10 Tips for a Successful Back-to-School Week

With school around the corner for so many of us and our kids, we mamas here at TETO thought we’d share some tips to help make those first school days a success for you and your families:

1) Get back to the daily grind: We all know that a free-spirited summer can interrupt those normal routines we established during the last school year. To prepare for those upcoming (and sometimes dreaded) early school mornings once again, spend the last two weeks of the summer getting back on track…starting with their bedtime routine. By having them go to bed a little earlier, they’re bound to wake up a little more optimistic and ready for that first back-to-school morning. This goes for parents, too. When mom and dad are well-rested in the morning and feel un-rushed, it makes for a more smoothly-run home. When everyone can wake up refreshed, they can follow their morning routine even better! Jen's I heart Organizing morning routine chart is an example of a great way to get your child's morning routine up and running.

Jen's I heart Organizing Morning Routine Chart

2)  Dress for Success. The first day of school can make parents and kids anxious for many reasons: maybe your child is attending a new school, they might be nervous about meeting new teachers, a new school route, tight schedules, homework, upcoming tests, etc.  To help out with some of those pre-school jitters, let your kids choose what they want to wear the night before. If you’re really ambitious, on Sunday night, let your kids choose what they want to wear for the whole week. And if you’re even just that more amazing, encourage your kids to set aside clothing items or accessories they might need for that after-school activities like ballet class, soccer practice or swim lesson throughout the week. When they know where to find their “stuff”, you don’t have to spend so much time in the morning searching for things around the house...which can lead to frustration for both parent and child.

Image Credit: Kangaroom Joey & Jane Organizer

3)  “Bomb”-tastic backpack- Have you ever noticed how mid-way through the school year your child’s backpack looks like an explosion of papers and mess? Maybe your child has thrown his/her backpack onto the floor when they get home? Start them off right by finding realistic ways to organize their backpacks.  Some families use mudrooms to organize their children’s school belongings after they come home. Others utilize family “command centers”  in their kitchens or family rooms to keep them better organized. Their child might even have their very own folder to place school documents and homework assignments for their parents to review. Either way, ask your child for their input on how you can help them be more organized this new school year. They might have a suggestion or two!

Image credit: Lund Family Back-to School ideas

4) Back-to-school dinner. Plan a special dinner for your kids the night before school starts. Whether you go out to eat or stay at home for a cozy dinner, ask them what they would like to eat and make it a fun event for the whole family. When your kids see how excited you are for the new school year, they might even get excited, too.

5) Goals are on the menu. During that first week back-to-school, have your kids make and write down goals or draw pictures of things they want to accomplish for the new school year. Laminate the goals and use them as dinner place mats. This will act as a daily (or weekly if you don't want it to get too casual) reminder for you and your kids to know what your family and their personal goals are for the new school year. It can be as simple as “keeping my backpack organized and tidy” to a more involved goal like “getting A’s in most of my classes”. Have them write down what necessary steps need to be taken to be successful and to meet their goals.

Image Credit: Be prepared not Scared: Goals Placemat

6) Menu Planning- Let the family be involved in the weekly menu planning. With younger kids, they can choose a couple of meals they would like to eat that week. If it becomes overwhelming or difficult, make a list of breakfast, lunch and dinner options and have the kids choose from the list the meals they would like to eat. By having the kids more involved with menu planning, it takes the guessing out of “what’s for dinner, Mom/Dad?” And, you might even make some fun family memories as you cook together. You can make or buy a menu board like the one below from Robby Gurls Creations.

Image credit: Robby Gurls Creations-Menu board

 7) Family Time- With hectic new school schedules and extra- curricular after school activities, make time to unwind with your family. Reserve one night out of the week to hold a family council and to discuss important upcoming activities and put them on the calendar, family goals, lessons learned for the week, positive experiences, etc. After discussing events and important matters, make it fun by playing a short and simple game with one another. By spending quality family time together, communication lines can stay open and it can potentially help keep each other in tune with what’s important.

