What Should I Do to Get My Student Ready to Go Back to School After Summer Break?
As the days of summer slip away, the time comes when we have to start getting our children ready to go back to school. Proper preparation is imperative for student success. The way in which students transition into a new school year can determine how well their year starts and ends. Adjusting to a new classroom, new teacher, new routine, new policies and procedures, new materials, and basically an entirely new way of doing things can take students 6-8 weeks. The longer this adjustment period, the harder it can be for students to get into actually learning and being productive. This adjustment period alone can set a student 1-2 months behind academically.
There are a few things that parents can do to ease the stress of adjusting to going back to school. The first is re-establishing the school year routine. About a week prior to the first day, get your child back into the habit of waking up and going to bed at times that give them the proper amount of sleep (10 hours per night for ages 4-7, 9 hours for ages 8-11, and 8 hours for ages 12 and up). Keep in mind the importance of waking up in time to get in a good breakfast, which fuels your child’s brain for the morning. If your child is not a “morning person”, add on ten minutes of time to get ready. This eliminates the rushed feeling which can be a stressor that causes bad mornings both at home and at school.
Another very important back-to-school task is going through the student handbook with your child. Be sure to familiarize yourself and your child with policies on the uniform or dress code, drop-off and pick-up procedures, behavior expectations, the discipline matrix, school start and end times, absence reporting, and school rules. Starting the year with a good understanding of the expectations that the school has for you and your child gets everyone off on the right foot. Knowledge of school policies and procedures will also decrease instances of conflict between you and the school and/or with your child in the classroom. Most schools require that the parent and child sign a statement that they have both read and understand the handbook. It is important to understand that there are consequences for broken rules whether or not you were aware of them.
Perhaps the most important back-to-school task is familiarizing your child with the school’s campus, his/her teacher, and the classroom. Many schools offer an orientation, Open House, or a Meet the Teacher event to give parents and students the opportunity to get to know more about the teacher and the classroom in an environment that is less stressful than the first day of school. These events are beneficial even for returning students. Keep in mind that your child spends about 40 hours per week at school. That means that your child spends more waking hours with his/her teacher than he/she does with you at home. It is a good idea to forge good relationships right away.
Remember that you are your child’s best resource in striving for a successful school year. Partner with the school staff to make a positive difference for your student. Together, you can make the 2007-2008 school year the best yet.
