by Ora Levine
The classrooms are
set up to perfection, the desks in neat rows, the whiteboards wiped clean, the
office organized, the papers filed. The school year has begun! I’m sure you
hear cheering every morning from your child, right? Your children probably have
their bags packed and are waiting dutifully outside, excited to go – just like
all those camp days.
Perhaps one day,
when humans go to Mars, we’ll be able to achieve that reality. For now, we’re
stuck dragging our children out of bed each morning, encouraging them, and
calling, “Carpool’s honking outside!”
Phew! Your
children made it to first period on time; now what? Often, during first period,
half the students are blinking their eyes open. The high schoolers I teach are
slurping their coffee, and trying to shovel down a bag of dry cereal. Sometimes
they perk up for the rest of the day, and sometimes they don’t. Of course, you
may be reading this and thinking, “Not my kid!” If that’s true, then kudos
to you.
Whether your
children are making their way groggily through the day or are perky at the
first rays of sun, this article is worth your read. I’m going to be giving you
some tips and tricks to help your child have success in school.
Food
This first tip may
be self-explanatory, but I think it is of paramount importance. Your children
must have ample food. In school, students are working hard, thinking, and socializing,
and they are hungry! There’s nothing like hunger to kill all motivation in the
classroom. Make sure your child has enough food to last through the day – and
then some. Three bags of chips do not provide a filling lunch for their
grumbling stomachs. If your child does not enjoy the hot lunch, please send
something else. Water is also exceedingly important. Drinking and eating will
help your child stay motivated and focused during school.
Sleep
Bedtime is
probably one of the most troubling aspects of the evening hours in many
households. Children don’t like to go to bed. Maybe they’re shmoozing on the
phone, getting together with friends, exploring hobbies, having lessons or late
night DMCs, or perhaps even studying. Sleep is generally not in the equation.
Regrettably, I don’t have a magic solution. Instead, I’m going to provide you
with a bit of information (taken from the Mayo Clinic). Good luck!
·
Children ages 6 to 12 should be
sleeping 9 to 12 hours per night.
·
Children ages 13 to 18 should be
sleeping 8 to 10 hours per night.
·
Sleep directly correlates to the
health of your immune system.
·
Keeping to a sleep schedule
promotes better sleep.
Homework
This is the big,
bad word. I think I can speak for all teachers when I say that our goal is not
to make you or your children’s lives miserable. We want them to have beautiful
evenings together with their families. We also want them to feel responsibility
for their day at school, reinforce their learning, and review the
information.
Homework is
important, but it should not be at the cost of your child’s happiness. If
homework is a huge stress, takes up their entire night, or if you are finding
yourself doing your children’s math problems two minutes before carpool
arrives, then something is wrong. Homework should take the student the standard
amount of time.
You can help when
requested, of course, or if your children missed a day of school, feel free to
help them catch up on the material. However, homework should be merely a
review, application, and/or reinforcement of things your children already know,
and they should be able to accomplish all assignments on their own. If this
reality does not exist in your evening routine, please reach out to the
teacher.
The same applies
regarding studying for tests. Studying can be hard for students; it requires
motivation, diligence, patience, and persistence. The most important thing is
not to leave it to the night before. Cramming the night before, for most
students, only leads to stress, tears, and the desire to surrender to a lower
grade instead of pushing through to access their true capabilities. With a
study schedule, students can break down the material into attainable chunks and
find success when they master each chunk. Tests should also be manageable for
your children. If your child studies hard for hours and still performs poorly
on a test, reach out to the teacher and discuss what may have gone wrong.
Students should not be failing tests, quizzes, or assignments on a regular
basis.
Some study tips
and habits to consider:
·
Set
a timer:
Work for a certain amount of time and then break.
·
Have
a snack:
Munch while you study! It might help keep your children motivated and focused.
Also, when you study, you are actually burning calories. On average, a student
will burn about 50 calories per half an hour of serious studying and focusing.
·
Set
goals:
Pick a specific topic or level of mastery you want for the night. Let that goal
drive the night’s studying.
·
Flashcards: Flashcards are
helpful for girls and boys of all ages. With flashcards, students can flip
through information again and again, and review little bits each night. You can
put a set of flashcards on a binder ring and review nightly. In this way, the
information will slowly penetrate, and it won’t feel overwhelming. This is
particularly useful for factual information, such as history facts, vocabulary
words, multiplication facts, etc.
·
Write
out the information in your own words: This is helpful for more conceptual information.
It can be very clarifying when students write the ideas in their own words.
·
Make
up your own test/quiz:
This can be very helpful to be sure your children understand the material
completely.
