Starting the School Year Off Right

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Welcome to Fall, where everything is pumpkin flavored and bedtimes are enforced again! School is starting, and students are excited about being able to see their friends every day. And while school may seem like a grand social experiment, where the lunch room is straight out of Lord of the Flies, learning does take place. And that learning entails work, and lots of it. So here are five tips to keep your student organized and that pile of work manageable.

1. Set aside a specific time and place for homework every night. Routine and good habits will help prevent arguments as the year drags on.

2. Keep a planner. Most schools provide planners and they are important to students’ success. Check a student’s planner every night, and make sure they have something written down (even if there is no homework have them write ‘no homework’).

a. If a student struggles with organization, communicate with the teacher and ask if they’d be willing to initial your student’s planner at the end of the day, that way everyone stays on the same page.

b. If your student struggles with memory, have them write down the class activities, then have them describe them to you at the end of every school day.

3. Create a homework folder. Whether your student is five or fifteen, the folder and planner system is infallible. The folder system is simple, all homework that needs to be. completed goes in the left pocket, and all homework that is already completed goes in the right pocket. At the end of every school day, you student has a visual reminder of what needs to be done, and they know if they turned everything in. This is also a system that can be paired with a teacher.

4. Communicate, communicate, communicate. Allow your student to advocate for their needs. Have them walk you through the teacher’s website (if available). If they have a question you can’t answer, let them email the teacher. Your student will feel good about taking responsibility for their work, and they can ask the questions they need answered, instead of the questions you need answered.

5. Ask for help. Again, let your student do the talking. But remember, if the work is too hard, there are options, whether from the teacher, counselor, or an academic coach /tutor. Every student can be successful, they just might need to take a different approach. Good luck with the new year!!!

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