Tips and Resources for Heading Back to School
Parents, teachers, and students, getting back to school after the fun of summer doesn’t have to be stressful! Although the transition from school to summer can be overwhelming, there are several ways to make it easier. Here are a few strategies, along with some resources from Dover Publications for parents, teachers, and students to use before school and during the year, that can aid everyone with the back-to-school process. Implementing a few of these strategies can make a huge difference between a stressful transition and a seamless one.
Tips for Students:
01 - Set Clear Goals and Expectations: The beginning of the school year can be overwhelming, with new expectations and requirements being given to you from the first day. It is important to sit down, take a step back, and write down clear, achievable goals for yourself. This can be any number of things you might want to accomplish, such as joining a new club, starting a new book, making a new friend, or getting a certain grade point average. Whatever the goals, make sure you write down what you want to accomplish and how you will be able to do it. Defining your objectives helps narrow down what is expected of you and will guide you in what to strive towards throughout the school year. During the year, you can revisit your goals and track your progress.
02 - Organize your Goals and School Year Expectations and Develop a Tracking System: Once you have a general idea of the goals you want to achieve throughout the year, the next step is to organize them and create an action plan. You can organize these goals to correspond with school year expectations or organize them based on a timeline you create for yourself. Either way, you need to have a timeline on when you expect to achieve them so you know how to track your progress. You can track your progress in any number of ways, from a calendar to a planner. Use whatever system you’re comfortable with. A popular favorite is a planner because you can reflect and plan out your goals all in one place!
03 - Prioritize Self-Care: Finally, it is important to remember to take care of yourself, especially in times of stress. It can be easy to get caught up in the pressure and expectations of the school year. Instead of falling into a pattern of only focusing on what must be done, find a way to incorporate your needs and wants as well. Self-care can be any number of things that allow you to reflect and rejuvenate, from coloring to recreational activities to going to the gym. Whatever enjoyment allows you to take a moment from the daily stress and routine of the school year is what will be best for you (follow what you like)!!
Tips for Parents:
01 - Begin to Establish a Routine: Jumping from a relaxing summer to an organized, activity-filled school year is a very harsh transition for parents and students. This is why it's important to find ways to implement fun academic activities throughout the school year so kids don’t even realize they’re still learning. Some of these activities may include puzzles, summer reading lists, informational coloring, or anything that stimulates that part of the child's brain. Along with this, begin to mirror a school year routine in the last few weeks of summer to create a more seamless transition into the school year for you and your kids. This can be done by waking up and going to bed at the same hours as the school year, preparing lunches that will be eaten at school, and implementing activities that kids might participate in after school.
02 - Organize Supplies and Materials: The material lists, school year expectations, and transition can be overwhelming for students and parents. If you can find out what is needed before the school year starts, begin to plan what you and your child will need to buy in advance. If you can’t find the supplies your child needs, start by making a list of what they already have and create a list of what they may need. Creating an itemized list like this can help you visualize the year and know what is expected of you without making you feel overwhelmed.
03 - Create a Positive Mindset and Prioritize Mental Health: Finally, you need to keep a positive mindset so you can support your kids and make them feel excited to learn! This is easier said than done. Implementing the aforementioned strategies will help take away the anxiety and stress of the new school year. Now, you need to find a way to stay stress-free throughout the year. A number of strategies can aid in this, such as physical activity, drawing, meditating, or reading. Find a strategy that works for you and take a moment of reflection and relaxation each day. As you find ways to destress, encourage the same moment of reflection for your children. As important as it is for you to be stress-free, it is just as important for them to be stress-free.
Tips for Teachers:
01 - Prepare Classroom Environment: As you plan for the school year over the summer, prepare a plan for the classroom to support your goals and expectations for your students. You can begin by organizing your curriculum, materials list, lesson plans, and general expectations. Once you have an idea of what you expect from your students and how you will support them as their teachers, you can begin to plan how you will create a classroom environment that supports their learning. This might look like making a safe space in the classroom, finding ways to allow your students to give feedback/ask questions, or implementing a class schedule that is easily accessible by students. Any of these tactics can aid in creating a positive, productive classroom environment that supports your goals and your students' learning.
02 - Set Clear Expectations: Once you have established your plan and expectations for the year, clearly set them with your students and their parents. This can look like sending out a syllabus and materials list early, having a syllabus day with your students, or creating a list of classroom expectations. Setting these expectations and communicating them to your students allows them to prepare for the year and set themselves up for success.
03 - Reflect and Adjust: Finally, as the year goes by, set up a system for reflection and adjust your plan accordingly. This can look like setting up an anonymous tip/questions box, an anonymous survey for students, or meeting with parents. Set up the system you believe will get the best, most honest feedback possible. Once you receive this feedback, take it with a grain of salt (especially if the input is less homework)!! There are certain suggestions you can take and adjust your plan from what you initially thought was best to what your students are asking for (within reason). This can help both you and your students have the most successful year possible!
Resources:
The new school year is around the corner, and implementing these tips can help ease your transition from summer to school and set you up for success! Along with these tips, Dover has a wealth of resources designed to help parents, teachers, and students with the back-to-school process. On our new back-to-school page, you can find several categories of books, such as activity books, history books, award-winning children’s books, and science books, all aimed at helping kids continue learning over the summer and establish a solid routine for the upcoming school year.
