Back to School!

In both of our classrooms, there is a fresh new smell. Pencils are sharpened, shelves are cleaned and the classrooms are slowly preparing for some new faces and some familiar ones!

Along with the preparation in the school, I’m sure there are some butterflies in bellies and some anxious thoughts of “I wonder what it is going to be like?”. And I haven’t even started thinking about what the children must be feeling 😊.

As I prepare to send my own child into a new school, I started thinking about some ways in which we can prepare ourselves and our children, to navigate a new environment. So what can we do to prepare ourselves for a new school year, filled with some uncertainty?

The first step would be to breathe! Our school is filled with adults very capable of guiding your child through everything that they will do in the first few weeks of school. The “trickiest” part of the day to navigate is drop-off, at least in the beginning. As a parent, having a plan in place for how you are going to handle drop-off, and involving your child in coming up with that plan is crucial. Some parents have a secret handshake or a hug. Some parents have a sequence of steps. Ok, 2 hugs and a big kiss and then I have to go! Having that signal and going over it a few times with your child helps them understand what the drop-off will look like.

Will this eliminate all tears? Maybe not. Most likely not on the first or second day of school. However, a quick goodbye is ALWAYS better than a longer one. I know that it is very hard to leave your child crying, in the arms of a teacher. But I can guarantee that in a few minutes, they will be calm, sitting with an adult, maybe looking at a book. I call it the “ripping off the Band-Aid method” – SO much better than slowly picking at it.

For the first few weeks of school, I make it a point to quickly peek into the classrooms, maybe about 15 minutes after everyone has come in. I’m happy to drop a quick email to those families who may have seen a rough drop-off.

The next comes the morning! What’s going to happen when your child goes into the classroom? Well, this year, to help with the transition, each new child will get a short story book. It outlines the morning routine and shows the faces they will see and the spaces they will be in. Reading this book to your child a couple times before the first day of school will help them understand what their day will look like. My favorite line from a child last year is “Is it time for lunch?” They usually asked this at around 8:30 am. But the parents had told them that pick-up happens after lunch. So, as soon as lunch happens, it’s time to go home!

After drop-off, when do we see the most tears or frustration during the mornings? It’s when they are trying to navigate their own belongings – going to the bathroom, taking off/putting on shoes, opening their lunchbox. We absolutely do not expect them to do all of these on their own in the beginning. The teachers are more than happy to show them and work with them to help them gain that independence. However, they may have to wait and they may struggle while they wait.

What can you do to help? Practice! Have lunch with them using their new lunch box. Take an extra 10 minutes to make sure they can pull down their pants and go to the bathroom on their own. Plan for simplicity during the first few weeks of school – maybe no overalls or fancy new shoes?

I have to reiterate that we will be there to help them as much as they need. However, one of the most beautiful moments to witness is when they are able to do those things on their own! And parents and us, teachers, can work together to help them get there.

I hope this helps, calming everyone, knowing the schedule, and preparing ourselves for a fantastic first day of school!