Tutor Talk

Columbus Day is celebrated on the second Monday of October each year.  This year, it falls on Monday, October 12th.  Many schools and offices are closed on Columbus day, as it is a federal holiday.  Every teacher spends a portion of their day devoted to the basic teachings of Christopher Columbus and his journey on either the Friday before, or the Tuesday after.  It is usually the same information each year, too.  What do you know about Christopher Columbus?  Why do we even celebrate him?

I am not here to teach you about Columbus, but rather to give you a new perspective on his journey and his findings.  There are two sides to every story, and we spent many years learning that Columbus had discovered the New World and was a hero.  However, recent discussions focus more on the negative effects of his discovery. His story is really interesting when you look at it and really think about what was happening all those years ago!

Christopher Columbus, an explorer from Italy, wanted to find a faster way to Asia. The majority of people believed that the earth was flat, and that if they kept sailing in one direction, they would fall off the earth. Columbus was of the belief that the earth was round, and believed that instead of having to travel south to go down around Africa to get to Asia, he could simply travel west. 

*Perspective: Columbus was a thinker. He didn’t just listen to what everyone else said about the earth being flat. He followed his own thoughts and instincts, and was brave enough to be different in a world full of people with radically opposing ideas.

*Lesson: Believe in yourself. Don’t just blindly follow the crowd. Do your own research and make your own decisions. Just because many people think or feel a certain way, it doesn’t mean that it is right.

Columbus was looking for Asia, with the hopes that he could open more trade, have a reliable source of resources, and hopefully to expand the colonization of Spain. He landed on a Bahamian island named San Salvador. Then, he explored some of the other islands around him and believed that he truly was exploring islands that were part of the continent of Asia. He returned to Spain 6 months after he left, proving that ships could travel west across the ocean to other continents. He was wrong about the geography. In that time he also enslaved some oft he indigenous people to bring with him as proof of his discovery, along with spices and gold.    

*Perspective: He wanted to find a better route and be able to access resources more readily available. He did that and proved that it was possible, which opened a whole new exchange for Spain. 

*Lesson: You learn from your mistakes, and good things can happen, even if they weren’t what your intention was. He was completely wrong about where he landed, but he was able to make a connection with another “world” via this journey, and he will learn more from another journey later on.  The positive thing was that Spain was now connected to more resources, which was one of his goals.

However, this led to greed. King Ferdinand (who was funding these voyages) decided that Columbus should yet again take a voyage westward.  At this time, Spain was at war with France, and they decided to split the earth from pole to pole, giving Portugal all of the land to the east, and Spain took all of the land to the west.  This brought up a serious question. What about the whole other side of the world?  Who would be in charge of that?  King Ferdinand needed Columbus to sail westward to discover what lies on the other side of the world and firmly establish Spain in the east. He did not end up finding what he was looking for, but did end up planting the flag of Spain in Venezuela.  As a master explorer, Columbus discovered the principle of compass variation (the variation at any point on the earth’s surface between the direction to magnetic and geographic north) which helped lead his way.

*Perspective: Columbus was a problem solver.  He was asked to travel west and explore more, to expand Spain and finally settle. He did that by trying another way to travel to the west, and discovered the concept of a compass along the way, making a huge advancement for travelers!

*Lesson: If at first you don’t succeed, try again. There are many ways to approach one situation, and you don’t know which one will work, or be right, unless you try. 

Now, this was a VERY basic explanation of Columbus and his voyages, but as an educator I strive to explain that everything can be a teaching moment. You can learn something completely random that wasn’t even part of what you were exploring by just taking a different perspective.  Now, do I agree with everything that went on in the past in general? No. Things were different then. People thought differently, and didn’t know any better. Now we have more of an understanding of our world and how it works, and ways to do things that are fair and just.  

As you are discussing Columbus day with your children (or as my daughter used to say, Columbers day) you can use your judgement about what you want to learn from his story.  He was a brave explorer who perservered through many challenges. He was a mean person who enslaved people and took over their land. Whatever your lesson might be; because again, there are always two sides to every story.  

