or break parental signature page. At the end of the week, if he was successful in attaining the required number of points, my son would participate in the class party. The substance of the party varied and could include free time, a class outing or watching an educational video.

On the other hand, those students who did not meet the required point minimum, would have to stay after school, miss lunch and most importantly go to another room during the reward time. This regime was harsh. Typically, the same students continuously missed out. From my educator’s perspective, they often had learning disabilities such as attention deficit or executive functioning challenges. Yet in our own household this regime shaped a renewed commitment to organization.

Get Organized the Night Before

Before going to sleep, under my watchful eye, my son packed his backpack according to his check sheet specifications. He placed it next to the exit door, which we could not possibly avoid without tripping over it. The required parental signature document was taped on the front door next to the doorknob, for reference early the next morning. The ensuing day’s outfit including shoes and socks were selected and laid out the night before. His lunch was prepared and labeled with his name and placed at the front of the shelf eye level in the refrigerator. We didn’t dare forget the lunch, as we were strongly discouraged from bringing it up to school if it were left behind.

Support the Teacher

This entire regime was an anathema to our somewhat chaotic style of parenting. It seemed both harsh and inflexible. Each morning, I found that my son was positioning at the starting line and sprinting to the car. Yet he learned the following valuable lessons:

Figure out the new teacher’s system.

Like it or not, follow these instructions as the teacher is in charge.

As much as possible, plan ahead and assemble the necessary items in advance.

No matter what, bring the freshly minted parental signature sheet every day.

With my heartfelt wishes for a smooth start to the school year,

Karen

How Can We Support Families Living Through Disasters?

Happy new year! Each year I reflect on all that is good in the world. I also ponder on what I can improve upon and how I can approach each day with integrity that contributes to improving the lives around me. As an educator, I find that I am most happy when I am helping a child learn a new skill. A child’s look of satisfaction and achievement is all I need as the payoff for teaching and nurturing success.

Coping with Community Disasters

As a community member, I am challenged on how I can best respond to the multitude of disasters surrounding our communities. As a California resident, we have suffered through horrific wild fires. Other parts of our country have struggled with tornadoes, hurricanes, and flooding. Our communities continue to be challenged with poverty, homelessness, and various injustices.

How Can We Support Children and Families in Disasters?

With the start of a new year as an educator and responsible community member, I want to refocus my efforts on how I can best serve my students, their families, and the larger community as my time and energies are limited. Today, I am reflecting on the following questions:

What are the most important insights that I can impart on students and their families this coming year so that they feel safe and secure in a world that is challenged with disasters and injustices?
How do I live my best life daily with my family, students, and my community?
What should I change in my life so I can live simply?
Are there areas in my life I need to prioritize?
Which service projects or volunteer activities would best serve my community?
What special skills do I have that would best benefit the needs in my community?
Should the GenParenting bloggers refocus the parenting blogs and workshops to support different needs?
What are the most important values I want to share with students and families?
At the end of the day, what is my primary purpose in life?
How can I best help my community with limited time and resources?
Is there something I have not thought about that would benefit you through our trainings, blogs, and services?

Give Us Feedback for Disaster Support

As I ponder these questions, I encourage you to write to us in the comments section with your ideas and suggestions. What we can do to support your own personal growth and the healthy development of your family and community? What is working and what can we do differently? Thank you for your ongoing support of this blog and best wishes for a fulfilling and serene 2019!

With love and care,

Mary Ann

How to Help Kids Schedule Due Dates for School Projects

Kids live so much in the present that it is difficult for them to understand what it means for a project to be due in a month. Until they get the hang of it, kids would benefit from charting out their assignments on a calendar. Here’s a quick tip:

Timeline for School Projects

Start by marking the due date on the calendar.
Note the start date and calculate how much time the child will have to complete the project.
List how many different components there are to the project. Say it’s a science fair project and students need to submit a project proposal, data from their experiment, and a display board.
Assign a mini-due date to indicate how much time it will take to complete each component. For example, one week to complete the project proposal, two weeks to conduct the experiment and collect data, and one week to compile the display board.
Adjust these mini-due dates to reflect other commitments and life events. Make sure the child has enough time to complete each component by the final due date.
Have your child work on a small aspect of the project regularly. For some kids, this means working on a small portion every day. For others, this may be every other day. You want to avoid the last minute rush and panic!

Wishing you stress-free school projects!

Jaime