5 Tips to Having a Successful School Year

Next week it’s back to school for area school students. I have one starting kindergarten! My heart is racing when I think about it too much. I’m also very reflective lately. Where did the past five years go! Yes, that’s five years. I’m one of the moms opting to send her son who has a late summer birthday on to kindergarten. Guess I’m bucking the trend of holding my child back. (If only everyone would send their child when they are 5, seems there wouldn’t be such a distortion in age/development/size discretion, but I digress).

If you have a school-age child, this is the week to start getting them back onto a routine schedule. Regular bedtime, regular mealtimes, reading time, etc. Following are a few other tips for having a successful school year from veteran teachers, authors and columnists Marge Eberts and Peggy Gisler.

1. Look at your children’s school work each day, whether it is a picture drawn by a first-grader or a paper written by a high-school sophomore.
2. Talk about each school day with your children and share also what your day was like.
3. Praise them for real accomplishments and efforts. Meaningless praise does not build children’s self-esteem.
4. Be supportive of your children’s teachers and schools. Always consider yourself a partner of their teachers – not an adversary.
5. Request conferences with teachers and counselors when trouble begins to appear. Don’t wait for a full-blown problem to occur.

I’m adding one more thing to this list, though it’s more a how to have a successful school year as a parent: Connect with other parents in the class or neighborhood to share “playdates” on days off or when you may need to carpool. I’m very thankful that my neighborhood seems to have a network of moms working to make sure all the kids connect, and we do to.

Here’s hoping your year gets off to a good start.