Enjoy your long weekend everyone!

Today I came across a frightening statistic.  It showed that about 29% of working adults lack the basic reading or math skills needed for general jobs.  Even more worrisome is that the average reading level for U.S. adults is just around an 8th grade reading level.  Approximately 54% of U.S. adults read below the equivalent of a sixth-grade level,a ccording to the National Literacy Institute.  

Adult reading levels are as follows: Below Level 1, meaning that the person is able to read very short and simple sentences; Level 1, where people can find a single piece of baisc information in a short text; Level 2, which is being able to compare text and paraphrase; and Level 3 and above, where the person can read longer, complex texts and combine multiple ideas. A vast majority of adults are not at Level 3, according to the research, making it harder for them to find or keep jobs.

Why am I talking about adult literacy? Because, these adults were once children. I want to take you on a little trip along the timeline of Reading instruction. 

Starting way back in the 1700s – 1800s, Reading instruction consisted of early phonics and memorization. During this era, students would memorize the alphabet, then drill letter sounds and letter-sound correspondence, and practice spelling words.  This remained the main way to teach Reading for a long time.  Beginning in the 1800’s, a politician (now known as the father of American education) named Horace Mann decided that we needed to shift away from a phonics based approach and teach students whole words. The big shift to the “Look-Say”, Whole Word approach began around the 1930’s.  Teaching trended away from sounding out words letter by letter and began focusing on teaching students the whole word as a unit, along with the use of picture cues.  Think of the flash cards that you can find at most stores now. A picture with a word.

This shift continued to progress further into what became known as Whole Language in the 1980’s. A belief that children learn to read naturally started the whole language approach to teaching reading, meaning that students would again memorize words. However, this time there was an added  idea that children would gain the necessary phonics skills within the context of their reading.  This flipped the approach to teaching upside down! While teaching letters, then sounds, then words is a bottom-up approach, whole language was a top down approach.

Taking a step back on the timeilne…sometime in the 1950s people started wondering why children weren’t proficient readers.  Remember, this is during the Whole Word approach era, where students were reading the classic Dick and Jane books and recognizing whole words by sight.  This led people to decide studying how children learn to read. In the 1960’s we began researching the Science of Reading.  The outcome of the research led to a decision to include more phonics instruction, but the whole language approach still remained the main method of teaching Reading. A man named Rudolf Flesch wrote an interesting book called “Why Johnny Can’t Read – And What You Can Do About It.)  He argues that schools are failing children with the whole language approach and pushes for phonics instruction. (if you are interested, look it up on Amazon.)

So now we are stepping into the 1990s.  This is when I was formally being taught to read. I somehow was able to read prior to going into Kindergarten, and I attribute that to Sesame Street, and being read to at night.  In the 1990s, teachers were given the Balanced Literacy approach to teach Reading.  This method is still used today in many places, where instruction merges whole language with direct phonics instruction.  Teachers focus on word meaning, word structure, visual cues, leveled reading, and giving students time for skill practice and independent reading.  I remember as a child having spelling tests,too. This method proved to be more effective than just using phonics instruction or just teaching whole words. But something was still missing. 

In the 2010’s began the push for direct, explicit instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, decoding strategies, spelling, fluency, and vocabulary.  Back in the “Whole Language” days, students had no tools to utilize when presented with an unknown word. There aren’t pictures for every single word ever written, and students would be stuck if they couldn’t somehow figure it out.  We knew we needed Structured Literacy, using the Science of Reading as our guide.  From the 2010s to the present, schools have bounced around with how much focus they put on each of these basic reading skills. One year they wanted to spend the majority of the reading block on phonics, another year they decided to cut out vocabulary, students were being taught specific phonics sounds and sight words, but somehow still couldn’t read fluently and indepentently.

