How to Make School Better in January or Any Time

Tips on New Year's Resolutions for Parents with Children in School

Nov 29, 2008

As people think of New Year's Resolutions, perhaps re-thinking is in order. Resolutions are like sounds unheard in a forest unless they are backed up by a realistic plan.

Resolve now to help enliven your school-aged children back up from the mid-year slump by introducing variety into their study life, seeing the glass half- full instead of half- empty, celebrating learning of the past year while expressing faith in your child's future, setting realistic goals for the coming year, and making efforts toward re-inspiring your child and yourself.

Consider re-entry in January to be similar to starting school in the fall, and do appropriate preparations of the mind and the environment.

Introduce Variety into your Child's Study Life

Variety helps bring to life the numb centers of your child's brain. Help your student re-organize the study area. Buy or make a new pencil holder, waste basket, personalized erasable pen or pencil, etc. It doesn't have to be expensive – it's the time and attention that count. This "spice of life" holds more importance than you might imagine.

See the Glass Half-Full As Child Returns to School

Framing your child's studies with a positive slant sets the example for your child to do the same. Grab every opportunity to point out what your child has already accomplished. If you focus clearly on the rosy side, it is easier to use that positive approach to steer the future by. View starting the new semester as a new beginning rather than back to the grind.

It is not necessary to avoid reality in order to accomplish this. In fact, people who stand on the firm ground of confidence and positivism have a far better chance of improving in their weak areas. Also, the confidence brought about by such a view makes it easy to hold one's head up and plod forward. People whose heads are down have trouble seeing what is ahead.

As you frame school with a positive slant, your child will experience improvement in self-esteem by learning to see the good in life.

Celebrate Your Child's Learning

Take the time to smell the roses of last semester. Not only does this help navigate one's future course toward success, it also reviews and cements both the importance of and the memory of concepts already learned. An example would be to take a student who has been studying Spanish out to a Mexican restaurant (or make tacos together at home) and discuss what has been learned as part of the table talk. Or you could spend some time at the zoo or park and specify the reason for the event is the progress made in a particular subject during the last semester.

It makes a huge difference to a child when an adult verifies the importance of what has been learned. Some teachers feel that a child who values what has been studied keeps more in the long-term memory.

Set Realistic Goals for the New Semester

The key is to dream but keep your feet anchored on the ground of reality. Strive for improvement, not impossibilities. Sometimes such realism allows a child the rare joy of accomplishing beyond your expectations. Isn't that better than feelings of failure generated by not quite hitting the mark?

Make a Herculean effort toward inspiring your child in the second half of the school year. If a student is studying rocks, go to a museum, or better yet, to a cavern, or find a streaming video of rocks on the internet. Keep in mind that it takes a bit more to get that 'second wind' so needed for the new year.

Surprise your prodigy with a library book about a current topic being studied. Invite a dinner guest who holds this same special interest. The list is endless, limited only by your imagination. Catch a bit of inspiration and pass it on.

As the new year is nearing, remember that planning is only a definition of thought; the action is what matters. Plan for resolutions that become a chance to solve nagging problems in school. Don't just aim for "better" but say how much better and how you are going to make it happen.

Make a list of proactive things to do to improve your child's school experience in the new year. In this next year may your resolutions be realistic and your re-solutions successful!

The copyright of the article How to Make School Better in January or Any Time in Parenting Methods is owned by Hildra Tague. Permission to republish How to Make School Better in January or Any Time in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.