Parental Advice from Teachers for a Successful School Year

Lawrence Township Schools Superintendent Concetta Raimondi.

Shopping for school supplies and creating lasting memories are just a part of any new academic year; getting your children ready to learn is perhaps the most challenging. As parents, you are in the best position to set your child up for a successful school year.

Teachers and school administrators alike continuously stress the importance of parental involvement. In fact, Concetta Raimondi, Superintendent of Lawrence Township Schools, says, “Parental engagement sends a strong message to your child that school is important.”

Here are five ways to support your child’s growth and development this coming school year:

1. Monitor Their Grades. Review your child’s written work and their results on quizzes, tests, and daily assignments. When they do well, praise them. When they need encouragement, see what you can do to help them.

2. Make School Important. Stress the importance of school and encourage your child to apply himself conscientiously and enthusiastically. This starts with good attendance and minimizing tardiness.

3. Know Your Teacher. Stay in close contact with your child’s teacher. Ask that you be made aware of any difficulty your child may be experiencing academically or socially.

4. Get Rest and Stay Nourished. Make sure your children have enough sleep and eat breakfast before they go to school. This makes them physically and mentally prepared to learn every day.

5. Go to School Yourself. Attend functions at your child’s school, including parent teacher conferences, sporting events, open houses, and activities developed by the parent/faculty organization.

As Lynne McCauley, owner and director of Carmel’s LearningRx Indianapolis Cognitive Training Center, would add, don’t forget about the academics. McCauley works with students and adults of all ages that are struggling with coursework through her two northside locations.

“As you make plans and prepare for a new school year, start a new tradition with some simple guidelines to help your kids develop study habits and time management skills that will last a lifetime,” said McCauley.

These tips include:

1. Create a Dedicated Study Place. Designate a defined place for homework to happen each day. The area should have a desk or table large enough to accommodate books and papers, a comfortable chair and adequate lighting.

2. Supply the Right Tools. Stock the study area with the tools and supplies that kids need most often, like pens, pencils, erasers, markers and other resources. This will help avoid any procrastination tactics that might unnecessarily prolong homework time.

3. Develop Good Study Habits. Plan specific times for studying each day, set goals for the study time, prioritize work, break up large tasks over several days when possible, and take a “technology break” (no calls or texting while studying).

4. Learn Time Management. Kids need to be taught how to manage and organize time, and be given ample practice and guidance before they are held responsible for managing their own schedules. Work with your child to create semester, weekly and daily calendars that help your child begin to “see” what needs to be done when, and learn to prioritize and manage their time. Each evening, take a few minutes to help your child prepare and track a daily plan – a checklist for assignments due, planned homework, test prep, permission slips that need to be returned, outside activities, etc.

5. Get Organized. Once you have a defined place to study, necessary supplies, a schedule, and a strategy for getting the work done, staying organized will be much easier. Colored folders for different subjects, or one for “to-do” and one for “turn-in” items, or an accordion folder can help keep papers organized. Their daily calendar checklist also serves as a reminder of the important things that need to be done each day.

Consistent practice and application of these simple steps over time help “de-stress” homework time and create a solid foundation for successful, independent learning.
Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Send me your media kit!

hbspt.forms.create({ portalId: "6486003", formId: "5ee2abaf-81d9-48a9-a10d-de06becaa6db" });