School is no fun!
Updated: Sep 15, 2021
Our Erin is now in her second week of school.
The first day she went bouncing into class to meet her new teacher and new friends but had a moody face on the way out!
I thought the ‘treenager’ stage was tough! But seriously this is the reality, we had over sold the dream of school.
I think she was expecting junior infants to be like Disneyland.
I’ve always been crap when it comes to routine with my kids, bedtime is generally loose and if I’m honest I’m not the best at disciplining them. I leave that to my patient and loving partner John!
Carlow native Rozz Lewis has been a primary school teacher for over two decades and has written school books for Folens.
Now with her latest venture Mash.ie, an Irish version of Teachers pay teachers, an American support system, she hopes it will help teachers and parents with lesson plans and back to school issues.
The mum-of-one who’s a Primary school teacher at Portlaoise Educate Together said parents should try to look at the “positives” when going back to school and try to keep things as “normal” as possible.
We’ve teamed up with Rozz with her top ten tips to combat ‘back to school blips’ and help make the transition to a life of discipline and routine after the summer hols.
Routine and preparation is crucial, getting them back to bed on time and the lunch boxes sorted.
Homework can make children and parents anxious. But reading to my mind is the most important thing to do with your child. Commit to 20 minutes of reading to your child every evening.
It’s normal for children to feel excited one minute and then worry the next, about going back to school. Both parents and children can feel this way.
Try to keep things as normal as possible, parents can get overly excited. If your child isn’t loving school, don’t keep saying, “School is great” just listen to their concerns. They probably want to get things off their chest, when they get in the door they love
Kids adapt so well and they make new friends so quickly, they’re far more adaptable to new situations, so don’t underestimate them.
Trust the teacher, they’re the professional, they have all the activities designed to combat nerves. It can be overwhelming for junior infants. When you go away don’t show a sad face or anxious face.
If the child is upset or crying on a daily basis the teacher will look after it, they’ve been teaching infants for years, so they know what they’re doing.
Children can over exaggerate, something we tell parents at a parent teacher meeting, ‘if you don’t believe everything your child says about us, we won’t believe everything your child says about you.’
Covid times are anxious and difficult, we hope this year we’ll get back to parent teacher meetings even if through zoom.
But don’t be afraid to contact your teacher by email and ask them if you have any concerns. A good teacher will send out a letter detailing how you can contact them. The secretary is also a mind of information.
Mash.ie can help children who have autism or special needs. There are lots of social stories and covid related information on how to explain covid in schools specific.