Schools

Back to School Advice from Hartland's Teacher of the Year

Dotty Selix shares some advice for parents including routines, role-playing and Master Locks.

Signs of summer coming to an end are slowly starting to pop up around town as fall sports teams begin their practices, teacher’s head back to school preparing their classrooms and school supplies in stores start disappearing. 

Hartland teacher of the year for 2012, , shares her own list with parents to help ease the transition of summer fun to classroom ready.

Number one on her list of helping to prepare students is to ask your child what they are nervous about and then role-play that scenario. 

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“How to introduce yourself, how to ask for help, those kinds of things,” Selix said. “And along that kind of nervous thing, it might be a good time in August to start re-connecting with friends from school."

Selix also suggests that parents sit down with their student and talk about any “tricky” situations that may have happened and to set goals for the new year.

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“Proactively address the issues,” she said. 

Other talking points should include safety issues for younger children that include:

  • Bus rules and behavior
  • Playground rules
  • School rules such as no running in halls and standing in lines

For older children, Selix suggests letting your child practice opening combination locks, such as a Master Lock, before the first day of school.

“That may be really helpful because I know they really freak out at Farms,” she said. “It is so stressful.”

Organizing and practicing, will also benefit the students later, according to Selix, who suggests getting into a nightly routine now that includes 20 minutes of downtime with no TV or video games.

“After dinner you set aside 20 minutes where, as a family, you talk or play a board game,” Selix said. “Anything that’s not TV or video games where you can slide in school stuff.”

Other routines to plan for include:

  • Picking clothes the night before.
  • Knowing what to eat for breakfast.
  • Packing backpacks the night before.

The last piece of advice Selix offered to parents was no “last-minute drilling” that includes quizzing kids with flashcards as they walk out the door for the bus.

“I know we always feel like we need to,” Selix said. “But honestly, just reading books, playing games and getting into a routine is the best thing you can do."


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