8)   Brain Freeze – Have you heard that summer can turn a brain to mush? It’s easy to forget lessons learned, even for adults, and even more so after after a hiatus. Even if the summer is almost over, take some time to search free online resources that will help your kids review some of the curriculum from the previous year, or pick up a couple of school workbooks to refresh those minds. Also, try getting in contact with the school administrators and teachers to see what additional information you can find about your child’s grade’s curriculum and how you can better prepare your kids for the new school year.

9)  Clean the house and stock up on supplies- A week or two before school starts, take some time to clean the house and get rid of used clothing, shoes your children have outgrown, and other school supplies. Once you can start with a clean slate, you’ll know what clothing, school or house supplies your kids really need for those first days of school.

10) Appreciate teachers- The back to school time can be nerve-racking for your child’s teacher(s), as well. Reach out to his/her teachers with a kind, uplifting email or note letting them know you are here to help and to provide additional contact information. Most teachers appreciate and even welcome open-communication with their students’ parents. Teach your kids to warmly greet and shake their teachers’ hand on the first day. First impressions from the kids and their parents can make a hug difference on that first week of school!

Image Credit:  North American Montessori Center

Here's to a wonderful new school year!

Fear of Age Three

A year from now, my little guy will have the opportunity to start school. Yes. My LITTLE BABY! I am suddenly filled with anxiety just thinking about his care and livelihood being placed at the mercy of another person’s hands. He’s just Jesse. He needs me. I understand him. Ever since we were first aware of Jesse’s challenges as a baby, he was enrolled in a government funded program for babies with developmental delays and other setbacks called Early Steps.

Early Steps services children with early intervention therapies such as physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and early intervention (EI). In addition to these therapies, you may seek other therapies outside of Early Steps. Jesse receives the majority of his therapies through Independent Living. They’ve been amazing! Babies qualify for these services until the age of 3. At the age of 2 and 6 months, the process of transition starts. With your consent, your child referred to the Local Education Agency (LEA). Again, this is all optional! I’ll visit all of the local LEA preschool sites and other community education programs for babies with special needs. I’ll have the opportunity to observe, learn what a typical day would be like, and grill everything with a heart beat! Believe me! I’ll have a thousand questions for each and every person in these places!  Like “ Are you aware that I love my baby to death? Are you aware that I if you ever hurt him or cause him any pain in ANY way (emotional or physical), I KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE?! Really. To Death. ”

 

With that being said, here are some of my common fears:

1.        He doesn’t talk. No one will understand him.

Jesse doesn’t talk. He doesn’t use words. He knows a few signs that we’ve worked so hard to learn in the past 2 years. He signs “more,” “up,” and “all done.” If you count “peek-a-boo” as a sign, then he’s got that one mastered too. Apart from those, he’s got another extensive vocabulary of facial expressions and body language. Some are very unusual. Like when he’s pulling around on his belly, pauses and stiffens his little his left leg and it shakes a little, I know he’s excited about something. Perhaps he’s spotted a long lost toy under the couch, that only a little guy like him could spot from his world down below. I know when he’s on the verge of hunger. I know when he’s concerned or afraid. He keep his eyes fixed on my eyes, reading me, to see if I am also afraid or concerned. If I turn my head, concealing my face, he leans over and adjusts to see my expression. He relies on me to understand the world around him.

 

Solution: The most important thing to do, if this is the case your child, is to bring the necessary tools to make communication easier between him and the teacher. Your child’s teacher should be a trained professional, ready to start an individual plan for your child, but providing her with information about signs he may use or pictures that will facilitate his way of communicating, is always a great idea.I have implemented pictures into our communication. Before I feed him, I show him a picture of his food. I repeat the word “eat” as I prepare the food. I keep signing “eat” to him and encouraging him to do the same. I’ve been doing this since he first started to eat solids. He hasn’t signed it yet, but he understands SO MUCH MORE, than he can reciprocate and communicate back to you. When he’s ready for school, I’m hoping that he will have mastered his picture book and some more signs. I need to accept that his teacher will be a trained professional. I just need to provide him or her with the tools necessary to make communication easier. She will follow the individualized plan set for him daily. I intend to create a positive relationship with his teacher. I’ll ask her when is the best time and way to contact her and discuss his progress. I’ll volunteer as often as possible and become an involved mommy. In the process, I hope this will help me to alleviate some of my fears and anxiety.

