Robin McClure - 151 Ways to Help Your Child Have a Great Day at School

Copyright 2009 by Robin McClure

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Just as most people would agree that it is not easy being a parent, the same can certainly be said about being a teacher. Each school year, teachers are assigned a classroom full of unique students at different stages and abilities, who they essentially raise, from an academic and social standpoint, only to have to say good-bye at year-end. The cycle then begins anew come fall.

As a parent of three children (two are in elementary school), my admiration of teachers continues to grow along with my kids every academic year. I get the privilege of getting to know my childrens' teachers, coaches, assistants, and support staff throughout the year, in part through one-on-one conferences, but also by volunteering and sometimes simply observing from afar. Of course, I also get to relive many magical classroom moments (and some not so much) through the enthusiastic retelling of stories and experiences my youngsters share at the end of each day. It is almost mind-boggling how regardless of the weather, the way they feel, or how the class interacts, teachers enter their classrooms with a smile and come prepared to teach and for kids to learn. They do this day after day, year after year, and most profess they couldn't imagine doing anything else!

The ideas shared in this book have largely come from dedicated early educators but also from parents who love them. I am privileged to have classroom teachers in my own life, starting with my own mother, Bonnie Watkins; my sister-in-law, Susan Watkins; and my niece, Jessica Owen. But my family of teachers extends far beyond them. In particular, I would like to dedicate this book to the Birdville Independent School District (BISD) and the Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District (GCISD), both located in northeast Tarrant County, Texas, with whom I worked in an administrative role for thirteen-plus years. In particular, I offer my absolute adoration of the caring and involved staff members at BISD's W. A. Porter Elementary, who truly embrace every child and give each student the power of knowledge through learning. A great majority of ideas are from the hearts and minds of the dedicated team members there, and without them, the idea for this book would not have been born.

Except for the fast-paced and seemingly miraculous changes that occur in the first year of life, the elementary school years are perhaps the greatest time of change and growth in a young child. First grade is a huge transition from preschool and kindergarten, where the focus from learning through play shifts to reading and writing. Each progressive year incurs additional subjects, more homework, and greater expectations. Seat time (when kids sit in their chairs for extended periods of learning) increases, and a child's interest in friendships, extracurricular activities, and fitting in socially expands. Kids who begged parents to eat lunch with them only last month may suddenly prefer that Mom and Dad stay home so they can sit next to their friends.

Along with this growing independence and maturity comes the pressure of responsibility, the development of good (or not so good) study habits, and peer pressure. And through all these changes, from the first year of a child's elementary school experience to the final days before secondary school, teachers agree that it is parents who have the ability to make the greatest difference. Parents committed to and supportive of their child's education and school success can make a significant impact on whether a child's school experience is one of excitementor of dread.

Helping your child to have a positive attitude about school is something that often takes work and effort to achieve. While some children just naturally seem to love school and bounce out of their homes eager to begin the day, most kids have to be coaxed out of their warm beds in the morning. They struggle with the structured routine and having to do homework after a long day of school. The way you approach these routines and requirements can stay with your child long after the elementary school years are but a memory.

So, how do you get your child started on the road to a positive mental attitude at school? Well, there's a lot more to helping your child feel good about school than getting enough sleep and eating a nutritional breakfast! And that's where this book comes in.

151 Ways to Help Your Child Have a Great Day at School is filled with tried-and-true advice from early childhood classroom teachers who each day experience what worksand what doesn'twhen it comes to parent support, homework, and evening and morning routines. Helpful tips and motivational suggestions are also provided by parents-in-the-know, child-care workers, and even kids themselves to help your child start the day off with a smile and a positive attitudeeach and every day, all year long!

1. Use everyday life to show the connections between school subjects and real-world experience.
Elementary-aged kids don't necessarily understand why they are learning all the things they are in school and can quickly assume that certain subjects are a waste of time when it comes to real life. Help your children to see the connection between academic subjects, such as language arts, science, grammar, history, and art, and everyday situations. For example, having your child read street signs will help her understand that all stop signs are the same shape and color and use the same letters, which in turn helps her understand how the world connects.

2. Incorporate subject-themed family nights into your life, making them fun and positivelearning experiences at the same time.
Kids may not get that cooking involves sequencing (the order in which you do it), math (how do you get 3/4 cup of sugar when you only have a 1/2 and 1/4 measuring cup?), and science (how do you melt hard butter, or why does gelatin get thick?). Make one night a week a different subject, and let your elementary-age child pick the subject. Suggest a couple of options that fit into that night's subject. Soon, your child will literally be begging for math night (cutting a pizza into a certain number of pieces and then serving them equally to all family members counts) and other subject nights, much to the astonishment of friends and the delight of your child's teacher!