Five Must Read School Tips for Parents

Twenty-seven-year veteran teacher and author  shares five excellent tips to get this school year started right.

Mick says:

Remember: School is your children’s job. You want them to display the same drive and curiosity that they will one day display in their careers.  What is your children’s salary? Although the kids may think that it’s their grades, it’s actually the skills and knowledge that the students are gaining.

Tip #1: Check your child’s agenda every night. Most schools give each student an agenda with a calendar inside.  In my class, we begin each period by writing down the homework assignment in the agenda. Please emphasize to your child that it is crucial to write down (neatly) each and every assignment for each and every class.  Let your son or daughter know that you will be checking the agenda each night. I know that work was hard today, I know that you’re tired—I’ve been there—but checking your child’s agenda sends the right message.

Tip #2: Many students love to play the “I left my books in school” trick. Drive them to school in the late afternoon or evening to retrieve their assignments. If you do this once (or twice), this time-honored excuse melts into dust.

Tip#3: Please make sure that their IPods and cell phones remain at home. Many of the little devils are now conditioned to check their all-important messages (Hey, I had a wicked awesome latte this morning!) every ninety seconds or so. I’m too busy teaching my students to be better readers/writers than to keep checking if they’re staring into their laps. Remember, we teachers are working to give your children the skills for a better future—so please demand that the devices remain at home.  Oh, and if you have daughters, they love to tuck their cell phones inside their Uggs boots.

Tip#4: Please stress to your son or daughter that bringing the proper notebooks, books, and a pen or pencil to each class is the very least of their responsibilities.

Tip#5: I’ve been teaching for 27 years.  Personally, I love the students who come right out and say, “I just don’t get it.” I then know that I did not present the material in the right way—so I know to give it another try, another way. It’s been my experience that the brightest kids are the ones who ask questions; it’s a sign of an active, curious mind.  So please encourage your children to ask those questions. Regina Hourihan, one of the finest teachers with whom I have ever worked, has a sign in her classroom that reads: “I don’t get it…YET.”

Here’s to a healthy, successful school year for all of us.