Back to School Success Strategies Part 5: Watch Their Emotional Health!

It's getting closer to that time again. 

No matter where you are in your summer vacation, getting back is in your future. This series of posts is designed to make that return a bit smoother for you.

Today is Part 5 in a five part series about returning to school successfully.

As we know, a whole lot of our children have been through some tough times in the last couple of years. Between pandemics, school shootings, and political conflict, it's a challenging world.

Most classroom teachers don't have degrees in counseling or psychology, but we do know some of the things to look for, once we know our students. Once we know there's a problem, we can look to the professionals for help.

Morning Meetings, small groups, and one-on-one times are the best times to get to know the students. Knowing them is a key to knowing when there's a problem.

 

The above resource has 60 different group games that can be used in a variety of situations with a variety of age levels. Many are appropriate for using remotely as well as in the classroom. I'm sure you'll find something appropriate for your situation to get the students relax and getting to know them! 60 Team Building Games and Activities 

Here are a couple of other resources to help the children think about getting along with each other and getting comfortable. These resources are perfect for back to school, both in the classroom or virtually!

• Starring Character: A Reader's Theater Bundle With a Twist
• Building Friendships Boom Learning Digital Task Cards

Once you get to know your students, you'll be able to notice when something's not right. 

What to do about it? Well, not having a background in mental health keeps me from going there, but here are a few things to think about:

1. Laughter!

Laughing is healing. I've actually heard laughter referred to as "Vitamin L!" Be sure to get your daily dose! (And yes, there is science to back this up!)

2. Contact the Professionals

Most classroom teachers don't have a mental health background. This is the time to contact the school counselor. Be sure to have data to share about your perceptions!

3. Be a Role Model!

Emotional Health problems can't be solved overnight, nor can they be solved by the classroom teacher. However, there are a few things teachers can do along the way to help struggling children feel a little better. 

Children need to know their feelings are acceptable. We're all frustrated right now. We're scared. It's ok to validate those feelings to the children. Talk about what scares you and frustrates you. Talk about how you're going to deal with it, in their language. Let them see how you handle those frustrations, and try to stay positive. Being a positive role model is the best thing we can do for them. 

Be sure to read the other four parts of these Back to School Success Strategies!

 

  

 

 

 

I imagine you're thinking of more ways to look out for their emotional health.

I hope you'll share some of these in the comments below.

Ideas to Help Get the New School Year Started

Looking for ideas to start the new year? 

Every year, when the calendar turns to August, I start thinking about how I want to make the new school year the very best one yet! (Apologies to those who have already started this year... I'm sure you went through this in July, when people around here were just starting their vacation!)

I have a feeling I'm not alone in trying to "beat" last year's opening!

 

 

I have plenty of ideas to share, some are my own blog posts, and some are from my teacher/ blogger friends!

Here is a fun Math icebreaker by Brenda of Enjoy Teaching with Brenda Kovich!

 

 How to Make Back to School Math Fun

Here are some great suggestions for Back to School Night from Two Boys and a Dad!

  

5 Mistakes to Avoid at Back to School Night 

Building community is essential at the beginning of the school year. Here are some great ideas from Michelle of

Teaching Ideas for Those Who Love Teaching

  

 Five Ways to Build Community With Your Student

I've spent 40 years in the classroom, and have built up a whole lot of "tricks" up my sleeve! Here are some of my favorite blog posts from "Back to School" in years past:

One of my favorites: 5 "Must Dos" on the First Day of School.

Another favorite, having experienced plenty of "back to school" first days!

Six Things to Remember on the First Day of School!

 

For those of you who AREN'T interior decorators in your spare time:

My Not So Cute Classroom

 

I've made this promise as far back as I can recall. It helps them understand why they're there, and what they can do to make school a positive experience: My First Day of School Promise

This is a fabulous book to read on the first day, plus there's a freebie!

Your Fantastic Elastic Brain!

 

 There's a freebie with this post as well!

Helping Parents Help Their Children Be Successful

Speaking of freebies, here are ten, that will hopefully help you get started for the year:

Ten Freebies for Back to School

 

 

 

 I hope these links help you get organized and awesome! 

If they do, please pin for your friends to see!

Predictability and Novelty

Children will not learn until their needs are met. These are two of the most important needs of children:

 Predictability and Novelty.

Yes, I know what you're thinking, those words are opposites, how can a child need both?

Well, yes, they need each. 

They need a classroom that's predictable. This is a source of security for children. They need to know what to expect. They need to know what's coming up. They need routine.

 

The first month or so of school is when most classroom routines are established: entering the classroom, morning routines, lunch count, taking attendance, moving between classes, bathroom procedures, lunch procedure, dismissal, recess, and so on. Once these routines are established, the children feel secure in their routines, know what to expect and feel safe. Now the REAL teaching can begin!

For more ideas on teaching procedures, see this blog post: Tips for Teaching Procedures. 

The trouble with routine, is that it gets boring. They need a change of pace and new experiences. That's when novelty is needed.