Cut to today.  The data shows that only 35% of American Children read proficiently or better.  This definitely stems from multiple factors. The teaching method, the amount of practice the child has outside of school, the literacy rate of the child’s family, the child’s attendance rate, whether the child has a learning disability, whether the child’s home language is English or not…all of these contribute to a child’s success in reading, which affects their sucess in life. 

When students are placed in intervention groups and then “live” there for the remainder of their school career, there is a bigger chance that this child will grow up with these difficulties which then become barriers to furthering their education, getting their dream job, or creating and maintaining relationships.  Children need more time to just sit and read. The more you read, the better you get at reading! Students can not just read at school and then never touch a book again until the next time they read in school. Reading is a skill that needs to be practiced. Children need to learn more vocabulary. We need to encourage more reading, and strive to better ourselves as well. 

And if your child says they don’t like reading, just quote J.K. Rowling: “If you don’t like to read, you haven’t found the right book.”

If you feel your child needs a boost in their reading skills, reach out to us!

Every year we have a day off from school to celebrate Labor Day. Families use the long weekend to travel or get together with loved ones; usually in the form of a picnic or barbecque.  Children don’t question it because they are always up for a free day off. Many times, we will return to school and children will ask me why we weren’t in school the day before.

Don’t forget, too, some schools don’t even start until after Labor Day. Many families enjoy this, as it seems to extend the Summer vacation just a little bit longer. There are still debates about whether it is better to start before or after Labor Day, but the main point of this blog is to shed some light on this federal holiday. 

Labor Day is a U.S. Federal holiday that celebrates and honors the achievements and contributions of workers to what we know as “work life” today.  A long time ago, work was very dangerous. People had to work extremely long hours in jobs that had unsafe and unhealthy working conditions. The pay that they received was never enough to support the amount of work that they did, and often left families struggling and poor. 

This prompted the Labor Movement. It became very clear that there was a need to protect the common interest of workers.  During this time, the first labor unions were formed. Workers began to organize and fight against long working hours, unhygenic workplaces, dangerous machines, and low pay.  Many children were also employed for hazardous and unsafe jobs for little pay.

Workers tried negotiating for better pay. They used collective bargaining to create contracts with their employers that would entitle them to better pay and work safety.  There were, however, times where these negotiations failed.  The workers remained strong and stood their ground.  Workers went on strike, refusing to work until their employers agreed to their terms. They would arrange protests to unite and publicize their demands, causing their unions to grow in numbers and become stronger.

The major achievements of workers during the labor movement were shorter work weeks, safer workplaces, and better pay that would include health benefits.  Laborers who would normally work 12 or more hours a day would now only work 8.  Their six or seven day work week was shortened to just 5 days, with the weekend off.  Most importantly, laws were created around workplace safety and banned abusive and dangerous child labor.  There became a set federal minimum wage, and mandated that workers receive overtime for work completed past their normal work hours.

New York City was the first state to celebrate Labor Day. On September 5, 1982, there was a parade to honor workers’ contributions to better working conditions. More states would join in the following year. Finally, in 1894 President Grover Cleveland signed a law stating that the first Monday in September would now be a Federal Holiday called Labor Day. Most workplaces are closed on Federal Holidays to celebrate and honor those achievements.

Today, many people see the three day weekend as the unofficial end of Summer.  Barbeques, parades, picnics and other community events are organized to celebrate this day. What else could you do to celebrate?

First, educate yourself! There are many articles and books that teach about the history of Labor Day.  Next, get involved.  See if there are any places locally looking for volunteers. Help show workers that they are appreciated by writing htank you notes and cards. You could even make or buy treats to deliver to your local police department, fire department, post office, etc.  Visit a labor day parade!

Another way to celebrate is to play games that require team-work, such as scavenger hunts, puzzles, escape rooms, or even relay races. Research various jobs and how they have changed over the years. Talk to your nrighbors or family about their jobs!

Lastly, remember that people long ago had to fight for the working conditions that we have today. They are the reason that we receive better pay for jobs, and of course, we get an extra day off to celebrate them with our families.  So the next time you are at a Labor Day barbecue and not at school, remember all of the hardworking men and women who made today possible.

