August has arrived, and with it comes the task of getting ready for the start of the school year. Time to make the trip to the local supercenter to get the kiddos pencils, paper, crayons, and glue sticks. You want to have them prepared so they can do their very best, right?
So, now that they’re all set to start the school year, are you prepared for the school year? That’s right, Dad. You! Your child may be the person sitting at the desk taking the tests and doing the science experiments, but you have a vital role to play in their success.
As a retired educator, I’ve learned that pencils and glue sticks are only a small part of school-year preparation. Of course it helps to have the right supplies, but in my view, what’s far more important is that students have the enthusiastic and attentive support of adults at home.
Let’s start off with a few questions to check your “school year readiness.”
- Question 1: Do you know the school principal’s name? Would you recognize them if you saw them in public?
- Question 2: Do you know your child’s teacher’s name? Would you recognize them if you saw them in public?
If the answer to any of those questions was “No,” then you have some work to do! These are the people you are entrusting with your children’s education. You need to develop a great working connection to them. They need your input to effectively teach your child, and you need their input to better understand your child’s progress.
The good news is that creating that connection isn’t hard work! It’s really about taking advantage of opportunities that the school already provides. Let’s spend a little time talking about a few of these “built-in” opportunities.
Most schools will have an “Open House” or “Meet the Teacher” night during the first few days of school. Take advantage of that opportunity to introduce yourself to your child’s teacher and building principal. Visit with them and let them know that you want to support them and be involved in your child’s education.
Share your contact information with them. Encourage them to reach out to you regularly. While you are there, familiarize yourself with the layout of the school. Learn where the cafeteria, music room, gymnasium, and art room are.
Pro tip: Make sure and take your child with you to the Open House. Let them see that you are truly interested in their learning and that you will be in regular communication with the staff on how the year is going.
As the school year begins, most teachers and principals send out regular communications on the activities and learning taking place in the classroom. This communication is usually weekly in nature. It may be a backpack note or a digital newsletter. Take the time to read these! Knowing what your child is doing daily in school is a great way to have meaningful conversations with them.
Talking to student about their day shows that you value their hard work and support them. It also gives you important feedback on how your child is feeling about school. If you sense that your child seems excessively worried or troubled about something at school, you can communicate that to their teacher. By working together, the source of the problem can be more easily identified and addressed.
A second “built-in” opportunity to be involved in your child’s school year is to attend the periodic parent-teacher conferences the school schedules. These are generally held about halfway through the semester. Parent-teacher conferences are important because they give all the involved parties an opportunity to sit down together and assess how your child’s school year is progressing. This is a time to talk about the successes and the challenges your child is experiencing.
This isn’t meant to be an adversarial situation. Your child’s teacher genuinely wants and needs your input on how to be more effective. They may also be able to share some things that you can do at home to support your child.
How do you prepare for these conferences? If you have been keeping track of your child’s progress by reading the teacher’s backpack notes and newsletters, you are ahead of the game. Most schools utilize some form of an online parent portal, which gives the ability to view grades and/or attainment of learning objectives. If you have regularly checked those, you have most of data you need.
Doing these things in advance helps the teacher and you to be able to focus on the “why” of your child’s academic situation. Understanding “why” your child might be struggling is the key to finding avenues to helping them be more successful. If your child is performing well, understanding “why” will help guide them to continue that success.
Pro tip: Take your child with you to the conference. It is important for them to see that everyone is involved with their educational progress. It is also very important for your child to see that you and their teacher are interested in finding solutions that finding fault.
A third “built-in” opportunity is to volunteer at school activities. The school is always in need of help from parents. Make yourself available to help. Opportunities such as helping with field trips and fun days, serving as a reading buddy or tutor not only helps the mission of the school, but it also demonstrates to the school that you are serious about being a partner with them.
Find out if your child’s school has a Good Dads Strong Schools program in place. Strong Schools is a before-school program that brings dads and their children together for a time of fun activity and involvement. If there is a Strong Schools program in the school, start attending with your child. Maybe see if you could help in some way. If your school doesn’t have a Strong Schools program, talk with your principal. Offer to work with them to start a program. Your principal would be excited to see more fathers in school supporting their children.
To Recap: here are a few action steps for making this school year the best one yet for your kids.
- Get to know the teachers and principal. Introduce yourself and swap contact information before the school year begins.
- Attend Open House/Meet the Teacher nights. These usually take place in the first couple days of the school year. While you’re there, familiarize yourself with the layout of your child’s school.
- At least once a week, check in on communications from your child’s school: take-home flyers, social media posts, online newsletters, etc.
- Attend parent-teacher conferences. Check your child’s grades beforehand to understand the “why” of your student’s strengths and struggles in the classroom.
- Become a regular volunteer at your student’s school.
- Bring Good Dads Strong Schools to your school for monthly breakfasts and character-building activities.
These are just a few steps that you can take to make your child’s school year as successful as possible. So, come on, Dad! Get ready for school!
P.S.: Keep Learning! I recently encountered this short article with ten tips for student success and love its insights. Let us know which tips you plan to implement in your routines!
