I don’t know about you but I can hardly believe that the summer is almost over. If it isn’t depressing enough realizing that shortly the warm weather will be gone and the long days will disappear – avid parents like me will soon be sending our children back to school.
I realize that for some, seeing our kids return to school is a welcomed sight but not so much with me. I may be in the minority but having my son around 24/7 has always been a joy that just so happens to include the unfortunate yet understandable and mandatory interruption of returning to school.
Back To School
As we prepare to send our children back to school, we will be making back to school lists. I’m fairly certain that we are all familiar with the traditional back to school lists which includes items like pens, pencils, glue sticks, three-ring binders, loose leaf paper, erasers and book bags.
Let me not forget that parents like me will also need to add tissue to that list. “I’m going to miss my son” but I digress!
Yet, there is another back to school list that wise parents compose. I call it simply “The Wise Parent’s Back To School List”. The list is composed of things wise parents do so that they can give their children the best opportunity to be successful.
Any and Every Parent Can And Should Do This
Let’s face it, our children have enough challenges when it comes to education. Wise parents begin the school year – not ignoring those challenges – but by acknowledging and preparing for the challenges head on and ahead of time. In so doing, we compose a list and prepare a strategy which does not make us concede academic defeat ever and certainly not before the first day of class.
“The Wise Parent’s Back To School List” gives our children the opportunity to meet their potential and fulfill their academic promise despite the pending educational adversities. Without equivocation, “The Wise Parent’s Back To School List” can and should be prepared by every parent.
The Wise Parent’s Back To School List
1. Review – Before your child returns to school, make sure that they review last year’s material. For the most part, our educational system is built on a foundation where a mastery of the previous year’s subject matter is a prerequisite for the new year’s material. Consequently, failing to master the previous year’s material before attempting to learn the new material is a recipe for disaster.
Educational failure is a calamity heaped upon far too many of our children. Don’t follow the common catastrophic formula this year. While your child still has time to review, take advantage of the FREE resources at your disposal. Check out websites like RHL School, Khan Academy, and ck-12. These websites and similar other websites will give you a chance to help your child evade misfortune and increase their probability of succeeding.
Why would you let your child be served the recipe of disaster, when you have the power to take it upon yourself to create your own successful menu? Start reviewing now. You and your child will not only be glad that you reviewed but you will find this school year more satisfying and fulfilling.
2. Preview – If after reviewing last year’s material, you pleasantly discover that your child mastered and retained all of last year’s material, consider previewing the coming year’s material. There are few things that prepare a child for academic success more than feeling confident about the material being taught. I believe it goes without saying that we all perform best when we understand in advance what is being asked and what is expected of us.
RHL School, Khan Academy, and ck-12 are excellent resources that not only assist children with reviewing educational concepts but websites like the aforementioned are excellent in helping to preview upcoming material. A prepared child is a confident child and a confident child generally succeeds.
Prepared and confident children are generally the products of wise parents. Give your child a chance to succeed. Give your child a chance to begin the process for a better life. Be a wise parent and preview the upcoming school material today.
3. Plan – Most of us know the proverb “He who fails to plan, plans to fail” is true. There is also a lesser known expression that is equally true that many parents do not know.
“Parents who fail to plan, raise children who are likely to fail.”
This school year give your children a chance to rise above the typical community academic standards and an opportunity to achieve above and beyond societal expectations. Start the school year by making sure your children have a plan to succeed by introducing them to tools like myHomework.
myHomework is an app where students can manage their school life. It replaces the traditional paper planners. Using myHomework can improve a child’s organization thus providing an opportunity to become a better student. Moreover, myHomework can be shared with parents and teachers so that all those vested in a child’s success are on the same page. Check with your school district to see if myHomework is utilized in your child’s school.
4. Schedule – People always make time to do the things they really want to do but people don’t always make time to do the things they really need to do. So if you really want your child to succeed, you will really have to make time for them which includes making their educational success a top priority.
Wise parents know that the value of scheduling is immeasurable. This school year instead of saying you didn’t know what was going on, blaming the teacher, finding fault with the principal or being routinely frustrated with your child’s inability to keep you informed – stay on top of things yourself by using Wunderlist. Wunderlist will help you make time for those things that truly require your time and attention – your children.
Specifically, Wunderlist allows you to do things like create to do lists, set reminders, schedule due dates and keep notes. Now parents have a FREE mobile tool that can keep them apprised of all the important things: homework, tests, parent teacher conferences, extracurricular activities, and other school events.
What’s even better is the functionality of Wunderlist. It can be shared with the other parent, grandparents, uncle, aunts, cousins and any and all who make up your child’s village. Wunderlist can help facilitate the type of village that allows us to raise children we can be proud of – academically prepared and educationally successful.
Save Your Money
You can ignore my suggestions if you dare and do what is commonly done: spend your money on the trendy backpack, latest shoes, and most fashionable clothing line. However, deep down inside, I know that we all know that none of those items will help your child succeed. If you are really serious about giving your child a genuine chance to succeed; please don’t do what you have always done. Do what wise parents do!
This year breakaway from tradition, be bold and be exceptional. Follow the “The Wise Parent’s Back To School List”. The four things listed above are just the tip of the iceberg. If you want to know some of the other things you can do to make the coming school year the best year ever and make you one of the wisest parents in the school, leave a comment below.
In the meantime, best of luck to you and your child this school year.