 

2.        If he has a tantrum, no one will understand how to calm him down. They will lose their patience and treat him badly.

I feel irreplaceable in my Jesse’s life as I’m sure most of you do as well. Although Jesse is generally a crazy happy baby, he will occasionally be in these unexplainable moods. I have to go through a mental list of “what could be wrong with him.”

 

Solution: I will talk with the teacher about some special signs of distress that Jesse exhibits occasionally. I can help her to understand how to react and what expressions to try to avoid when he’s feeling vulnerable. I can show her toys that calm him down. I can show her how to make him feel comfortable. He likes to be held certain ways that make him feel safe and loved. I will communicate all of these things to the teacher. I might even make a “easy reference” document.

 

3.       He coughs and chokes on his food almost daily. I fear neglect.

 

I am afraid that people will under/overreact to his struggles with feeding. He doesn’t always chew his food before swallowing it. He doesn’t know how to control food properly in his mouth. He needs thickened liquids. If it’s too thick, he struggles, if it’s too thin he aspirates, which could later lead to lung infections. While eating, if he starts to gag, he can often work through it. I wait a few seconds, think about what he’s eating, see if he can figure it out, and decide whether to swipe it out or give him more time to try to chew it. I’m faced with this decision several times a day. If I ever have company over, I can see the fear come over them as they notice Jesse struggling. I often have to assure them that he’s okay. I just have to be very cautious and know when to intervene.

Solution: Communicate these concerns in detail with his teacher and other therapists present. Help them to understand that it can be very scary for him to have someone force their hand into his mouth. He often will be very emotional and hurt for up to half an hour of the experience. I just need to communicate all of the steps they can take and avoid to make his feeding experience better.

 

4.       He can’t communicate well enough to express if he’s being bullied or abused at school.

I am afraid that because of his inability to respond well to instruction, someone will lose it and hurt him.  I know that these are trained professionals, but you hear bad stories.

Solution:  Advice I’ve found helpful Pictures are very useful to address this issue. Talk to the teacher about your concerns. Request a written calendar of activities so you know what he’s supposed to be doing each day, and how to ask him simple questions about his day that he may respond to with a simple yes or no. For example, did you eat pizza today? Was it good? Pay special attention to his behavior and, if it comes up, never force your child to attend school without understanding why he doesn’t want to go.Pictures are very useful to address this issue. Talk to the teacher about your concerns. Request a written calendar of activities so you know what he’s supposed to be doing each day, and how to ask him simple questions about his day that he may respond to with a simple yes or no. For example, did you eat pizza today? Was it good? Pay special attention to his behavior and, if it comes up, never force your child to attend school without understanding why he doesn’t want to go.

Pictures are very useful to address this issue. Talk to the teacher about your concerns. Request a written calendar of activities so you know what he’s supposed to be doing each day, and how to ask him simple questions about his day that he may respond to with a simple yes or no. For example, did you eat pizza today? Was it good? Pay special attention to his behavior and, if it comes up, never force your child to attend school without understanding why he doesn’t want to go.1. Communicate my concerns with teacher.

22. Request a calendar of his daily activities so that I can know what he’s supposed to be doing throughout the day. I can then ask him simple questions about his activities that he can respond yes or no to. (We’re far away from being able to do this, but it’s my goal.)

3. Example: “Did you eat bananas today? Bananas? Good?”

3. 3. I will pay close attention to how he reacts. I will observe his expression when I ask about school and playtime. If I ever feel that he for some serious reason is afraid to keep attending school or seems unusually anxious, I will investigate myself. Great advise I found online was to “never force your child to go to school without first understanding why he or she doesn’t want to go.”

GreatGG

3. 5. Bus? He’s too young! It’s not safe!

At some point, I will have the option of allowing him to ride the school bus. I fear that it’s not safe for him. He’s too young for a school bus.