Every year children go without having their vision tested. It isn’t a standard protocol anymore.  When I was a child, the school would line us all up and we would go one by one to have our eyes checked by the school nurse or a visiting optometrist.  Now, schools don’t check it even every year, and it’s optional.  Doctors also don’t check eyesight as part of a routine well visit!  Now, this doesn’t seem to be a big deal until your child has issues with their vision. 

Story time: My son started Kindergarten the year COVID hit.  He spent half of the year in school, and the second half online. I will be honest that when we got to the online learning portion, he was not very cooperative. Then they started first grade online, which wasn’t bad, and when he got back to school for the rest of that year he didn’t complain about his eye sight. He did, however, HATE reading. It was torture for him, and I didn’t understand it. He loved to sit in my lap and listen to stories and look at the books, but if he had to read it, he wasn’t doing it. Has always been a very active child, so we chalked it up to that. I figured he didn’t have the ability to sit still long enough and be quiet long enough to do it on his own, and I didn’t wan him to hate it, so I didn’t push. (side note, we later found out he also has ADHD.)

Then he went to second grade. He was sat close to the front of the room so he could see the board (he is short, and squirrely) and would complain about not being able to see the board.  His teacher told us, so we took him to the eye doctor.  When the doctor put the large E up on the screen, she asked him to tell them the letter.  He said the screen was blank.  He couldn’t see it AT. ALL.  I was devastated! How could I have not known that he could barely see?!  The doctor continued with the examination for over an hour and determined that there were other issues going on and referred us to Vision Therapy.  Long story short, his prescription was very different in both eyes, which affected his depth perception.  With that, he also had a lazy eye, causing eye teaming issues, affecting his ability to focus: causing him to see double, and skip lines or blend lines when reading.  Lastly, he has another problem that affects his ability to visualize and create mental images. 

This impacted his ability to see words clearly enough to decode them. It affected his ability to read fluently.  His struggle with creating mental images caused him to have a hard time remembering what he read, and greatly impacting his comprehension.  He completed years of vision therapy, eye patching, and full time glasses wear and now wears contacts full time. Vision therapy helped him tremendously!  Now we can’t get him to put his book down and do anything else!

Vision problems are a huge barrier to reading! A child struggling with convergence insufficiency will have a hard time seeing words clearly. Convergence insufficiency is an issue with “eye-teaming” where both eyes struggle to turn inward together for close-up tasks like reading, leading to double vision or eyestrain. Children with Oculomotor dysfunction have trouble moving the eyes smoothly across a line of text, causing them to skip words, repeat lines, or lose their place. Accommodative (Focusing) Dysfunction means a child will have difficulty maintaining a sharp focus on print, which makes words blur or seem to move on the page.  

 So, I am telling you all of this to say that if your child is struggling with reading, it’s more than just not being able to see the words clearly.  If you see your child squinting, leaning close to the page or screen, tilting their head, or rubbing their eyes while they are reading, they might be struggling with their vision.  It gretaly impacts all aspects of reading!  Get your child’s eyes checked. and once they get their glasses, I can help them catch up with their reading skills. 

I remember the first time we played on computers when I was a child. My uncle had a job in something related to technology and computers, and therefore we were given a computer for our house.  It ran in MS-DOS and everything was black and green. You had to enter special codes to get to the games you wanted to play, or insert large floppy disks.  Then we got a computer in our classroom at school. I was in first grade, and this big tan clunky box with a tiny screen was sitting in the back of the room. If we finished work early, or were doing a good job, we could spend time playing a game on it.  There was a game with a bear and an apple tree. I am sure it had something to do with counting… it was a long time ago.

Fast forward to 2026. Every student in the classroom has some sort of device. Most schools have given Kindergarteners iPads, and the remaining grades have Chromebooks. When I started teaching, our classrooms were equipped with 6-8 laptops that we utilized as a computer center for students to use to play math or literacy games, do research, and type on.  Once COVID-19 hit, every student was given a device, and it’s been that way ever since.

