|
|
|
|
|
|
Parents may be provided with back-to-school shopping lists each fall, but many educators agree that preparing for a successful term requires more than the right gear.
“I’d visit the school with your child beforehand even if it’s just outside the building,” said Toni Jenkins, science coordinator for the Burleson ISD. “That way the school won’t be completely new on the first day.”
Reserved children should receive special consideration, she said, becasue they often adapt best to a new school when they see it in a calm and quiet state before the hustle and bustle of their first day begins.
“Also, if your child is on the shy side, introduce them to their teacher beforehand,” Jenkins said.
Establishing order and rules at home also helps students do well in school, said school board member and former educator Bob Spurlin. Setting a bedtime for younger children and making sure they eat a healthy breakfast every morning is important, too.
Parents also need to be involved in their children’s schools through the Parent Teacher Organization or by volunteering, Spurlin said.
“Parents should be supportive of the school to the child,” he said.
If parents disagree with their child’s teacher or the school’s administration, they should discuss the matter in private, he said.
“It’s really important that parents have a positive attitude toward school,” said Paulette Weed, a kindergarten teacher at Jack Taylor Elementary in Burleson. “It’s also important that if they have any questions, they talk to the teacher first to make sure the situation is really what it seems.”
Weed said that because students sometimes skew stories when they retell them, maintaining parent-teacher contact is crucial.
“Keep open communication, and talk to your child every day about their day,” she said. “It’s important to keep talking to them and encouraging them.”
Weed said asking children to verbalize what they learned each day helps them retain that knowledge, and she suggests looking at young students’ handouts and asking them questions about their daily work.
“It’s also important to keep reading to them even as they get older to help develop their vocabularies,” she said.
Top of Page
|
|
|
|
