Top 5 Steps to Help Your Child Have a Better School Year – Instantly!

Back to school. Sigh. It’s the time of year that makes me say, “I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address.”

No, really!

I loved school when I was growing up — so much that I went on to become a teacher. But one part that always made me a little nervous — whether the student or the teacher — was the beginning of the school year.

I mean, sure — it was great to see friends and catch each other up on our summer vacations. And I got to buy school supplies, which was as exciting as Christmas! But there was also the unknown of new classes and meeting new people that made my stomach knot up sometimes.

Even when I taught, there was that brief time during the first couple of days when I didn’t know my students well yet and hoped that we would get along well. (Spoiler: We always did!)

So as kids are going back to school, I can’t help but think about those feelings and wonder how we can help kids get off to a better start. Facilitating that positive interaction between students and teachers is SO important. You know what they say about first impressions!

So coach your child on good classroom manners to win his teacher over. Try starting here:

Top 5 Steps to a Better School Year:

1. Be Sweet

You know the old saying, “You can catch more flies with honey than vinegar,” right? A good ol’ object lesson can really hit this point home.

Put some honey on one spoon and vinegar on another. Let him smell or taste test a little from each spoon. Ask him to predict which one flies would want to land on if both spoons were outside.

Then tell him it’s a lot like this with people! The honey represents when a person has a sweet attitude, and the vinegar is when someone’s attitude just stinks. When you’re sweet like honey, people want to be around you  more — it’s an attractive quality in a friend or student!

And if you want to be really sweet, sending a little thank you gift to your child’s teacher never hurt. Check out our Back to School Pinterest board for some sweet ideas!

2. Be a Hard Worker

This is a biggie for teachers! A teacher can almost always tell when a student is slacking off or spending time on other things. And to a teacher, that can feel disrespectful because of all the hard work they pour into making sure their students are learning well.

So this year, remind your student that she can show gratitude to her teachers by treating school work like her job.

Sure — she’s learning valuable content, but more importantly she’s building character traits that will help her in the adult world: things like diligence, timeliness, respect, and personal responsibility. Things her future boss will likely expect her to demonstrate!

3. Be Respectful

On a similar note, you may wish to teach your child that if he has a problem with his teacher, he should speak to her privately outside of class. Nobody — teachers included — likes public correction or mockery.

So for example, if the teacher is pronouncing his name incorrectly, he has difficulty with her teaching style, or he thinks the teacher is unfair, remind him to respectfully speak to her after class. She’s more likely to listen to his concerns if she doesn’t feel challenged in front of the class.

4. Be an Example

So you’ve been teaching your child manners and good behavior at home? Good for you! Remind her to carry this with her to school and show others what good behavior looks like!

Even if others are interrupting without raising a hand or aren’t paying attention in class, she can be a role model. It may be possible to stare out the window and still be listening — but the teacher can’t tell! So teach your child to be an engaged listener. Teachers really appreciate it when there are a few kids who choose the right thing no matter what their peers are doing.

They can use these kids to help the others learn appropriate classroom behavior so everyone can learn. What a gift to your child’s class!

5. Be a Partner

This one’s for the parents! By teaching your child the above tips, your child should begin to understand the importance of cooperating with his teachers and start their school year off right!

You as a parent also have a valuable role to play! Let your child see you volunteering when you can. Let his teacher know if something at home may affect him at school. Speak of the teacher by name and always show respect and esteem for the profession — your child notices!

By supporting your child, the teachers, and the school, you’re well on your way to the best year yet!

What sort of things do you do at the beginning of the school year to ease the transition? Got any great teacher gift ideas?

Share them in the comments below! I’d love to hear from you!

READ NEXT: Child Anxiety: What to Do and How to Help a Child with Anxiety

About Aubrey Hunt
Before hopping on the crazy ride we call motherhood, I studied engineering and taught math and science to middle and high school students. Now, perhaps like you, I fill my days singing The Itsy Bitsy Spider and praying my preschooler will eat a vegetable — any vegetable!