I enjoyed the fact that every student had their own computer so they could keep their work separate, and so that if something happened to it, we knew who was responsible for it. However, that’s all students want to do. They just want to be on the computer.  Teachers have been given many resources that enable them to create learning and assignments right there on the computer so students are using them constructively, but there are the occasional issues – I’ll share later in this post.

I came here to write about AI.  It is something that still scares me.  My husband works in Cybersecurity and he has given me every reason to fear technology and its advances.  However, keeping a positive outlook, I will share that there are some amazing resources for students and teachers!  AI has made learning easier than ever to differentiate, and lessons easier to write.

There are AI generated personalized learning programs for students that collect data as students solve problems or complete levels and then keep the content related to the specific skills the student shows weakness on. It’s brilliant! These adaptive learning programs enable students to spend time learning new concepts and practicing skills at their own pace, with immediate reinforcement and reteaching built into each session. This enables students to work towards mastery at their own pace while the rest of the learning in the classroom progresses.  Your child may have even spoken about programs like IXL, DreamBox, ALEKS, eSpark, or iReady that they use daily for practice and assignments.

These programs can, in NO way, replace a teacher. They are a fantastic supplement to any learning that is taking place, but they can not be the sole way a child learns. There are many pros to utilizing personalized learning platforms in the classroom. Students can track progress and build confidence as they earn badges and rewards. They can practice skills that their friends have already mastered without feeling embarrassed that they have to go sit in the back with the teacher and practice.  And many of the learning games that are built in are actually engaging and fun!

Why, then, would we even question having these programs in our classroom?  For one, students can “cheat” the system, asking friends for answers, and then progressing through levels faster than they are able, creating a problem for them in the long run. Now they are not using it for learning, and they end up as a second grader learning about suffixes in the classroom, and then practicing greek and latin roots on the computer and being totally confused about what is popping up.  I taught first grade for many many years and always ended up with at least 2 students who were being given math questions using the pythagorean theorem and asking me how to solve them, and I would have to go into the program on my end and reset their levels.

Another problem that we constantly face really doesn’t have to do with AI at all. It has to do with children and self control.  From spending their entire 20 minute practice rotation changing the look of their computer background, to literally shopping on target (yes, that happened in my classroom) children aren’t as motivated to complete the work given to them sometimes, and often lack the self control needed to stay on task when temptation is knocking.  Tech. companies spend a lot of time adding programs to computers to allow students to block certain things, or pop on and see what their student is working on, but you just can’t get to everything. Students are getting viruses on their devices, accessing inappropriate content (whether on purpose or not, because IT definitely equips student computers with safety features such as safe search, but kids somehow figure out ways around it), or they just end up doing soemthing completely different and not getting the work done.  Inevitably, their computer somehow gets hacked and the whole email system at school is compromised.

Lastly, AI isn’t perfect. We can’t just “set it and forget it”.  If you go into ChatGPT and ask it for a lesson on ancient Mesopotamia, you will still need to fact check.  It is a great resource, and is definitely making things easier, but there is just so much gray area that we do not have a handle on and we need to make sure that everything that is presented is safe and accurate. Students need to be taught about using the internet safely, and be aware of ways that hackers can get in and get their information. And they need to know that not everything they find on Google is true.

AI has come a long way in the classroom, but I feel that there is a long way to go, too. How do you feel about AI?

I preface this blog with my firm belief that all children can learn if given the right supports, including grown-ups that unwaveringly believe that is true. 

In the upcoming weeks, your child will likely be assessed to gather beginning of the year, baseline data.  This data is reviewed by the teachers and specialists in the building to determine who will need interventions.  In Kindergartarten through 6th grade, students will be assessed and their scores will be placed in a spreadsheet that is color-coded to enable teachers to see who is struggling, who has advanced, and who is holding their own. 

Now, if your child was in an intervention group last year, it is likely that they could be in a group again this year.  The specialists will have those students’ names’ flagged from the previous year to figure out how many students potentially will need to be in an intervention group before they even do the assessments.  Once all the data is gathered from the new assessments, the students will be moved accordingly. Intervention groups are always flexible, and students can enter and exit based on needs.

