The Start of a New School Year!

Last week President Obama did something I don’t recall any other president doing - spoke to students across the nation on the first day of school.  It left no doubt that he strongly believes in the potential for every student to reach their personal goals if they take responsibility for their own learning.  Although this is nothing new for students to take ownership for their learning and their lives, it was new, and very inspiring to hear the president tell them he expected great things from every student across the nation.  I applaud him for setting the benchmark so high, to force students at every grade and ability level to try their best and to stop with the excuses.  If you haven’t seen the speech, go to www.ed.gov.

In the past I would also start the school year with encouraging words and great expectations for my students learning.  I would explain to them that school was their “job” and they were there to do their work and to learn as much as they could.  We would talk about lots of things each year but here are some of the topics that we talked about each year that parents can reinforce at home:

    - Things you could do to be a good friend
        Students would come up with lists of things that were ways to make friends like sharing a laugh or listening when things aren’t going right.  Setting up play dates or opportunities for children to play together outside school builds relationships between students and families.

    - Standing up to a bully
        Explaining to children what a bully is and why they shouldn’t put up with it.  We also talked about the difference between tattling and telling someone to get help.  Parents need to be available to listen to their children’s concerns.  Just because your child is independent doesn’t mean they have the skills to deal with children not behaving correctly.  Listen to them, help them solve it and get the teacher involved.  I had a parent once tell me that her son was on his own to deal with problems with other students.  She won’t listen to him when he had a problem and it made the problem far worse. Please take the time to listen.

    - Always tell the truth
        When students always told me the truth, no matter if they were in the right or wrong, I could trust them. When I would explain to children that taking the responsibility for their own actions and telling the truth, is hard to do but it is part of growing up.  When they are in the wrong but they tell me the truth, the consequences were not as bad as when they have lied about it.

    - Taking responsibility for their own learning by setting goals
        This was a constant reminder for students - taking one day at a time to reach their long term goals is difficult for children to see the big picture. But taking it step-by-step they blossom into lifelong learners. 

    - Do their best work - always!
        Why go back and redo something when they can take the time to do it to the best of their potential the first time?  Some children rush just to complete an assignment but miss the satisfaction of a job well done.

    - Children must have the desire to learn
         Teachers can’t force a student to learn any more than anyone can force a horse to drink water - they have to want it.  Finding out what motivates my students was a great way to encourage them to want to learn difficult subjects.  When you can tie it to their interests, it becomes more important. So come to school ready and willing to learn.

    - Be honorable in all that you do!    
        Honorable is a hard term for most children but they understand respecting others, taking responsibility for their own actions or just following their heart and doing the right thing. When children internalize being honorable during school, it stays with them throughout their lives.

    - Always to believe in themselves and their abilities.
        I firmly believe if I tell my self I can’t do something, I will be right.  So I encourage my students to believe in themselves and everything they can learn.  The limits are only the ones the put in their minds and with in time and practice they can achieve anything.  We talk about all the things they couldn’t do last year, from riding a bike to learning about fractions, that they can do now!  Since they are in the trenches of learning, it’s difficult for them to see how far they have progress over the year. As parents, it’s important to be a cheer leader for your child.  Encourage them when they are challenged.  Praise them when they do well and always believe in them! It will become contagious!

    - Never to give up!
        When a student doesn’t get a concept the first time, some want to give up saying, “It’s too hard!”  I usually reply that they couldn’t walk the first time either but what did they have to do to learn to walk?  They come back with, “Practice”.  In the movie, “Miracle on 34th Street”, there is a line that I use, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again!”  Sometime children need a break and need to walk away from something that is frustrating them and that’s okay as long as they go back to it within a short period of time and try with new determination.

    - Have a healthy breakfast!
        Like a train engine, it can’t run without fuel, so is their brain.  It needs fuel to meet the challenges of learning.  Having a breakfast that will fill them up and keep them going through the morning is important way to start every day. Over the course of the year, students learn what some healthy choices are that they can make and parents need to support their efforts.  Having healthy foods available is also great for everyone in the family.

    - Get plenty of rest so they were ready for the challenges of the day.
        It’s hard to be active all day if they haven’t gotten the rest the night before that they need.  I read once that you know you are getting enough sleep if you can wake up without the alarm in the morning.  Is your child able to get out of the bed in the morning or are they dragging? Most children need around 9 hours of sleep a night, so be sure to establish a routine so they are able to get to sleep. I have had students tell me they have a TV in their room and they watch TV after they were supposed to be asleep.  They would be up later than I was!

    - Go run around when they got home - be active - it’s great for the brain!
        Children need to spend time moving for many reasons, one being it’s great for the brain.  Too many children come home to sit in front of the TV or video games and don’t go outside to play anymore. During school we would take “Brain Breaks” to get the students moving if they had spent some time in a quiet, still activity.  It could be anything from jumping jacks to dancing to upbeat music - but it was always fun! Be sure your children are active - not only will it help their learning but it will help with their overall health.

    - Approach the day with a song in their heart and a smile on their face!
        Being mentally prepared for a positive new day is a big part of having a great day, no matter what the challenges are.  So start the day with music, laughter and love, what better way to approach the day!  Since it’s hard to hold onto more than one thought at a time, why not make it a positive one?
 
It’s a new school year - with the promise of great things to be accomplished!