I had one of my teacher dreams the other day. I used to get them pretty regularly around this time of year when I was a middle school teacher.
The dreams are all nearly the same. In this one I was supposed to be teaching French and I knew no French. On top of that I was late to class (a common theme in these dreams) and the class was out of control in my absence prompting the attention of the principal and other teachers, all wondering where in heck I was.
Pretty standard stuff for those who will be heading back to the classroom in a few weeks, students and teachers alike.
The beginning of the school year can be such an exciting time. Think of those kindergartners heading off to the sound of their parent’s breaking hearts. So hopeful and so excited, or so scared. The beginning of school excitement can easily turn to anxiety.
For those students who do not do so well in school for whatever reason, heading back may be dreaded. After four years of doing police reports in this town, I have been struck by how numbers of juvenile problems fall off in the summer. I think it must be because school pressure is off.
For parents who have a child who struggles in school, September can mean hope of a fresh start and worry for another year of problems. A caring teacher can make a big difference, but there are also things parents can do to help.
Most schools have an open house before regular classes start. This gives everyone a chance to preview the coming year. The transition from fifth grade to sixth grade in middle school can be a difficult one, although middle school teachers and administration know this and put things in place to ease the change.
My daughter always became overwhelmed sometime in the fall after school had been going on for a month or so. She would have a real crisis of confidence that felt earth-shattering. Finally we both recognized the pattern and I could be primed to give words of encouragement when this crossroads approached.
I would reassure her by reminding her she feels like this every fall and she has, indeed, been able to do all the work and, in fact, do it well. I told her I would help her organize all she needed to do. She would dry her tears, take a deep breath, and we would get to work together.
I even remember a college year when I got a tearful call about that time of year. I loved being a mom again and calmly remind her she always feels like this in the fall. She hadn’t remembered and was much comforted.
Success in school is really a team effort with parents playing a big part. They are the ones who know the child best and can intervene or encourage in a way that is helpful for all the other people on the team: the child, teachers, administration, special teachers and coaches.
Of course this means paying attention, as a parent, and an open policy on the part of the school. I know in this community the educators are looking for ways to involve Native American parents.
But whether there is direct encouragement to participate or not, I think it’s a parent’s job to be on top of what’s happening for their child at school. Some children come home and spill the whole day’s news without much editing. Other children play their cards a little closer to the chest and may need privacy and encouragement to talk about how it’s going.
In Wisconsin, for the first time, all schools, with a few exceptions, will not begin before Sept. 1. This gives families another week or two to enjoy some of the best Wisconsin summer weather.
School will come soon enough.
Aug. 10, 2002