Solution: Special needs school buses are updated and made especially for children with an inability to sit up straight or control their bodies. Depending on Jesse’s height, weight, and physical and mental challenges, he will be seated in a booster seat or car seat or seated regularly using a seatbelt.  Drivers are taught to give each child the time he or she needs to get into the bus. I would imagine that they’d need to be very patient! So I will have my eye on the bus driver!  

5.       He needs to take his medications daily.

I am afraid someone will neglect to give him his medications.

Solution: If this fear continues to linger, I will make a list of medications and ask the nurse to initial each daily medication as it is administered. She may also use a calendar as a visual reminder of his medications. It will help me to feel more at ease and have a less stressful and worrisome day.

 

Overall, I just need to be open with his teacher. I need to communicate all of my concerns. I am happy to know that I have options, like what location to choose and what teachers and professionals I feel more comfortable with. It’s reassuring to know that I can let him attend his school for a little time or as much time as I feel happy with! I can take him for an hour or let him stay all day! I am pleased to know that he will interact with other kids and learn from his experiences. He will learn to deal with people. He will receive all of his normal therapies throughout the day. He will grow and I will too. That is what life is about. Growing… and knowing where his teacher lives.

The "Brian", the Snitch, and the War zone

There was something always magically delicious about a new school year for me. Every September always gave me a sense of self-renewal. I felt like giddy little Lucy Pevensie, discovering the land of Narnia once again. And like in Narnia, there were always so many different types of interesting creatures in the land of high school.  

Each new school year I would optimistically march onward with my sharpened pencils, new backpack, unblemished notebooks, pristine planner, ink-filled pens and crisp, new jeans, excited to begin a fresh, unmarred school year.

It was a beautiful September day when we returned to Narnia high school for the first week of school. Birds were still chirping their summer songs and we were being teased with sporadic days of crisper, cooler, apple-picking weather. I was 15. You know the age. You’ve probably even been there before. It was the beginning of my sophomore year of high school. The year that really mattered. And for me, this year would be marked as one I would never forget.

You see, where I grew up, sophomore year marked the beginning of the end. We would take some of our hardest classes this year in preparation for college applications and the multiple standardized tests. I was very focused on my academics, demure one would even say, as I sat in my history class pondering the upcoming events that would lead to my escape from this beloved, yet wretched high school war-zone. But then…I saw him.

Have you ever seen the Sound of Music when Maria sings at the top of the hill? This was my Maria “the-hills-are-alive-with-the-sound-of-music moment”. The moment I saw Brian. (Name has been changed to protect the innocent). My first history class crush. He sat across from me and I would intently watch as he would toss his 90’s bowl hair cut in slow motion. He played soccer. He was smart. He had a high GPA. He was cool. I mean uber-cool. Of course, he didn’t notice me. Nor did he care when I tossed my 90’s big hair right back at him (imagine Sandra Bullock's hair, like from The Net hair).

I tried to be a ninja and sit close to him. But the teacher made a seating chart. Darn! I casually raised my hand to be in the same group as him for the first history group project of the year, but in the last minute, he was assigned a different group. Yeesh.

In my attempt to vent my frustrations, I carefully tore a piece of paper out of my notebook and started to write a note to my friend to tell her about my new found crush. With hearts around his name, I quickly signed my name (with another heart, of course) and put it back into my notebook. The bell rang. I shut my notebook, shoved it into my backpack, and left for lunch.

But this was not the end of the tale.

As I plopped myself down to eat my lunch with my friends. I noticed a group of boys looking my way and laughing.

“Oh my…is that Brian?” I asked my friend.

“Yeah, he’s staring at you! Why is he staring at you?” my friend asked.

I looked down at my clothes. No mustard stains. Check.

I pulled out my mirror to look at my face. No weird lipstick stains on face or food in my teeth. Double check.

Why is he looking at me like that? Why are they ALL looking at me?

I was beginning to feel my face get flushed with embarrassment. Then, I saw the Snitch, another boy from my history class who sat close to me. He was holding a crumpled piece of paper in his sneaky little hands. I had a feeling this wasn’t going to be pretty.

