Preparing for School • Things to Consider Before the First Day of School • Going to a New School • Homework • Reading with Your Child • Safe Internet Use • Avoiding Conflict • Helping Your Child Prepare for High School • Helping Your Child Plan for the Future

Preparing for School

• Ease Your Child into a New Routine. Have him or her go to bed at school-night bedtime a few nights before the first day. Set an alarm clock for the correct school wake-up time.
• Try a School Bus Run. Go over your child’s school bus route with him or her if it’s going to be a first-time bus ride. Find out how long the ride is, and talk about things like bus safety.
• Get Ready the Night Before. Establish a routine that requires your child to pick an outfit for the next school day, and to pack a book bag every night before bed. This will help eliminate any last minute rushing in the morning.

Things to Consider Before the First Day of School

About the School

• Is your child registered?
• Do you know when the first day of school is and what time it starts?
• Have you completed emergency contact forms and sent them back to the school?

Getting to and from School

• Have you reviewed safety precautions with your child regarding traffic and strangers?
• If your child is riding a bike, does he or she know the school’s rules for bicycles?
• If your child is taking a bus, does your child know the bus route? Does your child know what to do if he or she gets lost?
• Does your child know whether to come home or go to a babysitter after school?
• If you’re not home after school, does your child know who will be responsible for him or her, what the rules are, and how to get help in an emergency?
• If your child is going to a babysitter, does he or she know how to get to there?

Going to a New School

• Talk About It. Encourage your child to share his or her feelings. Talk about the excitement of starting at a new school, and discuss any concerns your child might have.
• Take a School Tour. Call the school and arrange to tour the school with your child. Help your child find their way around the school and the location of their classroom and the bathroom. If possible, meet the teacher and principal.
• Make a New Friend. If possible, introduce your child to a classmate before the first day of school.

Homework

Helping Your Child Study

• Establish a Routine. Setting a regular time and sticking to it helps children complete their homework assignments.
• Set the Mood. Ensure the room your child studies in is quiet, has plenty of light, and has school supplies close at hand. Remove distractions by turning off the television and discouraging social phone calls during homework time.
• Show an Interest. Ask your child about school activities and talk about what was discussed in school that day. Take your child to the library to check out materials for homework, and make time to read with your child as often as you can.

Monitoring Homework Assignments

• Be Informed. Find out about the school’s policy on homework at the beginning of the school year. Ask your child’s teachers about the kind of assignments that will be given and what kind of time frame the children have to complete them.
• Be Involved. Ask the teacher how you can help with homework. Be available to answer your child’s questions, look over completed assignments, and encourage your child to share returned assignments so you can read the teacher’s comments.

Providing Guidance to Homework Assignments

• Learn How Your Child Learns. Understand your child’s learning style and develop routines that best support how he or she learns best.
• Encourage Good Study Habits. Help your child get organized. Ensure your child has scheduled enough time to complete assignments.
• Talk. Discuss homework with your child. Talking about an assignment can help your child think it through and break it down into small, workable parts.
• Provide Encouragement. Find ways to support your child’s efforts in completing assignments.

Reading with Your Child

• Make Reading a Priority. Let your child know how important it is to read regularly. Establish a regular time and place for reading.
• Read to Your Child. Make time to read to your child on a regular basis. It is a great way to help develop a love of learning.
• Ask Your Child to Read to You. Have your child read aloud to you.
• Keep Reading Material Close By. Make sure children’s books and magazines are easily accessible. Keep a basket of books in the family room, kitchen, or your child’s bedroom to encourage him or her to read more often.
• Visit the Library. Make visits to the library a regular activity and let your children select their own books.
• Be a Reading Role Model. Read a lot. Let your child see you read and hear you talk about your books.

Safe Internet Use

• Do Your Research. Find safe and relevant sites and child-friendly search engines for your child to use. Bookmark them for easy access.
• Make an Agreement. Create an agreement with your child that outlines which site he or she is allowed to visit, and which areas and activities are off-limits. Involve your child in this activity.
• Stay Aware. Keep lines of communication open so you know what Web sites your child is visiting. Pay attention to his or her surfing habits. Let your child know that he or she can come to you in case of trouble.
• Report Suspicious Activity. If you or your child encounter suspicious or dangerous situations online, report them to your Internet Service Provider and local police.

