Parents key players in kids’ school success

Here we are again--beginning another school year. Some have already been in classes several weeks, others begin the traditional year Monday.

Many families start the year off with a mind set and outlook typical of mid-summer. When it starts getting dark earlier, when it starts getting cooler, when it really feels like fall, all sorts of excuses emerge to put off making a commitment to academic pursuits and involvement in school. Some parents passively resist the start of school by letting their children continue to stay up late hours, not purchasing needed school supplies or study aids for their child, or even letting their child skip classes during the early part of the school years. The first few days and weeks of school are very important in helping the student establish a positive perception and expectation for the academic year. If they fall behind, fail to get to know their classmates at the beginning of the year, or become inhibited due to feelings of being different, problems of adjustment may be increased.

Parents can do a lot to foster a positive beginning and the following suggestions may be helpful:

• Let the child know that you expect school to be among their highest priorities. Let them also know that you hope that they will see their education as a challenge and an opportunity rather than drudgery and something to be avoided.

• Set priorities for home study. Have a place available for the child to concentrate and work. Encourage the child to set aside a definite time for study each day and help them make a commitment to stick to a schedule.

• Build good communication skills with your child, his teacher, and other school personnel. Show an active interest in his or her work. Keep family discussions about knowledge, learning and school very positive.

• Recognize that the first days or even weeks of school may be stressful for some children. Those who have not gone to school before and are separating from their parents for the first time, those that are new in a town and don't have many friends, those that are moving from one school to another and other similar situations can produce some stress which needs special and added attention from parents and teachers.

• Be sure that your child gets enough sleep and is not going to school without proper rest. Help the child get organized the night before so that the morning rush and confusion is minimized.

• Spend time after school talking with your child about how his or her day went, their feelings about their teachers, classmates, and subjects in school. Let them know that their feelings and perceptions are important to you. Look over any work that they bring home and show an interest in what they are doing.

• Help your children set goals for future educational pursuits. Tell them learning is a life long activity, that each school day and year is part of an ongoing learning process.

Develop a positive mind set, one with heightened expectations and realistic goals. Learning how to learn and realizing that in the future education will be everything!

Copyright c 1993 Harold H. LeCrone, Jr., Ph.D.