“Hey, you dropped this note. But don’t worry I gave it to “Brian” for you,” he said.

A gurgling sound started to form in the back of my throat and with a ROAR as loud as Aslan the lion’s, I growled:

“You did what?!”

The snitch looked smugly at me, laughed and turned around. I wanted to turn him into stone. If I was a dragon I would breathe fire.

At this time I think one of my friends reminded me to breathe. How could this happen? All I wanted to do was scream…and then cry. As composed as possible, I looked around at the high school war zone and felt a sense annoyance I had never felt before. I looked at the school’s Welcome back to school sign. Another lovely start to the school year, I thought.

As I think back to those memories, I have to laugh. Memories like those make up the story of a life well-lived and full of character-building experiences. Someday I’m sure my girls will have similar (although, hopefully not too similar) experiences. And hopefully they will have the wisdom to laugh at themselves and know that with every brand new beginning to each school year they are in control of how their story unravels. I hope I can teach them that as they look back at the denouement of their new school year experiences, they can enjoy the rising and the falling parts of every year and learn from them. 

The First Days

I don't mean to brag, but my daughter is a pro at first days of school. She's Six, and just had her 5th first day of school. Ha ha. Preschool, Kindergarten in TX, Kindergarten in UT, Kindergarten in AK and now first grade. My daughter has officially been to as many schools as I went to K-12. Ha ha.

Anyway, every year she's excited and a bit nervous. We go over outfits trying to find the perfect one, pack her bag, decide what to put in her lunch and have countless conversations like this one: "Don't forget to say please and Thank you, Listen to your teacher, be nice to the kids, Mommy loves you, I will see you after school, what's your bus number? Don't forget that number! Tell me one more time, which bus do you get on?" Her reply is always "I know mom, you told me a million times already!" I can't help but have a minor panic attack while she confidently walks straight to her desk and informs me "I will ride the bus tomorrow, you don't have to drive me. You didn't have to drive me today." Sigh. You'd think she was a teenager, but nope, at six s she's hardly nervous and makes friends almost instantly. Every year we take first day of school photos, I looked at them the other day and was shocked how much she has changed already.

From Preschool with her too big backpack and little uniform tightly clutching my hand asking me to sit with her for a little while, to a girl that wants to ride the bus because it's more fun than having mom take you. I'm excited to see what the future brings. It's hard to give her more freedom, learn to let her do things without me but as I see her confidence grow and watch her make good decisions for herself I can't help but be proud of the person she is becoming.

 

She likes school enough that she even wants to be a teacher when she grows up. I hope she continues to love it.

Please don't forget to raise your hand.

"Are we going to get to dissect frogs?! My sister says we're dissecting frogs."

"No, we will not be dissecting frogs. "

*Sounds of disappointment*

"What's THAT?" 

"That's the emergency shower."

"...why would we need a shower in the middle of class?"
"In case we spill chemicals on us."

"Exactly. If we were to do an experiment with some dangerous chemicals and some were spilled on you- you could use the shower to wash them off."

"...or if you caught fire!"

"Well- if you caught fire you should probably stop, drop, and roll- not run to the shower."

"If someone pulled the shower, there would be water all over your floor."

"Yes- if the shower were pulled in an emergency, there would be water on the floor, but there's a drain on the floor so it would be alright."

*Everyone frantically twists and turns around in their seats to try and see the drain on the floor.*

"What would happen if someone pulled the shower on when there wasn't an emergency."

"If you turn the shower on and it isn't an emergency- you will get an automatic referral. So don't do it."

*Some students nod...other look like they are thinking really hard.*

"But what if you tripped and accidentally turned on the shower?"

"You'd still get a referral.  So you better just be safe and stay away from the shower.  We aren't going to be working with dangerous chemicals so you shouldn't need to be anywhere near the shower."

"What about the eye-wash?"

"The eye-wash is also just for emergencies, to rinse out your eyes if you had something in them."
"Is it just water or does something special come out?"
"Just water."

"Regular tap water?"