Students are assessed in both reading and math. Most schools have reading specialists and intervention support teachers to help these students.  However, there are fewer schools that have Math specialists, or even an intervention teacher that can pull these students and support them.  Moreover, the number of students needing these supports is steadily increasing, while schools are unable to bring more staff in to compensate. (This is a whole other topic in itself.)

So what are these assessments really looking ag?  In Reading, students are assessed for fluency, accuracy, and comprehension. Sometimes assessments will include letter names and sounds (early literacy, K – 2), and some might even include vocabulary (3-6).  The student will read passages or short stories while being timed and the person assessing them marks any errors on their data sheet.  Then, students are asked to retell the story and answer questions about what they read.

In Math, students will be assessed on their computation skills, as well as their ability to apply concepts previously learned.  This checks fact fluency, as well as their ability to problem solve.  These assessments are also timed, and the teacher doesn’t do anything during the test. They score them when the students are done and use that information to place them in groups. 

Did you notice that both reading and math are assessing fluency?

When we assess reading fluency, we are looking at words read correctly per minute, minus any errors.  We listen for how smooth a child reads the sentences. Do they sound choppy, like a robot? Do they add or omit words? Is their pacing and tone similar to how they would speak in conversation?  Once we figure that out, we need to identify what might be causing errors, or making the child slow down when they are reading.  Are they stuck on an unfamiliar word because they don’t know the vowel pattern?  Is it because the child has trouble keeping their place when they go to the next line?

The same thing goes for math. How well do they know their basic facts? Are they counting on their fingers? Are they using repeated addition to multiply because they don’t know their times tables?  Do they consistantly forget to carry the one, leaving their computation incorrect every time?  I once had a student who would multiply the first 2 numbers in an equation, and then just write the leftover numbers as part of the answer.  

Why is this imoportant?  Sounding words out takes time, and as the child is sounding the word out, they are forgetting everything else they just read. It affects their understanding of what they read, is frustrating for them, and causes them to keep struggling with everything else they read.  In Math, if a child is constantly using basig strategies, such as counting on with their fingers, they might lose count. (if they are adding 4 to 37, and they start counting from 4 by ones, they could easily miss a number.)

Imagine being at a concert and the pianist had to keep stopping the music to figure out what note came next.  Or watching a baseball game where the pitcher keeps stopping because he doesn’t understand the hand signals being sent to him by the catcher.  What if you had to stop your car at every corner to check which way to go next because you can’t remember your way home? Or worse, back track and start over because you got lost. Imagine that was your child. How frustrated they must feel!

Now I am going to say what teachers around the globe exhaust every single day.  Can you guess what I am going to tell you?  They need to practice their skills!

Just like when they join soccer and they need to practice drills, or dance when they need to practice their tap steps, a child needs to practice reading and math!

We need to bring back reading bedtime stories!  Playing board games that involve math!  I know, I have 3 children and they all love watching TV and playing video games, but all three of them also love reading. Many families have family game nights where they play board games. These interactions build more than just good relationships with your kids, they help them problem solve, plan, calculate, read, etc.

Some free apps/websites where your kids can go to practice math skills are XtraMath, Prodigy, Freckle, GeoGebra, and Khan Academy.  For reading there is Teach Your Monster to Read, Starfall, Prodigy, Khan Academy, and more.  Check out the local library for good books.  Also, when your child starts school they will have access to school apps that are paid for by the district that they will have full access to, which will be covering exactly what they are learning on. 

Lastly, it might come down to having your child recieve extra help at school, or tutoring.  Maybe to reinforce concepts, maybe just to hold them accountable.  Regardless, we are here to help keep your child on track and going strong. We know that your child is so much more than just a score on a page.  We are well aware that your child probably has way more potential than just one assessment can test for and we will work with your child to bring those pieces out of them and show them just how bright they shine. 

