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With the new school year approaching, St. Olaf’s Department Chair of Education Elizabeth Leer answers relevant questions parents ask when their children return, or start school for the first time:

What are some of the most common concerns you hear from parents about the start of the school year?

Summer can be a more relaxed time of year because kids aren’t following a structured academic schedule all day. While that break from school is important, it can be hard to transition back to the demands of the school year. The concerns I hear from parents as summer winds down tend to center on three challenges: reestablishing structures that support academic success; adjusting back to a more hectic pace of life and/or diminished family time; and helping their children navigate the pressures they will feel when they get back to school, both for kids who tend to struggle in school and for kids who are academic high fliers. 

How should parents prepare themselves for the transition from summer to the school year?

Transitioning back to the school year will be easier if parents take the time to develop organizational structures and focus on increasing efficiency in advance. Decide where important school-related papers will live so they are easy to find, like a folder for each child that’s tucked in an easily accessible kitchen drawer or cupboard. Create a calendar — either analog or digital, depending on kids’ ages — for the whole family to use to keep track of events, games, appointments, or trips, so that one family member doesn’t end up bearing the schedule-maintenance burden for everyone. 

In two-parent families, discuss and work out an equitable division of “child management” responsibility well before school starts. Consider the following: who will make the sack lunches each day or handle necessary communication with the school lunch program? Who will handle school and/or extra-curricular transportation and arrange for after-school care? Who will be in charge of sign-ups and communications for sports, clubs and music lessons? Who will make the doctor’s appointments and stay home with sick children? 

Although some of these tasks will likely be shared, having a point person in each area is efficient and reduces the overall mental load for any one person. In my own family, my partner handles everything sports-related: sign-ups, buying equipment, keeping track of practices and games, arranging transportation if we can’t get our child there ourselves, etc. Meanwhile, I handle all of the details related to piano lesson scheduling and payments, orchestra and choir concert dates/times/wardrobe, and issues tied to academic classes. Dividing up these responsibilities saves us both time and energy.

How can parents prepare their kids to have a smooth first day?

No matter the age of the student, reducing as many unknowns as possible will help the first day go more smoothly. When students are comfortable with the school setting, they will feel less anxious and more confident, so take advantage of opportunities to visit classrooms and teachers and bring in school supplies in advance. Encourage older students to walk through their school schedules and try locker combinations, if relevant, before school starts. Organization is also key to a smooth first day (and year!). Talk through the morning routine with students and collaboratively decide who will be responsible for various tasks, like waking up, choosing clothes, making breakfast, packing lunch, cleaning the kitchen, feeding pets, packing backpacks and/or sports bags, etc.

Thinking beyond just the first day, to help prepare and support kids for a smooth year, caregivers can talk with students about their goals for the school year — academic and otherwise — and help them develop specific strategies for achieving those goals. For example, if a student would like to reduce or eliminate late or missing assignments (or other forgotten commitments, work shifts, etc.), adults can encourage keeping track of responsibilities on a calendar or planner, preferably one that they, too, can access, like a family Google Calendar. If students are thinking about college applications and want to raise their GPA, parents can help facilitate and enforce a designated phone-free study time each day — even if they report that they do not have homework assignments to complete that day. 

As students work toward goals, they will sometimes experience challenges and setbacks, so talking with them about how mistakes are a normal part of the learning process is important, too. Previous failings don’t define any of us, and each new day/week/quarter/semester can be a fresh start. Helping students develop a growth mindset will contribute to their success.

Another way that caregivers can prepare kids for a successful school year is to encourage and facilitate as much independent reading as possible. Reading is the most fundamental academic skill; the amount of time spent reading independently is directly correlated with academic achievement and success. Unfortunately, the pervasive use of devices for video gaming, show streaming, and social media scrolling has severely impacted the amount of time students choose to read for pleasure, and reliance on screens has negatively impacted students’ ability to sustain reading focus. Helping kids build their reading stamina will aid their in-school learning capacity. Reserving time each day (at least 20-30 minutes; an hour is even better) for students to read books they choose and enjoy will lead to academic gains. Books with sustained text are best, but graphic novels “count”; rereading favorite books is also good. 

Developing limits on electronic devices will also support student growth and development. Regulating one’s own device usage is really hard, so parents should enforce device-free time each day, especially at mealtimes and bedtime. To ensure that students get adequate sleep, devices should not “live” in a student’s bedroom at night; parents can insist that phones and iPads charge overnight in a different room.

What questions should parents ask teachers to help their kids be successful throughout the school year?

When communicating with teachers at parent-teacher conferences (or at other times), asking big-picture questions that focus on a child’s learning and overall development is more important than focusing narrowly on grades and how to improve them. Here are a few examples:

• Questions: Is their student a good friend to others? Does their student seem to have a place in the classroom and/or school community? 
  Approach: Knowing how to interact appropriately with others and feeling like a valued part of the community is a strong indicator of academic success.
• Questions: Do they persist in the face of challenge? Do they seem interested and engaged in the learning process? Do they take care of their assignments and generally strive to do their best work?
  Approach: This information can be valuable for school-home partnerships as it can help parents know how to support their kids at home.
• Questions: What are a couple of concrete, attainable learning goals for their student this quarter/semester/year? 
  Approach: Also valuable information for the school-home partnership.
• Questions: What qualities does the teacher admire in their student? What strengths has the teacher noticed?
  Approach: Caregivers can see and appreciate their students from a fresh perspective.

How has your work at St. Olaf helped prepare future educators to help kids and parents in Minnesota cope with school-related anxiety?

The St. Olaf teacher education program stresses the idea that students are whole people with complex lives that extend far beyond the classroom walls. We are committed to preparing teachers who affirm their students’ cultural identities and cultivate inclusive, student-centered learning. To be effective educators, our teacher candidates first need to build positive, trusting relationships with their students and get to know them as multi-faceted individuals — not just as learners of biology or history or algebra or writing. 

While teaching students academic knowledge and skills is important, of course, it’s also essential for educators to relate to students as trusted mentors to help guide them through the increasingly difficult process of growing into adulthood. When students know their teachers value them as individuals, affirm their strengths, and support them when they struggle, learning increases and academic anxiety decreases.  Further, we instruct our teacher candidates that because parents know their children best, reaching out to families and partnering with them to support and seek resources for students who are struggling with anxiety or other challenges is essential.

Elizabeth Leer is a professor of education and the department chair of education at St. Olaf College. Leer earned her M.A. in English literature at Northern Illinois University and completed doctoral work in English education at the University of Minnesota. She taught for two years at the University of Minnesota Duluth before settling in Northfield with her husband and three sons.

At St. Olaf Leer has taught Principles of Education, communication arts and literature methods courses, Education in Global Contexts, and the J-term courses Perspectives on Teaching and Multicultural Education in Hawaii. She has led the Global Semester twice and travels to India frequently to supervise student teachers at the department’s two international school partners.

Contact the Director of Public Relations at stolafmedia@stolaf.edu for interviews.