Back to School – Setting students up for success after an unprecedented past year

Post-Pandemic School Prep

Setting students up for success after an unprecedented past year

by Karel Bond Lucander

What will the upcoming school year look like compared to last year? What should both parents and students be prepared for when so many of them spent the last school year in a virtual or hybrid learning atmosphere?

Mary Jane Freeman, co-founder of The Davidson Center, shares her thoughts about how parents might help prepare their kids to return to the classroom after the COVID-19 pandemic. Freeman has a master’s degree in education with a concentration in counseling and certificate of advanced studies in curriculum and supervision. She was a teacher and guidance counselor in public middle schools and high schools for 20 years.

Some of her suggestions are common sense tips for the start of any school year. As she says, the challenges for this new school year will vary from child to child. As a parent, keep your antenna up and the conversation flowing.

“Encourage them to read whatever they’re interested in.”

Don’t be afraid to praise

“Praise them for their resilience during the past year. Ask them how they got through it and what they learned about themselves. Point out that the learning didn’t stop but how it was delivered changed. Zero in on what they did and what they accomplished because they all accomplished something! Some even learned to cook.”

Ask questions

“They tell you a lot of things if you ask the questions: What are you most worried about? What would make this easier for you? After school starts, a good question to ask is: What did you learn today? Keep the dialogue open and you might be surprised what you learn.”

Reach out to their school

“Ask about the role of the guidance counselor at their school and find out what options or resources are available.”

Connect with their teachers

“Get to know your children’s teachers and let them know if there are special concerns. Parents know their kids better than anybody else. How do your kids handle transitions? How anxious is your child? These are things to communicate early on.”

Keep up regular positive habits

“Kids need to have breakfast and a good sleep; things that parents already know.”

Build physical activity into routines

“Keeping them busy with physical activity is critical. Get those endorphins going and keep your kids moving. Ride bicycles, walk the dog—I got a puppy (Sooner) on Dec. 22 and lost 10 pounds just from walking her.”

Schedule family time

“I don’t know if this is a strategy but having raised my kids, I think it’s so important for a family to get together and have dinner. I’ll bet families did a lot more of that during the pandemic and saw some positive results. I remember when my kids were in high school, I was working, my husband was working, and the kids had sports. We always went out to dinner on Friday nights with them, and that continued even after they left home.”

Read 10 minutes (or more) daily

“Read 10, 20 or 30 minutes a day. That alone can make a big difference in overall comprehension—for all ages and all grade levels. I suggest that if you read only 10 minutes a day, every day, you will become a better reader and your vocabulary will improve. Encourage them to read whatever they’re interested in.”

Monitor their emotional needs in the coming year

“Pay very close attention to the emotional needs of your kids in the coming year. It’s been a tough year—and we need to monitor them more closely than ever before.”

Get extra help if they need it

“If it’s academic and you’ve been really working on an issue for three or four months but haven’t seen progress, get them extra help. Through eighth grade, it tends to be reading and math skills. In the eighth grade, it’s English. In ninth grade and beyond, it gets pretty course specific; a struggle in pre-calculus or the sciences. If you have a bright child that doesn’t seem to be working to their potential, consider getting them assessed or enrichment. If they are really struggling emotionally, talk with the guidance counselor and consider getting them counseling.”

The Davidson Center offers in-person and remote evaluations and testing; subject tutoring; test prep; college planning and mentoring; school advising and placement; and schooling. Visit davidsoncenter. com or call 704.892.4533.