New School Year Resolutions
The week before a new calendar year begins, you begin to wonder: “What can I do to improve myself and make next year better than this one.”
We don’t often do this before a new SCHOOL year begins, but we should. It’s a great opportunity to think about one or two things that you, as a parent, or your child can do to make this school year better than the last. For some reading this post, the need for such resolutions are painfully obvious. For others - not so much. Either way, you probably agree that there is room for improvement. So, with that, please allow me to make some three suggestions: Follow through, insist on better grades, and get organized.
Now in my tenth year as an elementary school teacher, and my nineteenth year as a father of good – and not-so-good – students, I believe I can offer some decent advice in this area. Some of you reading this post are at some point may say, “Duh, I already know that.” Even so, ask yourself, “Do you really follow through on what you already know?”
1. And that’s the first resolution you could make: Follow through. You know that helping your child with his homework results in better grades. You know that just the mere act of monitoring what’s going on his school and classroom means that things turn out better when the report cards come out. What you need to do is make the commitment: For at least ten minutes a day Sunday through Thursday you will review your child’s homework and graded papers, sign what needs to be signed, and discuss what’s going on in class.
a. Now some of you out there are saying, “I just can’t find the time.” Let me tell you about Mrs. S., a single parent of two students I’ve had in the recent past. She worked two jobs 16 hours a day to support her family (no husband). No joke. These two students of mine (hers) were among the hardest working, most responsible I’ve ever had. Mrs. S. made the commitment, probably because she wanted her family to have a better life than hers. Nonetheless, you can do it if she can. I don’t know any parent who works more. If you do, and you can make the commitment, I want to hear from you.
2. Another resolution you can make as a parent is to insist on better grades. I don’t just mean saying once, “You better get an A, B, etc…” You have to be insistent all of the time. Always question your child as to why they earned a lower-than-expected grade on an assignment, test, or project.
a. WARNING: You will encounter major resistance in this area, especially at first. Don’t back down. Children who are expected to do better generally do better. Children who are not expected to do better do not. Younger children, in particular, aim to please their parents. Although this may or may not hold true for older ones, they can still feel the pressure, and will want to do anything they can to get you off their backs. One helpful hint I can give you here is to never lose your temper when discussing their grades. Be firm, but don’t raise your voice or act stressed about it. If you do, you risk showing your child that you may eventually give up asking for better grades because it’s just too much for you to handle.
b. Of course, in the discussion of better grades, you must be reasonable. It is possible that your child has reached her potential with the grades she is getting. This is the point where you must step in to provide the extra help she needs to improve. My daughter recently hit a roadblock in eighth grade math. While emphasizing the importance of listening and paying attention in class, asking good questions of her teacher, and taking good notes, I also told her that she and I would review her math every school night – even if she didn’t have any homework. The grades improved and she is now on track.
3. The final resolution I’ll leave you with to consider is be more organized. Organization starts with you. Yes, you can demand it, but it won’t always make it happen. You have to get your hands dirty, too. That means, if need be, rummaging through the backpack sorting, replacing, trashing, signing, and straightening. Do this only in front of your child, who will find it tiring, repetitive, and, possibly, embarrassing. Doing it out of their presence defeats the purpose. If you don’t, you might find yourself organizing their briefcase when they are 32 years old.
a. And, yes, you may have to arrange with the teacher to come in once a week after school and dump out the desk. If there was a department that kept statistics on such things, I’d bet that over a hundred million pounds of grades are lost each year in the United States due to disorganization. Forgotten homework, schedules, notes, books…the sad list of the lost leads to needless grade point destruction. Make this year the one where you keep those grades that might have been swallowed by this scourge.
Follow through, insist on good grades, and get organized. Easier said than done, right? Of course! It’s the same with losing weight and quitting smoking at the beginning of the calendar year. There is no magic fix; just helpful hints. If you fall off the “wagon,” get back on as soon as you can and try again.
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