Tips to Getting your Kids to School on Time

Statefarm

All parents struggle to get back into their morning routines after the long summer holidays, but if every morning is a struggle for you, it may be time to take action and beat that bell. Don’t’ have chaotic mornings that see frenzied searches for missing items, nagging to get kids moving or siblings fighting for bathroom time. Here are a few tips to keep your mornings calm.

Learning Styles

Just as we need to change information to suit the child’s learning style if we want them to absorb information in class, we also have to adapt the way we communicate in the mornings. If your child is an auditory learner, asking them to get up, telling them to brush their teeth and wash their faces will be easy for them to comprehend.

Visual learners, however, may be left wondering what you just said or daydreaming about their day. For these students, making charts with all their morning tasks on it which they can tick off as they go through them may be just the ticket.

Every child is different so try a few strategies like games, rewards and incentives and songs to get them through their morning routines. Find the formula that works for your family and stick to it until it becomes a habit.

Planning is Everything

School days always start the night before, especially for students who have trouble getting ready. Decide on outfits and lay them out, pack school bags and consult diaries to ensure that there are no forgotten assignments or tests.

Review the day ahead and ensure that all books are packed. What afterschool activities are happening? Do you need musical instruments, sports uniforms and field trip permission slips?

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

The worst way to start your day is getting into a battle of wills with your child. It takes up time, it stresses everyone out and it makes for a really bad start to the day. While we are not always our best in the mornings, we must try to be respectful of each other.

When parents treat children with respect and ask them to do things nicely, it can diffuse some of the morning tension. If fighting is a big part of every morning, either between you and your kids or between siblings, it’s time to change the morning routine.

Start by asking them what they don’t like about mornings and really listen to their answers. You may be surprised about what sets them off. Knowing what makes them upset can help you to mitigate the irritation.

Talking about morning routines and ways to get things to flow smoothly will help your family to work together to make waking up and getting to school a happy and healthy process.
 

What to Do When you Don’t Like your Child’s New Teacher

Filip Pticek

Teachers are professionals who are often under-appreciated and overworked and they should be respected at every turn. But, we are all human and sooner or later you will meet a teacher that you can’t get along with. Perhaps your differences are simple incompatibility or perhaps you disagree on discipline or strategy; whatever your issue, be respectful and kind so your child continues to benefit from their expertise.

The first step is to try to look at the situation calmly and impartially. This may mean admitting that your little angel isn’t perfect, or that you dealt poorly with a situation, but remember that it’s your child’s academic future that you need to support, not your own interests.

Be respectful

Always be respectful when talking to teachers and about them. Negative comments about teachers which your child overhears can cause them to lose respect for that teacher. This will negatively affect their relationship with their teacher whom they still have to see on a daily basis.

Be Professional

Keep the channels of communication open. Ensure that your child’s teacher knows who you are and is able to reach you when they need to discuss issues or concerns. Always keep a professional tone and avoid dealing with issues when you are emotional or angry. Instead, wait until you can calmly and rationally discuss problems. Always talk to the teacher first before consulting a higher authority. Giving them the opportunity to resolve issues themselves will prevent resentment.

Be a Good Listener

When students aren’t performing as well as they should, it’s very easy for them to blame the teacher. If there has been an incident or your child is not getting the grades you would like them to get, give the teacher an opportunity to share their side of the story. They have insight to how your child behaves in class that you don’t. Children often behave very differently in a classroom situation when they are around their peers. Teachers have more experience in dealing with behavioral and academic issues and they have some valuable insights into your student’s behavior. Always endeavor to get the teacher’s side of the story and treat them with the trust and respect they deserve.

Dealing with Issues

Every parent wants their child to have the best possible academic opportunity and if you have exhausted every other option, you may need to move your child to another class. Dealing with difficulty is also a good life lesson. When dealing with teachers and issues, be an excellent example for your children and don’t be too quick to move them. Remember that they will have to deal with people they don’t get along with in other situations; perhaps there are bullies in their school or one day they will have a manager they don’t like. Learning how to deal with conflict and with people they don’t get along with is a great life lesson.