Moms and Dads across the nation are preparing their children to go back to school any day now (if they already haven’t started back). Parents are feeling a surge of excitement as they see their routine falling back into a pattern again, and maybe some children as well. However, stress among students of all ages is severely on the rise. Many students report high levels of anxiety as we approach the new school year. What gives?

Recent studies show that 50% of middle schoolers feel stressed about starting the new school year. I have a son going into 7th grade and that is quite the percentage! While he is optimistic about school starting, there is another student who is dreading it.  What could be causing this increased stress?  

Some schools have students progress from Elementary, to Intermediate, to Middle, and then High school.  Middle school is a huge transition for students. You have more classes, more books to carry, less time to walk the halls between classes (this is the only thing that my son shared worries about; that he will only have 3 minutes between classes).  Generally, students from the same intermediate school will filter into the same middle school, however, where I grew up, we had multiple elementary schools from our district get dumped into the same building for 6th grade.  I remember the shock I felt seeing all the new faces, recalling having to assimilate into new friend groups while navigating keeping my own and figuring out who I was in that time. 

More concerning, a whopping 75% of high school students report stress and axiety upon returning to school. That is incretibly worrisome.  The emotional baggage of friendships and relationships are constantly taking their toll on students, as they struggle to find balance between time with their friends and time to complete homework. They’re worrying about extra curriculars, jobs, learning to drive, and figuring out what they want as a career in just a few short years.

So, WHAT CAN WE DO?

We can keep the lines of communication open. This doesn’t just involve reassuring your child that you are there for them. It involves starting and having conversations about how your child is feeling constantly. Make it part of a normal routine to check in with your kids and their feelings, and find ways to help ease their worries. 

If your child is worried about making friends, encourage them to join a sport or club of their interest in order to meet people with similar interests.  Are they worrying about how they will get everything done? Help them create a schedule. Leverage their phone or smart watch and help them set reminders for things.  Is your child disorganized and constantly forgetting things? Help them create a system of organization in the form of binders, supply pouches, and in their locker. (there are some cool locker organizers on amazon!)

Whatever you do for your child, remember to try to be non-judgemental and ensure that you are sharing your tips with them as a member of their support team. If your child continues to worry, it might be worth looking into counseling to help them learn coping strategies for these new emotions. 

Let’s start the year strong! 

August is Back-To-School month…and for some, that is an exciting time! Kids get to see their friends, get back into a set routine, maybe ride the school bus for the first time ever.  Some students look forward to school because they crave the consistency.  They get free meals, are with the same adults every day, and have their own things.  Some students absolutely dread school.  Whatever the case may be…how ever your child feels…there are ways to help prepare them for a fantastic year!

First things first.  We need to talk about schedules. I am a teacher and a mom of 3, and our schedule has been pretty relaxed this summer. Staying up a little later, sleeping in a bit.  It’s been lovely. Then, the bus company sent out an email telling us where our stop is and what time the kids will be picked up.  My son has to be at the bus stop by 6:44 in the morning!  Luckily, he is quick in the morning, and is usually able to get up with his alarm, but if I were to try and get him up at 6:25am right now he would not be able to do it. It would be a fight, and we would be rushed, and the stress from the morning would set the tone for the rest of the day. In order to prepare him for his early wake-up, we will gradually be starting bed time earlier and earlier to get him back on a better sleep schedule for getting up early.

HOT TIP #1 – Get your kids on a good sleep schedule at least one week before school starts!  It is hard for students to learn when they are tired.

Speaking of getting up early, how in the world are kids supposed to eat breakfast before school if they have to be on the bus by 6:44?  So many public schools offer breakfast for all students to grab on their way into school.  Generally it is a muffin, mini waffles, cereal, a cheese stick, maybe a banana and milk. (not all of that all the time.)  To be honest, kids don’t have that much time to eat it, either.  We always try to have our kids grab something small at home like a breakfast bar, protein drink, or at least a glass of milk before leaving.  Then we tell them to pick up “breakfast 2.0” at school.  This has helped with mornings tremendously!  Whatever your child has for breakfast, protein is the most important to give them some energy and prepare them for a long morning before lunch.  Growling stomachs distract not only the child who is hungry, but their classmates as well!  Plus, if your child is hungry, they are going to be thinking about getting food and not able to focus on their learning.

