Back to School, Back to School

20 Dos and Don'ts (that teachers want parents to know) for the beginning of the school

That time of year has come again.  Summer began and ended so quickly.  The temperatures are still tipping the scales, pushing 95+ degrees daily.  When you add the heat index to those temps, it feels like everyone below the Mason Dixon line is in the Fiery Furnace with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego!

We still have a long way to go until we reach our week and a half of Fall-like weather, and then Old Man Winter will hit us good this year.  I am sure heat advisories will be in place the first few weeks of school.  Students may not be able to play outside once the temps reach a certain point and so...well God Bless the teachers.  The first few days of school students need to run their energy out.  The sweet darlings are still in the "honeymoon" phase of their new class and teacher, so they are doing all they can to keep their selves in "control".   All of this while listening and learning new rules and procedures.  Am I right teachers?  So here they are, not in any particular order:

1.  DO get your kids to school on time.  Do not expect your friend who works in the front office to just let you slide on by, when she just made the person in front of you get a "tardy" pass.  If you cannot get your kids to school on time, then let them ride the bus. 

2.  DO make sure your child gets a good breakfast.  Some classes do not eat lunch until after noon, and those babies get hungry!

3.  DON'T show up at your child's classroom in the morning and try to squeeze a parent conference out of the teacher.  She already has kids in the classroom that she is responsible for, and if there is a mini-conference going on at the door way that is when little Suzy may decide to cut her hair or Johnny may give his friend a "Tattoo" with a Sharpie marker.  Just schedule a conference or make a phone call after school.

4.  DO pack your student an extra water bottle (in hopes that they will get to go play outside).  Freeze it the night before if you like, just make sure to put the frozen bottle in a zip lock bag so that when it begins to thaw out there is no leakage.

5.  DON'T pack a bottle of carbonated beverages like orange soda or coke.

6.  DO pack a healthy lunch that your child can eat within their lunch time (maybe 20 minutes).

7.  DON'T pack a lunch that needs to be heated up in that dinosaur of a microwave and then still expect them to get 30 minutes to eat it. 

8.  DO check your child's folder every day and fill out or sign whatever needs to be completed.

9.  DON'T wait until the next week, those forms really are important to the school and teacher.

10.  DO make your child go to bed early and keep a schedule for them.  I am a huge believer in schedules and routines for kids.  I am not going to tell you what time you should make your kids go to bed, but during the school year my 7 year old son has a bedtime of 8:00pm.  That does not always happen, but by 8:30 he is in bed for sure.  He gets on average 10-11 hours of sleep nightly, and he needs every bit of it.  I am more relaxed during the summer, but during the school year (weekends too #meanmom) that is his bed time.

11.  DON'T keep your child out late for extra ball practice and then send them to school with no homework and the excuse "I had ball practice."  You know ahead of time if there is homework or a test to study for...teach them good habits.

12.  DO prioritize school, homework, and tests.  These kiddos will be in charge one day.  If kids are not taught to put school first over extracurricular activities, then just imagine the kind of world we will live in (20 years from now) where adults think playing and having fun is more important than working.

13.  DON'T compare your kids to their other classmates.  Everyone is different.  Kids learn in different ways, some have to work harder than other, A LOT harder.  Sometimes that "C" on a spelling test took countless hours of studying all week, when for others that "A" requires little to no effort.

14.  DO teach your kids to be kind and respectful to adults and peers.  

15.  DO hold your kids accountable!  Encourage and give them reassurance, but they must learn to become independent.

16.  DO embarrass them a little by hugging and kissing them in front of their friends.  Show that you care.

17.  DO write little notes and hide them in lunch boxes or book bags where you know they will find it.

How to talk to your kid about school

18.  DO ask your child about the school day.  Talk about the good and bad things.

19.  DO tell your child "I love you"

20.  DO pray for your child and their teachers.  Teach them not to be afraid to pray on their own at school.