·
Have
your children teach you the information or just have them read it aloud. By explaining
it aloud, they must place the information in their own words. You can then ask
clarifying questions, which will help them understand the material completely.
·
Review
old quizzes and homework: Often teachers take questions from past assignments
or very similar ones and place them on the tests. Reviewing old mistakes can shed
light on what went wrong and what to correct. This is particularly helpful for
subjects such as math.
·
Give
yourself ample time:
Don’t start studying the night before at 10:00 p.m.; that’s a recipe for
disaster!
·
Studying
with friends:
For some children, this is very helpful. They can hash out information and
ideas and quiz each other. For others, the hours will be wasted on popcorn and
current school “hock.”
·
Memorization
is generally not the way to go: Many students who memorize just cram
information into their brain and hope it stays until the test. Unfortunately, after
the test it disappears never to be remembered again. This is not good for two
reasons (and more, but I’m just going to list two). First and foremost, that
isn’t the purpose of a test! The purpose is for students to retain the
information. Secondly, most of the time classes build on themselves, which
means that if students forget everything that was on the first test, they will
be setting themselves up for a harder rest of the year.
·
Switch
up your setting:
Maybe the kitchen table with all the noise of the house around your child isn’t
the best place for focusing.
·
Movement: Get up and move!
Pace as you study or stretch every so often.
·
Don’t
jump into homework the
minute your children walk in the door from school. Everyone needs some
downtime.
·
Listen
to music:
This does not help everyone. For some, it improves concentration, while for
others, it is a distraction.
·
When
homework isn’t happening: I may be going against the teacher’s “code of law” by
saying this, but I want to say it anyway: Sometimes, homework just isn’t happening. Yes, once in a
blue moon, it’s just not your child’s night, and that’s okay. Write a note to
the teacher explaining why the homework wasn’t done and arrange a phone call to
discuss.
Organization
Along with
homework and tests, organization is key for success. I’ve seen too many
students fly into class pulling last year’s science quiz from a crumbled wad of
papers filling the bottom of their knapsacks searching for their essay that was
due last week.
·
Buy
a planner:
If a pretty, flower-filled, stickered planner is what will help your daughter
remember to write down her assignments, then, even if it is a bit more
expensive, I would suggest you go for it. A planner is one of the most
important things that helps your children stay organized and on top of their
tests, assignments, quizzes, and of course, vacation days.
·
Get
multi-colored folders, notebooks, and/or binders, and make sure
they are clearly labeled. Clearly
labeling dividers is also a tip to ensure papers staying ordered.
·
Deal
with paper overflow:
Have you ever seen an overly stuffed binder “pop”? Consider buying a set of
binders or a portfolio to store papers in at home. After a test, your children
can empty their papers into the home binder/portfolio, so there will be room in
their binders for new papers. Papers are still available if needed for a
forthcoming assignment or cumulative test but are not taking up unnecessary
room in an already overstuffed knapsack.
·
Get
a nice, sturdy knapsack because teachers like to kill trees! Make sure it has
proper shoulder straps. I remember my shoulders aching from my school days. Supplies
are very important in general. Be sure to equip your children with the proper
supplies, so they will be able to succeed.
Communication
My final and most
important tip is communication. Please communicate before, during, and even
after the school year is over. We teachers want to hear from you! If your
children need special accommodations, have specific likes or dislikes, have certain
tendencies, are friends with certain girls/boys, or if there is any other
information you think might be useful for us teachers to have in our back
pockets, please let us know! Also, if your children are succeeding or failing
in a certain area throughout the year, please reach out. Don’t wait until after
you see a harsh grade on the report card.
When you
communicate, though, don’t forget that often teachers have families of their
own and teach multiple classes, so it can sometimes be hard to connect. Please
be understanding. If you want certain communication with a teacher, let him or
her know from the outset.
Finally, remember
that teachers are not out to “get your children.” Nobody becomes a teacher to
torture young children. Their goal is to help their students succeed, help them
grow, teach them, learn from them, and give them the best school experience
they can. Like anyone, however, teachers are humans, and humans make mistakes.
The key is to be courteous and respectful and to communicate. PTA is not a time
to bash teachers or students but a time to discuss how to best care for your
children. Appreciate your teachers. They want to be there for you and for your
children.
I hope this has
been helpful and that you have gained even just one new thought or idea. For
now, the last bell rings out its call, and students storm from the classrooms
racing to the parking lot to their carpools, buses, and parents. The doors shut
behind the students after a successful day. Delicious suppers wait at home, and
the school building waits throughout the night for its doors to be opened the
following morning once again.
Wishing everyone a
happy and successful year!
