Another school year is arriving, brimming with the promise of freshly sharpened pencils and perfectly pink erasers.
It鈥檚 a welcome return to near-normalcy after the pandemic pummeled the once-predictable routines of bus rides and field trips, crowded cafeteria tables and all-school assemblies.
The first day of class is nerve-inducing for many students 鈥 and parents 鈥 even in normal times. Now, almost everyone could use some help getting their bearings.
Eleven St. 亚洲无码-area educators shared their advice for parents on how to make this year a happy, successful one for their children.
Read, read, read.
People are also reading…
Jen Hake of St. 亚洲无码 teaches third grade at Shaw elementary in St. 亚洲无码 Public Schools. She preaches to her parents and her pupils the importance of daily, get-lost-in-a-book reading.
鈥淚t鈥檚 the key to their academic success across the board,鈥 Hake said.
Third grade is a watershed for reading proficiency; it鈥檚 when the curriculum shifts from 鈥渓earning to read鈥 to 鈥渞eading to learn.鈥 Students who aren鈥檛 proficient by the end of third grade are significantly less likely to graduate high school than those who are, studies have shown.
No need to plunk your child down in front of a copy of 鈥淲ar and Peace,鈥 though. It doesn鈥檛 matter much what they read, as long as they鈥檙e reading. 鈥淓veryday reading鈥 鈥 billboards along the highway, cereal boxes at the kitchen table, signs at the zoo 鈥 counts, too.
鈥淟et them read whatever they鈥檙e into: graphic novels, magazines, comics,鈥 said Carrie Pace of Maplewood, who teaches at STEAM Academy Middle School in Ferguson-Florissant School District.
And check in with them once in a while. 鈥淲atching them do the work can be really telling,鈥 Pace said.
Tone down the technology
Lisa Engel of Webster Groves spent most of her career teaching children 鈥 and educators 鈥 how to use technology, back when 鈥渮ooming鈥 meant going fast. Screen time had been accelerating even before virtual learning took hold in March 2020, but the pandemic tethered youngsters to technology in an unprecedented way, said Engel.
鈥淚t can be a great thing,鈥 she said. 鈥淏ut it can be more negative than positive. You wouldn鈥檛 think a tech person would say that.鈥
Engel, who will be working for the Special School District this year, appreciates using apps like Kahoot! and Quizlet to punch up lesson reviews. But she is also grateful for the analog joys of recess, when kids invent games, whoop and holler, fight and make up.
鈥淜ids need authentic relationships,鈥 she said. 鈥淧arents should not bury their heads in the sand when it comes to technology.鈥
If your kids have a phone 鈥 Engel鈥檚 own children got them in seventh grade 鈥 go bare-bones at the beginning, she said. Enforce limits, and make sure they know Mom and Dad can go through their accounts whenever they want.
Explore extracurriculars
What should your kids do with that newfound free time once they鈥檝e unshackled themselves from phones and tablets? Join a club, play a sport or take up a musical instrument.
鈥淕et them involved in something at the school,鈥 said Scooter Hawthorne of Maryland Heights.
He moderates the at Givens Elementary in Webster Groves School District, where he teaches PE. His pint-sized crew spends months working toward a trifecta marathon: reading 26 books, performing 26 good deeds and running 26 miles.
Extracurricular activities let kids flex their nonacademic skills, make new friends and connect with teachers outside of class.
鈥淭he more activities, the better,鈥 said Nick Traxler, a science teacher at Oakville High School in the Mehlville School District. 鈥淚t shows you how to have disagreements and differences of opinion and still be able to work together.鈥
Traxler, who lives in Chesterfield, coaches the varsity boys basketball team 鈥 last year鈥檚 conference champs. His own children, who attend Marquette High in Rockwood, play field hockey and perform in the marching band.
Beware of over-committing, though, said Sharon Huffer of Ballwin, and embrace an organizing system. The second grade teacher at Green Trails in Parkway swears by family calendars. Prioritize the 鈥渕ust-do鈥檚鈥 and be willing to let some things go.
鈥淭his is a stressful time for parents, but also for kids, because it is a time of change,鈥 Huffer said.
Be involved. But not too involved.
Parents of older students sometimes disengage, said Briana Morales of St. 亚洲无码, who teaches juniors and seniors at East St. 亚洲无码鈥 alternative high school. But even 18-year-olds need support.
鈥淭ry to be as involved as possible until kids are at the finish line,鈥 said Morales, who lives in St. 亚洲无码. 鈥淭hey need structure and guidance.鈥
Encourage them. Listen to them. Advocate for them.
But first, let them advocate for themselves. Even the little ones.
鈥淚t鈥檚 part of letting go, part of the growing up process,鈥 said Rachel VanDernoot of Bridgeton. The former kindergarten teacher is beginning her first year as an assistant principal at Armstrong Elementary in Hazelwood.
For teenagers, keep an eye on their grades, 鈥渂ut maybe don鈥檛 check them all the time,鈥 she said. 鈥淪truggling is part of the process. Struggling is how they learn.鈥
Ashley Bengtson of St. Charles has been in the classroom for decades. She sees her fifth graders at Henderson Elementary in Francis Howell blossom when they are given the space for it.
鈥淒on鈥檛 do the work for them,鈥 said Bengtson. 鈥淐hildren will become stronger in the long run.鈥
Everyone should just give themselves a break
It鈥檚 been a tough 2陆聽years. School milestones were held from a distance or missed entirely. Masks were on, then off, then on again. Test scores dropped, and anxiety skyrocketed. And last school year ended with another horrific mass shooting, in a fourth grade classroom in Texas.
It鈥檚 enough to deter even the most passionate educators, and that鈥檚 left many districts in a staff-shortage pinch.
The teachers who are still there? They are in it because they love teaching and they love your children, said Britt Tate of St. 亚洲无码, an art teacher in SLPS.
鈥淭hings are not perfect, and kids are different than the way they were,鈥 said Tate, who splits her time between Columbia and Bryan Hill elementary schools. 鈥淧lease know that we are going to do everything we can to keep your babies safe.鈥
That means physically, emotionally, socially and academically, she said: 鈥淲e鈥檙e doing the best we can and just need a tiny bit of grace.鈥
Kids deserve grace, too, said Matthew Pace, a lawyer-turned-teacher at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School in SLPS.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really important to help kids find their balance,鈥 said Pace, who lives in Maplewood. 鈥淭hey put so much pressure on themselves; they need patience, compassion and forgiveness.
鈥淚t鈥檚 important to remember we鈥檙e all on the same team.鈥