More Tips for Safe Internet Use

Be Web Aware – a national public education program on Internet safety for young Canadians

Avoiding Conflict

• Listen. Encourage your child to talk about school, social events, other kids in class, the walk or ride to and from school so you can identify any issues he or she may be having.
• Look. Watch for symptoms that your child may be a bullying victim. Be aware of signs such as withdrawal, a drop in grades, physical signs, or needing extra money or supplies.
• Work with Others. Tell the school immediately if you think your child is being bullied. Work with other parents to ensure that the children in your neighborhood are supervised closely on their way to and from school. Talk to the teacher or school’s guidance counsellor for some professional advice.

Helping Your Child Prepare for High School

• Educate Yourself. Find out the requirements, choices, and processes involved in planning your teen’s senior high school program with your child’s teacher. Your teen will need your assistance and advice.
• Plan Carefully. Some Grade 10 courses are prerequisites for more advanced high school courses. As well, certain programs enable students to meet entry requirements for post-secondary programs or acquire the knowledge and skills to enter directly into a career. Keep future goals in mind when planning grade 10 programs.
• Prepare for Post-Secondary. If your teen intends to enter a post-secondary institution after high school, check the calendars of these institutions for admission requirements to plan his or her senior high school program accordingly.

Helping Your Child Plan for the Future

• Even as an adult, career decisions can be overwhelming. Encourage your child and give them the time and space to make their own decisions.
• Ask your teen about the kinds of careers they are considering and do not worry if it is accounting one day and nursing the next. They’re thinking things over and imagining themselves in different roles. Encourage them to take this exploration a bit further. Help them learn more about these choices. Find out why these careers are attractive to them and look at other careers they may not have considered that could offer similar rewards.
• Encourage your teen to think about the educational path they will need to follow to pursue the careers they’re considering. Will they need to take certain subjects in high school to keep these options open? What kind of post-secondary education will they need? Where is the program offered and how long does it take to complete?
• Know where you and your teen can go to explore options or get more information. A great place to start is Alberta Learning Information Service (ALIS) This Web site offers up-to-date career profiles, links to post-secondary institutions, complete information on students finance and links to a variety of interactive career planning tools.

What should you do? Drop everything and run to her aid? Calmly tell her to do the work herself? Call a tutor?

A parent can play a healthy role in helping kids to successfully complete their homework assignments. But parents must draw clear boundaries that protect them from offering too much help and their kids from expecting it.

Encourage your child to do as much as possible alone:

“Try the first set of verbs. See what you can do.”

“Read the directions again.”

But if your son or daughter persists in claiming they are unable to understand or complete the assignment, you may need to step in:

“What specific problem are you having?”

“Read it aloud to me, slowly.”

Kids may not appreciate this type of response, preferring, instead, a hands-on approach from Mom or Dad. But it is more helpful when parents gently insist that kids apply critical thinking skills to solve problems themselves.

However, if it becomes apparent that the child truly is lost and doesn’t understand the homework concept, the parent may be able to help. Suggest that your child re-read the section that was assigned for homework practice. After he or she has done that, ask if there are any questions. Answer them to the best of your ability. Those you cannot answer, suggest your child write them on paper for the teacher.

Then ask your child to read the first problem aloud, breaking it into parts if necessary. When you get a quizzical look afterward, calmly nudge the problem back to your child:

“What do you think that means?”

“How does the problem relate to what you just read?”

Little by little, help your child deconstruct the overwhelming assignment by looking at each part individually before responding to the whole unit.

Sometimes, though, a homework question is poorly worded or the parent doesn’t know the answer. Suggest that your child skip to the next question or even the next subject. It’s important that he or she continue on a productive path in completing as much homework as possible rather than giving up on one topic and neglecting the rest.

Parents should avoid taking a hands-on approach. A bit of advice or a probing questions can be helpful instead. Obviously, a parent should never do the work for the child. That would be cheating, as would recommending plagiarism or unethical shortcuts of any kind.

Parents have a great opportunity to model problem-solving skills when their kids struggle with homework uncertainties. But when it becomes clear that a child is feeling overwhelmed by an assignment, the parent should make an appointment to talk with the teacher and clarify the situation. No child can master a skill that he or she cannot comprehend, so be sure that learning takes place first, followed by practice later.

A Happy Child

Not all the motivation in the universe will help a student who is otherwise not happy in their daily surroundings. This is not a directive to give your child anything and everything they ask for…actually, quite the opposite. Children treated with respect and love, usually give respect and love in return. Children raised with values and given guidance on a daily basis, again, learn to use their values wisely. A spoiled child, one who is given ‘things’ without any reason other than they asked for it, or more likely, demanded it, do not gain any common sense of how life works; people work for rewards. Making clear here, rewards do not necessarily mean ‘things’! Ask your child what they consider a good outcome of different situations, so you, as the parent, can define in your mind, what your child considers motivational to completing tasks, including homework assignments, special projects, etc. You may be surprised to learn that your child has no clear definition of why they should put effort into their studies.