HOT TIP #2 – Make easy breakfast items ahead of time and freeze them! We make a double batch of pancakes and freeze them so that we can heat them up and eat them quickly.  Another favorite is mini egg muffins!

Also, has anyone else gotten slapped in the face with the pumpkin spice scented pinecones at the grocery store? Seriously, the scent is so strong!  I have been strolling through the Summer clearance aisles trying to hang on to every last ounce of Summer vacation.  Then, I turn to the next aisle and am overwhelmed by school supplies! Glue sticks, folders, pencil cases, backpacks, notebooks…the works. They’re everywhere!  I have done some research and many schools will provide supplies for students, however, if your child is going to a private school or will be homeschooled, now is the time to stock up.  Speaking from a teacher’s point of view, we always appreciate those who can toss in an extra box of pencils, or tissues, or hand sanitizer.  This helps because the schools will run out of supplies fast. Kids love to spend time “sharpening” their pencils just so they can walk past a friend and chat.  My first graders also used to love to find a tooth that is wiggly and mess with it during class, then get a tissue and hang that out of their mouth from their tooth. (cue the hand sanitizer!) Hurry before they move it out and put out Christmas items!

HOT TIP #3 – Check Walmart and Staples for the cheapest school supplies!  And throw in a few extras to help the teachers too, if you can.

Ok, so we’ve discussed sleep, food, and materials.  Aside from getting new clothes to start the year, your child should be pretty much set, right?  Now is where it gets tricky.  We need to mentally prepare our children for school.  If you are homeschooling, that could mean that you need to review your child’s schedule with them showing when they have time to eat, learning time, play/rest time, and when educational time is over.  While it is flexible, it is always helpful to build a routine so your child knows what is expected each day. No buts, no coconuts.  In a school building, your teacher will share the set schedule and ensure that your child is on track for the day.  But what if they start the day with Reading class and they are a struggling reader?  Maybe they get off the bus and worry right away because they have to start with the hardest part of their day first.  Help them put a positive spin on it!  Your brain is freshest in the morning.  They’ve just had breakfast and are ready to learn.  Also, because they get to start their day with it first, they can get it out of the way and move on to other subjects.  Maybe your child struggles after lunch when it is time for them to do Math but they are tired, or their medicine has worn off, or they know they have to go to aftercare instead of being able to go home…whatever the case may be.  It is our job as adults to reassure them that we are there to help, while also empathizing with them. Let’s face it, by 2:00, I am ready for a rest too!

HOT TIP #4 – Make sure that you are positive and reassuring about school and learning so that your child feels comfortable and confident.

As I take my kids for their annual well visits so I can send their medical forms in, I am making a list of all the things that I need to get ready. I will wrap this up with a list of items that I wll be purchasing, or resurfacing at home, to prepare for this school year.  I hope this helps you prepare, too!:

1 – Backpacks (my daughter’s one strap broke and we had to tie it on, she definitely needs a new one.)

2 – Shoes (kids’ feet grow SO fast!)

3- Lunch boxes and water bottles (currently buried in the pantry)

4 – Quick Breakfast items (we have a list and are starting to stock up! Nutrigrain bars, Instant Breakfast Protein Shakes, Little Bites Muffins… We love SAM’s Club for this!)

5 – Schedules printed and important dates for the first month added to the calendar (like days off, back to school night, etc.)

6 – School issued chromebooks and chargers (currently in the desk in our guest room. Will need to be charged.)

7 – School requested supplies (In reusable bags in our guest room with the printed list so that I can make sure I have everything and send the right things with the right kids.)

Remember to always remind your child how wonderful and bright they are. Every child is special and unique and ALL children can learn.  It is going to be a great year!