School’s In Session: Three Things That Just Might Make Your Life Easier
The pitter patter of little and…well…not so little feet, the rush, rush of appointments, sports events, private lessons, and the maddening results of disorganization – “Mom! Have you seen my socks? Uniforms? Skinny jeans?” School is in session, family holidays are right around the corner, and speaking of disorganization, let’s talk about three things you can do right now that just might make everybody’s life a little easier (especially yours).
- Specifically related to school, attend Parent/Teacher Association (PTA) meetings and conferences. Take an active role in your child’s education.
Everyone is extremely busy these days. In fact, seems as if we’re busier now than we’ve ever been (could it have something to do with cell phones? Technology in general?), but despite our “busy-ness,” studies show that the number one difference between high-achieving and low-achieving students in grades K-12 is the level of parent involvement.
This doesn’t mean you have to quit your job and hang around the school, but it does mean it’s important to take an active role in your child’s education by attending meetings and award ceremonies whenever possible, discussing your expectations with your child, encouraging him/her with your presence, and engaging help whenever it’s needed. Our children learn by what we do, not what we say. It’s a sacrifice of time and effort, but well worth it.
- Consistently follow-through with clear consequences for actions
Let’s face it; we all learn by the consequences of our actions. Discuss and set boundaries, clearly state (and write) expectations, and collaborate on rewards. This applies to more than school, of course. Inconsistent environments breed neurosis, so keep it steady and stick to your guns.
- Organization, Please
Organization takes a bit more time on the front end, but saves an infinite number of hours once things are in place. Everything should have a home. Stores like Ikea and California Closets specialize in organization. Doesn’t mean you have to spend a lot of money, but they’re great places to visit in person or online for ideas.
Organization not only applies to things and space, but to time and priorities as well. One of the first workshops I facilitated with incoming college students was study skills. A big part of that class pertained to organization using calendars and cell phone apps. It’s amazing how much time people lose simply because they’re not organized.
Google has all kinds of free calendars to help with time management, Jibidee is an online calendar site, and smart phones have fantastic calendar features as well as alarm clocks.
A few years ago, I had a 12 year old voice student with one of the most beautiful voices I’d ever heard, but her priorities were way out of whack. For a child, that’s quite normal, but her parents didn’t have the heart to set boundaries. She’d cancel her lessons to ride her bike with her friends, play games with her cousins, etc., yet she and her parents said she really enjoyed her voice lessons (when she was there), and she really wanted to be a professional singer.
It’s called “living in the moment,” and that’s what children do best, but part of growing up is learning to set priorities. Unfortunately, I eventually had to tell her parents I could no longer teach her. Her problem was poor or nonexistent prioritization skills. That’s where her parents should have taken the reins. Poor prioritization can cause your child to miss a multitude of opportunities, even scholarship opportunities.
One final note on organization – establish a homework routine including a specific time and place to do homework. An organized work area like the picture above or any space that offers a place for everything your child needs to work efficiently with minimal interruptions. Stores like Wal-Mart, Target, and of course, Ikea (link above) offer great inexpensive solutions.
Next time we’ll talk about more homework solutions.
Feel free to comment and suggest. I love to hear from you J
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