It’s back-to-school month for a lot of kids.

I was just talking to a friend, and we decided we were lucky to have been part of the generation of kids who didn’t have to go back until after Labor Day.

Far more civilized.

Of course, we got our summer start later, but all that faded into the background when summer was well underway, and we didn’t have to think about homework or who-gets-to-sit-where or class projects until September.

So let’s ease into this, shall we?

Here are some school hacks for your kids:

1. If your child will be attending a new school, take 20 minutes and walk the campus with them…even if they say they don’t want to do it. It’s so helpful to know where the science building is, where the gym is, where the language arts rooms are, etc.

2. Try to impress upon your child that spelling is so important! If a person can spell, whatever they write makes them come across as more intelligent—whether it’s a resume, college or job application, essay, greeting card or love letter.

3. While you’re pushing spelling, let your child know how important it is to communicate well, both in spoken conversation and on paper. If a teacher/employer/college administrator has two papers in front of them, and all things are equal, except one paper is full of nonsense and misspellings and the other is well-written and the words are spelled correctly, which one has the better chance?

4. Help them learn organizational skills. Take a trip to an office supply store (so much fun…or is that just me?). You don’t have to buy anything there, but it’ll give you ideas for things you can make yourself out of shoe boxes, cereal boxes, plain folders and wrapping paper. But an organizational system is only good if they’re going to use it. Find what works. What works for one of your kids, may not work for the others.

5. It’s not all about grades. Unfortunately, it’s a lot about grades though. Sad fact.

6. While your kids are reaching for those grades, make sure they’re also reaching for sports (including martial arts, which is great for gaining self-esteem and self-respect and teaching respect for others), music, arts—anything to keep them well-rounded, engaged and interested in learning.

7. If your kids challenge you with the college vs no-college debate, have them think about this: Unless they have an unbelievably marketable idea, an entrepreneurial spirit, are driven to succeed, are self-starters (do they bounce out of bed without constant reminders?), and are supremely well-read, a college education will make their lives easier. Bonus: If they have all those things, plus a college education…kapow!

Here are some books you and your kids may want to read before the start of the new school year:

MUP, by Raea Gragg, is a graphic novel about a kid who loves doing things with her dad and her pet dinosaur (toy). Because of one bad wish, Mup finds herself in the future, face-to-face with her future self, a girl she never wanted to become. Together they have to find the secret to the planet’s survival and the secret to reconcile their two identities.

MATILDA, by Roald Dahl, is the classic novel about a young girl whose parents don’t understand her or her desire to be smart and to read books. Her doting teacher provides the security and safety net that Matilda’s not able to find at home.

THE NIGHT BEFORE MIDDLE SCHOOL, written and illustrated by then-fifth-grader Sean Kolcyznski, is set to the classic Christmas poem by Clement C. Moore. It’s all about what the narrator thinks he’ll encounter in middle school. A great choice for calming some new-school nerves.

For parents, try not to do the happy dance in front of your kids.

But beyond that, pick up a copy of I WISH MY TEACHER KNEW: How One Question Can Change Everything for Our Kids by Kyle Schwartz.

The book was published in 2016, but it still delivers.

It relates how Schwartz asked her students this question at the beginning of a school year: What do you wish your teacher knew about you?

The answers were funny, charming, heartbreaking, and always revealing.

They opened the teacher’s eyes to who exactly was occupying each desk in her classroom.

Help your child be seen by their new teacher or teachers and have them write out an answer to that question.

Teachers ought to be open to reading the answers.

If they’re not…well, maybe your child deserves another teacher.

Don’t be afraid to fight for your child.

Likewise, tell your child not to be afraid to stand up for themselves…or for friends who haven’t found their voices yet.

This isn’t just another school year.

Ho-hum.

It could be and should be the start of a fantastic experience. (And, FYI, many of these experiences can be tucked away and used to craft their college essays later. That day will be here before you know it.)

Here’s wishing you and your children a fantastic school year.

~gail

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