Example

For instance, many parents’ associate ‘motivation’ with money, if their child passes a test, they will hand over cash as motivation for the next test. What the child learns in reality, is that if they ‘pass’ they are instantly given gratification. Sounds like a workable motivational tool, right. What is wrong with this scenario is simple. That is not how life works. There will not always be someone there throughout your child’s life to hand over cash every time ‘they’ get it right.

Defining Rewards

Children need to understand that when grownups talk about rewards, they are not necessarily talking about the newest video game or a trip to an amusement park. Reward can simply be the satisfaction of completing a task. If a child has been motivated through physical rewards all through his school life and even before, they need to learn that this is not how life works. You can change how you give motivation, and how your child receives it, it just takes some ‘motivation’ and sensibility on your part! Teaching a child that gratification comes from the result of the task done ‘is’ the best motivational tool you can use.

Discussion

As stated earlier, talking to your children to understand how they view rewards as motivation will give you a clear picture of where to start your discussion with them on how you can help them become more motivated in their studies. Talk with them on how an ‘A’ that is achievable through study, is motivational by itself over a ‘C’ that can simply be achieved from what the student has learned in class. Discuss what they are hoping to become when they reach adulthood. This may sound like common sense, but you may be surprised at how many parents never ask their children this most basic of questions. Once you have asked them this, ask them it again in a few months time. There answer may or may not have changed, but you will be showing your child that you not only are interested, but by asking them this simple question, you are stimulating their thoughts, to keep their goals in mind.

The Reward Breaker

Physical rewards ‘can’ be used as motivation, but use them sparingly. If a child has struggled, but has clearly shown effort, a physical ‘unsuspected’ reward can be given with positive results. A surprise dinner out to show your child that you appreciate all the hard work they put into passing a class they truly struggled in will show them that you noticed. This works in two ways; a physical reward is given, but it also demonstrates the best motivation any child can receive, their parent’s approval.

If you are thinking about enrolling your child in public school, here are some things to consider:

1. Do a thorough search of local private institutions. Some of the smaller or more elite schools are not widely advertised. In addition to checking the phone book, public school system, and board of education, you also may want to make personal inquiries of neighbors, friends, and coworkers. Try a Web search for private schools in your area.

2. When you’ve compiled a list, start making phone calls or check the Web to eliminate those that won’t work for your family. Reasons may include transportation distance, school hours that conflict with job schedules, tuition fees, curriculum concerns, and personal values.

3. After whittling your list to those that meet your initial criteria as indicated in Number 2 above, make a telephone inquiry to ask more detailed questions like the following:

-Which curriculum is followed?

-How does student performance compare to public school student performance?

-What are the grading criteria?

-How many children are enrolled?

-What is the teacher to student ratio?

-Are there volunteers or teacher aides that help?

-Which extracurricular activities are provided or are available for individual students? (Music, art, foreign languages, creative writing, etc.)

-What is the school’s discipline policy?

-Are parents required to volunteer a certain amount of time each month?

-What happens if tuition payments fall behind?

-Are uniforms required?

4. Reviewing your list of responses with spouse and child (if applicable), schedule visits to the top three or four schools for a tour and to meet with the administrator. Try to go when school is in session. As you go through the school tour, consider these points:

-Is the facility functional, neat, and attractive?

-Are students respectful and well behaved?

-Do teachers appear to be confident and in control?

-Is the setting conducive to learning?

-Is student work posted for display?

-Are honors, awards, and trophies in evidence?

5. During your meeting with the administrator, be prepared with focused and open-ended questions:

-What is the drop-out rate?

-What is the average grade point accumulation of a graduating student?

-What percentage of students go on to college after graduation and successfully complete a degree or commence a career training program at the vocational school level or as an apprentice?

-What is the communication network between teachers and parents or the school and families like? Is there a monthly newsletter or Website in addition to take-home handouts?

-Are there field trips or other off campus outings?

-Are values taught or practiced? If so, what are they?

-What advantages does this school offer to public school or other private institutions?

5. Follow your instincts. Try to observe students at lunch, on break, and in the classrooms. Get a sense of how well this system seems to work. If you have doubts, visit other schools until you find one that you feel good about. If possible, bring your child for a visit before making the decision to enroll.