Novelty is the way to shake things up! When boredom sets in, the brain tunes out, so it's the job of the teacher to keep things alive. 

Here are some ways to shake things up in the classroom:

Have a backwards day

Change the seating arrangement

Theme days or theme weeks

Create a new routine

Establish higher expectations

Swap classrooms with another teacher for the day

Rearrange or add to your classroom library

Ask your students for ideas

Here's a resource where you can establish a "safe" routine, raise expectations, and it changes every single day, so it never gets boring: Daily Questions for Team Building, Morning Meetings, and Daily Writing Prompts 

And by the way, it's not just children that have these two needs!

Communication With Parents

Communicating with parents can be a challenge, for many reasons! 

It’s important to keep that communication open, but you don’t want parents to feel inadequate or make them feel inferior. The last thing you want to do is make them feel like you don’t believe in their competence as parents!

I have seven suggestions for maintaining positive communication with parents:

Start your communication routine at the beginning of the school year. You might write weekly or monthly newsletters. You might call or text a few parents each week, or you might do individual notes or messages. Whatever it is you choose to do, make sure the parents will expect what's coming and when it's coming. That way, they'll anticipate the communication and be ready for it.

Here's a link to a blog post going into more detail about a routine for communication: Getting Parents to Read Your Notes!

Be sure to mention how hard it is to be a parent, and how busy they must be! Be sure to ask basic family questions about siblings, jobs, pets, and hobbies. The more you know about them, the more you'll have to talk about! If you show an interest in who they are, it helps keep the communication open!

This works with notes, texts, phone calls, and face-to-face conversations! No matter what the context or purpose of the communication might be, there's got to be something the child is doing well. It might be as simple as... "I really enjoy working with Johnny." or "Mary always walks into the classroom with a smile." 

It's not a bad idea to end the communication the same way, along with a "Thank you" of course!

 Parents are mostly interested in what their child is doing, but also are interested in what the class is studying! 

Here's a piece of advice I got when I was a beginning teacher, a very long ago. If a child isn't doing well on a skill, they are "working on it." Rather than, "Mark is struggling with his math facts," or "Jenny doesn't remember her short vowel sounds," I'd say, "Mark is working on his math facts," and "Jenny is working on remembering the different vowel sounds." 

And of course: "Brian really enjoyed our unit on Earth Changes."

Children enjoy being part of the communication. Of course, they love their parents and want their parents to know their successes in school.  Quite often I'll send home a quick note asking the parents to ask their child about a situation. It might sound like this: "Ask Emma about how she helped her classmate today." or "Be sure to ask Randy about his thoughts on South America."

Communicating with parents is a two-way street. They are the experts on their child and know things the child might hide from their teacher.

Yes, it's true. No matter how loving or nurturing a teacher might be, the child holds back information.

There's an easy explanation for this: the parent gives unconditional love, and the child lets the parent know when they're upset. Often the same child will see the teacher's love as conditional, so they hide their feelings, afraid the teacher won't like them anymore. I've experienced this many times, both as a parent and as a teacher. 

I've learned many things about my students that I never would have known without those conversations with the parents. It's definitely worth the time to understand your students better!

It's tough to give parents advice on parenting, isn't it? (Especially if you're not a parent yourself!) I find it best to "pass the buck" and refer them to links, books, or research that was developed by someone else. 

That's why I developed these: Parent Communication: Monthly Brochures for the Whole Year

Each month has research-based information that parents can use to help guide their child and make your life a little bit easier. Each brochure contains links to articles, ideas, suggestions, seasonal quotes, jokes, and even tips for family fun!

If you're interested, here are links to more blog posts about parent-teacher communication:

My Secret Ingredient for a Successful Open House

Tips to Prepare for Parent-Teacher Conferences

Help Parents Help Their Children Be Successful

Helping Parents Help their Children Be Successful!

Communicating with parents can be tricky, especially when it comes to giving them advice! 

There's a fine line between "helping" and "making them feel inadequate." 

So how do we help parents help their children?

We know that parents aren't experts, but we know they are experts about their own children! 

Plus, we know they love those children unconditionally, and would do anything to help them!

When giving suggestions, it's important that one doesn't put them on the defense. I prefer to use phrases like "experts say," or "recent research shows."

Another idea?  Pass the buck!

Have someone else give them the advice!

That's just what I've been working on: brochures to help parents help their children be successful! 

My first issue is the back to school edition, and it's free!

Check it out here: Parent Communication Brochures - Back to School Edition

It comes with ideas and suggestions for use, and can be printed in color or in black and white.

Printing in black and white on colored paper is awesome!

It might be a good idea NOT to send this home the first week of school when parents are overwhelmed with paperwork. It will be more likely to be noticed the second week of school!

I'd love to see what you think of these brochures... I'm working on the next edition and I'd love to hear your ideas!

Parent Communication Brochure- Back to School Edition

These brochures are in a bundle, available here: Parent Communication:  Monthly Brochures for the Whole Year!