"Regular city tap water."
"It comes out really fast and it stings doesn't it."
"Uhhhh...it comes out fast enough to rinse out whatever is in your eyes."

*Some students cringe and rub their eyes like they are imagining jets of "special" water shooting at them.*

"...so why doesn't the shower have glass around it?"

"The shower is JUST FOR EMERGENCIES.  No one will be using the shower."

"What are those things on the tables?"

"Those are the gas and air valves in case we were hooking up Bunsen burners or something."

"Is gas flammable?"

"Yes."

*The entire class goes wide-eyed and start turning and whispering to each other*

"But they aren't hooked-up right now so even if you twist the knob, nothing would happen- no gas would come out."

*They all look disappointed and stop whispering.*

 -----------------------------------------------

Middle school Science class is a big deal.  We're in a fancy Science Lab, and as I handed my wide-eyed 6th graders their first-ever syllabus, I felt a surge of pride to be able to be a part of this experience for them.

This is my third year teaching middle school science- but my first year teaching exclusively 6th grade.  With a degree in elementary education, and some time in 7th and 8th grade under my belt, I feel like I've really come "home" with this group.  I keep reminding myself that it's only been one day.  And this is definitely going to be part of the "honeymoon" period... but like every year I have high hopes.

I have always loved school.  Maybe that’s why I became a teacher.

I’m one of those people.  The ones that get a surge of giddy-excitement when the school-supplies go on sale.  I have stacks of empty journals I can’t bring myself to write in.  They’re so new.  So clean.  I don’t want to mess them up.

There’s something really appealing about a fresh start.  And as a school teacher, I get one every August.  I could write volumes on my school experiences both as a student and as a teacher…and in a few years when my kids start school- I’ll be able to add “parent” to that list as well.

But for now- it’s the first week of school- and tomorrow will only be day two.  There will be a fresh batch of questions to answer- and my tired brain needs to get some sleep.  Even with a newborn I’m not quite used to getting up at 5 am.  There’s just something unnatural to me about being awake before the sun.  But I’ll do it- because I want to be there early.  I want to be ready for their questions.  Because I’m a teacher.  And that’s what we do.

Now get some sleep… it’s a school night after all!

Excuse Me Teacher, Can I Get a Pass?

I am lazy, let's just get that out of the way right now.

Whew. I feel better. Now that you know that one little fact, everything I'm about to say will make sense.

It's almost that time...time to go back to school. Most parents feel at least a little excited about this. Not me. I'm not excited. And as awful as this sounds, it's not because I am just so depressed to be away from my kids all day. I'm actually sort of thankful that they will have something productive to do. Due to the fact that I'm lazy, we don't do much around here during the summer. Ya know those really cool moms who takes their kids to the pool and the park and the beach and the movies? I love those moms. I love to wave at them from my window while I sit on my couch with a big bowl of ice cream.

But I digress.

Missing my kids is not why I dread "back to school" time. The real reason? I'm lazy.

Back to school means an end to my laziness. Okay, it actually just means that my laziness has to be hidden under the blanket of back to school nights, soccer practices, art shows, school plays and class parties. I have to, ya know, put on legit clothes...including a bra. I have to shower and brush my teeth and...well, okay, the shower doesn't always happen. Two words people, dry shampoo.

Back to school means I have to be at least a little organized. Did you know that at school, they don't just throw the kids a box of Eggos at lunchtime and say "good luck"? Overachieving weirdos. Because of this, I have to pack lunches. Fun fact, Eggo waffles don't taste so great when they've been in a lunchbox for four hours...I've heard.

But my laziness has bigger problems than packing lunches and putting on pants. And that bigger problem has a name. Homework. I despised doing homework when I was in school. Having kids in school is like a second installment in a horror movie: Revenge of the Homework. This time, it's out for blood. It's like a nightmare where I'm being chased by a psychopath wielding a sheet of long division.  On a positive note, I can save myself the trouble of applying to go on "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader", I already know the answer.

So, for me, back to school means schedules, organization, pants and homework. Thank goodness ice cream is sold year round.

Is it summer yet?