SuperMom’s Top Ten Back-to-School Tips
Schedule a before school fall haircut in
mid-August to avoid the rush.
Ask the classroom
teacher what the policy is concerning children washing hands before
lunchtime.
Chair a PTO/PTA committee or event only
after having seen the event or served on the committee first. Watch and learn.
A special set of
hooks for backpacks gives each child a place to hang a backpack after emptying its
contents (papers and lunchbox) on the kitchen counter or table upon coming home
after school.
Request that
children leave any food not eaten from lunch in the lunchbox. Lunchbox packers
can judge what and how much to pack based on leftovers. A barely eaten lunch can also signal illness
(strep throat) or a problem (having to complete work during the lunch period).
Purchase a clear
file holder for each child at an office supply store and mount on the inside of
an often used door. Label with child’s name and file any forms to be filled out or kept for a long time (baseball
schedules, permission slips, phone tree lists), homework to be done, and extra workbooks for practice.
A large plastic
bin with a lid that fits under a child’s bed can store all schoolwork for the
year. Backpack contents can be placed on the bed after school, reviewed before bed with an adult, and placed in the bin.
Ask teachers if a
check or cash to pay for milk money for the year in September will be
acceptable. Milk money free mornings are a big time saver.
Younger children
need to be specifically told they are allowed to ask to use the bathroom even
if they are not in their own classroom. Many accidents occur in the art room or gym due to child hesitation
concerning bathroom rules.
Mark library days
on the master calendar to help remind children to return books, gym days to
avoid wearing skirts and Velcro sneakers for non-shoe tiers (shoes come off for gymnastics and other
activities), and no fancy clothes on art days.
BONUS: Questions to
replace, “How was school today?” : Did your reading group meet today? Was recess inside or outside today? Who did
you play with at recess? Did your class have an extra recess today? Did anyone in class get in trouble
today? Did you hear a story today? What were some of the characters in the story? What songs were sung in music class today?
What instruments were played? What sport did you learn about and play in
gym? Who was in your gym group? What art supplies did you use in art? Why did you choose that library book? What part of the
library was it in? What part of lunch did you eat at snack time? Did you see any friends in the hall?
Did your class have any visitors? Did anything funny happen today in school? Who did you sit with on the bus?
Kerri Charette is editor of Misadventures of Moms and Disasters
of Dads, a parenting humor collection published by "Moms In Print".
Kerri is:
- a mother to five children: three boys (ten, nine, five) and two
girls (three and two).
- a former kindergarten teacher in Ledyard
- the president of the Ledyard Women's club
- a committee chair on the PTO
- a religious education teacher at Our Lady of Lourdes church.
Kerri also hosts a weekly cable television show for the adoption agency
Child Adoption Resource Association (CARA) of New London, CT (Kerri's
fifth child's adoption was arranged through CARA). The show, "Families
in the Making" brings awareness to adoption issues and is seen on the
COMCAST Groton Cable Network, Adelphia Cable Network of Norwich and
Eastern CT Cable Network serving the Waterford area.
Kerri holds an undergraduate degree in elementary education from the
University of Connecticut (1992) and a masters degree in teaching
reading and language arts (1999) from Eastern Connecticut State
University. For those interested in learning more about the
Misadventures of Moms and Disasters of Dads anthology series Kerri
suggests visiting
the website: misadventuresofmoms.com.