Private school can offer an attractive alternative to public school these days. But take time to find one that meshes with your family’s academic goals.

If you’re a parent who’s wondering how to get started, here are a few tips that can help.

1. Tap pop culture. A recent Brad Pitt film, TROY, is a remake of the ancient classic, THE TROJAN WAR by Homer. If your child is old enough, take him or her to see this great story on the silver screen. During your drive in the car, toss out a few ideas to stimulate interest in the original story:

“The beautiful Helen was the cause of the war. Do you think it’s possible for two men’s fight over a woman to start a large-scale battle today?”

“Both sides believed that demi-gods fought on their side. Why would they think that about another human being?”

Innocent questions like these can set youthful minds in motion to ponder the larger issues behind the scenes of their favorite film celebrities.

2. Check out the spin-offs. Recent films also take advantage of popular themes or myths. For example, SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE fabricates the story of young Shakespeare falling for a pretty aristocrat when his wife gives him the cold shoulder. While the plot may sound questionable, the film offers realistic sets and props that can help teenage viewers appreciate the conditions of Shakespeare’s original dramas. Similar films about figures like Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald
offer glimpses into the personal lives of modern literary geniuses and may likely impress young viewers.

3. The play’s the thing. JOSEPH AND THE TECHNI-COLORED DREAMCOAT provides an entertaining introduction to the oldest classical work of all, the Bible. Or take your offspring to see other stage shows like Les Miserable or the Phantom of the Opera. Productions like these stir interest in the authors and their works. Who knows? Your kids might come home asking for the book to read.

4. Buy a few copies. Bring home an attractively bound volume of a classical work, from AESOP’S FABLES for the younger set to Ovid’s METAMORPHOSES for high school students. Even modern authors like Edgar Allan Poe or William Faulkner portray some pretty offbeat characters that kids may find compelling. Leave your new books on the coffee table or the desk where they will attract notice.

5. Set the example. Don’t be afraid of being seen reading a great book yourself. Often, kids get interested in whatever is occupying Mom or Dad’s time. So let them see you poring over a story that has classic value. Discuss it over dinner or in the car. Chances are the next time you look, one of the kids will have your book in their hands.

6. Surf the Web. Literary Web sites for kids are plentiful. Do a little online browsing to find some that offer helpful or fun information for kids the age of yours. Introduce your children to these troves of undiscovered treasure and watch as they “ooh” and “ah” over little-known facts or fun word puzzles.

Bringing the classics and your kids together may not be as difficult as you think. With a little forethought and ingenuity, you may soon find that your kids have developed a new taste for reading.

When your child gets home from school, it is important to discuss their day and find out what homework they have been given. This allows you and your child to create a plan for getting the homework done.

Some children would rather jump right in and complete their homework rather than have it on their mind all afternoon. Others need a mental break from the day before they can delve into more schoolwork. Either scenario is fine, as long as there is a mutually agreed upon plan.

It is also important to give your child a healthy snack or dinner before they begin their homework. Hunger can be a major distraction, and kids are usually looking for any excuse to put off doing their homework. Eliminate the chance of this distraction by providing a healthy snack, preferably with protein. Good snacks include a piece of bread with peanut butter, some turkey and carrots or a fruit smoothie. These snacks should keep their energy level up and keep them from feeling lethargic.

Next, decide on the best environment for your child to do their homework in. It could be at a desk in their room, at the kitchen table or in an office. Any area is fine as long as it is relatively free from distractions. Never allow your child to do homework with the television on. Many people prefer light background music, and studies have shown that it could be beneficial to thought, versus a room that is dead silent.

Before your child sits down to work, be sure that all the supplies they will need are readily available at the table. Also be sure that they have used the restroom and that they have a glass of water to drink. Avoiding these potential distractions will save your child time once they begin their homework, as well as preventing breaks in their concentration level.

The amount of assistance you provide your child with their homework, again depends on the child. If you are concerned, consult their teacher for guidance on how much help they should be getting. In general, you should be available to answer questions but not hanging over their shoulder doing the work for them.

It is especially important to not overly assist your child on school projects. Parents tend to put too much emphasis on the quality of their child’s cotton ball igloo or Popsicle stick replica of the White House. Oftentimes, parents end up making it their project and the child loses out on a valuable learning experience.

The most important things to remember when helping your child with their homework is to help them stay organized, provide a comfortable work environment and answer any questions they ask without being too involved.