Are You Raising One of the Next Generation of Hoodlums: Starting the New School Year off Right

Parents and students should start the first day of the new school year the way they intend to operate for the rest of the year. Parents should get their children to school on time, whether they take them to school or assure that each child is at the bus stop whe the bus arrives. Parents should also talk to their children about the importance of being on time. Preparing the night before can go a long way. Laying out the clothes the night before, making sure everything is in the backpack, even making sure the backpack is in the same place so that your child has everything he needs to be successful. Doing this will help to eliminate the need for the time it will take to do it in the mornings when your child is getting ready for school.

The National Association of School Psychologists recommends establishing or reestablishing meal routines, namely breakfast, and bedtime routines prior to the first week of school. Parents are also encouraged to talk to their children about heading back to school and the benefit of following school rules. Your child is much more apt to follow school rules when he knows that this is his parental expectation.

Getting off to a positive start on the first day of school can make all the difference for a student, whether age 5 or 17. Anxiety and fear creep into the experience, especially for students entering school for the first time or those transitioning into middle or high school. Educators say it is unnecessary stress, so don’t really stress about. It’s all new and it’s exciting.

There’s nothing that will happen that can’t be worked through. As a retired educator, parents, I contend you should never send your child to school on a negative note. Your child will spend the rest of the day worrying, not paying attention, staring out windows, feeling sick or asking to go home. It definitely has a negative impact on the academic time spent in the classroom.

After a summer spent eating ice cream, hot dogs, hamburgers and fried treats on the boardwalk, September is the time to encourage your child to start the school year with healthy eating habits that will carry them through the academic calendar and beyond. It is a good idea to sit down with your kids and create a “menu” of breakfast and lunch items that they will eat so you don’t waste time and money stocking the pantry with foods that will never be consumed. Encourage your children to think about food guidelines and help them make healthy choices, such as cereals that provide more whole grains and fiber to keep them full longer. Discuss what they want to eat for breakfast and lunch and see how this matches up with current nutritional guidelines.

It is a good idea for parents to remind their younger children that someone will be there when they get home, even if that someone is a babysitter. It’s mentally and emotionally draining for children who are concerned about whether or not there will be a caretaker in the home when they get home from school. So be sure to discuss this with your younger children and assure them that they do not need to be concerned
about this as they negotiate their day at school.

Special note: Readers are invited to tune in to Dr. Teal’s internet radio talk show. The link is www.kebnradio.com. 10 a.m. Saturday mornings, CST. You’re also invited to visit: www.untealthen.com