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Aah, summer vacation. It’s a time when the children stay up late and sleep in late, hang out at home, lounge around the pool, and ride bikes with the neighborhood kids. Well, forget it. It’s almost over. This month and next month, thousands of children around Orange County and the Inland Empire will head back to school. Some will enter their first classroom in kindergarten, while others will start at a middle school or high school among a sea of new faces. The back-to-school transition period can be an anxious time for some children and adolescents. Veteran educators say that each major step along the education pathway from entering kindergarten to starting first grade to moving up to middle school or a high school - brings its own unique challenges. Parents, of course, can take the steps to make these moves easier. At all stages, listening to your children and being actively involved in their schooling helps them succeed. “The biggest part of communication is listening. Parents should do ‘active listening,’ that is, repeat back what your child said, and your child will really feel you’ve heard what she said,” advises Harriet Hermann, the principal at Fern Dive Elementary School in Fullerton and the mother of three grown children. “If you’re involved in a positive way with your children, they’ll do better,” adds Dr. Brian Murray, the principal at Desert Hot Springs High School. Kindergarten: For Many Children, The First Classroom Experience Teachers and educators say children who attended preschool are more likely to have an easier time starting kindergarten because they are used to a routine and rules at school. Still, there will probably be more kids in the kindergarten class, less “play” time, and a stronger focus on academics than at preschool. Hermann recommends parents bring their children to kindergarten before classes start to familiarize them with the new campus. Parents should also tell their child they will meet new friends and learn new things. “Parents should treat kindergarten as a fun adventure,” she says. And when it comes time to drop off the child on the first day of class, mom and dad should say goodbye and leave, not linger around and encourage clinging. “If the child sees mom looking in the window, she’ll wonder, ‘Why is mom still here? This must be a bad place,’’’ Hermann points out. “The parents’ attitude is extremely important. The way parents view kindergarten, the child does too. If parents see kindergarten as new and exciting, or scary, then the child does,” says Hermann, an educator for more than 20 years. Parents and their children should attend the orientation at the new school, says Sue Faassen, principal at Beechwood Elementary School in Fullerton. The same is true any time a child switches to a new school. An advance visit to the campus leads to familiarity and reduces fear of the unknown. “Reassure your child. It’s just a matter of time until they adjust. Kids are very resilient,” says Faassen, who is in her 35th year as a public school educator and her 20th year as an elementary school principal. First Grade: Advancing To A Full School Day One of the hardest adjustments for children entering the first grade is the transition from attending a half-day of school (most kindergarten classes meet for three or four hours a day) to attending school all day, generally for about six hours. In first grade, children also eat lunch at school, get tired after lunch, and don’t get a naptime. “They are just exhausted,” Faassen says, adding that most first-graders need three to four weeks to adjust to the full day. Parents can help by enforcing an earlier bed time in the weeks leading up to the beginning of school, and waking up their children earlier so they get used to the new routine before school starts. Middle School: A Huge Transition; A Difficult Age The move to middle school is a tough time for many pre-adolescents. After years of attending a familiar elementary school and being the oldest students on campus, middle-schoolers are now the youngest and sometimes the smallest. They’re at a new campus with new classmates, they’re at the age when children develop cliques, bullies emerge, and girls feel insecure about their appearance. Classmates are at various levels of maturity, and most students change into gym clothes for physical education class in front of their peers. “That’s a huge thing for boys,” Hermann says. Middle schoolers also are at an age where they don’t share as much about their lives with their parents, Hermann says. Parents should listen to their children, not be judgmental, and teach children to think independently so they can solve their own problems. “Those are lifetime skills and it gives them empowerment.” High School: Another Big Move; Another New School Moving up to high school brings older students many new learning and social opportunities, but also more freedom, which can mean trouble for some students, says Dr. Murray, the principal at Desert Hot Springs High School, which has about 1,550 students. High schools are often bigger than middle schools and students are more anonymous, which can make them feel disconnected. “With that anonymity, kids have a way of falling through the cracks,” Dr. Murray says. It’s also a time when parent involvement drops off because many parents feel their children don’t want them to be around as much, according to an article by the National Parent Teacher Association, published on the website, familyeducation.com. Although children are becoming more independent, incoming freshmen may have new social and emotional fears. “The developmental divide between ninth-graders, who could be as young as 14, and upperclassmen, who could be over 18, can be extreme,” the National PTA says. Experts say it’s critical for parents of new high school students to stay involved with their children. Parents can volunteer on campus, join the PTA, or help a booster club. Seeing mom or dad at school can be a huge morale booster, Dr. Murray says. “Psychologically, that means a lot to some kids.” Dr. David Hansen, the principal at Arlington High School in Riverside, a large campus with about 2,200 students, urges parents and students to take advantage of orientations, summer school or mentoring programs aimed at helping middle school students become familiar with their new high school. Dr. Hansen also urges high school students to attend club orientations at the high school and join an extracurricular club, sports team, student government council or multi-cultural group. “Kids who are involved on a campus are so much more successful than those who just go to school and come home,” says Dr. Hansen, a public school teacher and administrator for 16 years and the father of six children between the ages of 3 and 17. Amy Bentley of Temecula is a regular contributor. TRANSITION TIME Tips for parents to help their children make the back-to-school transition easier: • Drive by the new school during the summer so your child can see the campus. • Tour the school with your child before classes begin. • If your child will take the bus to school, drive the bus route in advance so your child will become familiar with it. • If possible, meet your child’s new teacher and principal before school starts. • Move up your child’s bedtime and start waking her up earlier so she’ll adjust to the new time schedule. • Maintain ongoing contact with your child’s teacher, either by phone or e-mail. This lets your child know you care how he’s doing in school. • Read all the registration materials sent home in advance of registering your child for school. The materials cover school schedules, holidays, campus policies and other important issues parents need to know. • Help your child organize the things he needs for school the night before, such as his books, homework and supplies in his backpack. • Make sure your child eats a healthy breakfast before school. For more back-to-school tips and information: www.cmh.edu/BackToSchool/Home.html www.kidshealth.org www.familyeducation.com |
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