Many parents call me about tutoring as their children’s mid-term or final exams loom on the horizon. “I wish I’d called you earlier, but I just didn’t see this coming,” they’ll say. The pleas typically apply to students at the junior and senior high levels who’ve assured their parents that they could raise their grades by themselves. Frequently, a lack of organization, time management, and study skills are at the root of their problems.

Let’s review some tips to help your child start the school year right and continue on that path. Younger children may still face challenges as they progress to middle school and beyond, but if you establish good habits early, the transitions will be easier. 

Routines are helpful for us all, starting with a regular bedtime schedule. Children need plenty of sleep to help them focus during the day. Healthy foods at regular meal and snack times provide them with the brainpower and energy they need to function well at school and at home. Setting consistent times for study and recreation allows children to concentrate on their homework with the understanding that they’ll have time for fun when they’ve completed their work.

Organizing work will become increasingly important as your child advances. When our sons were in elementary school, I would go through their backpacks with them each day and we would organize their work. Though not perfectly maintained, they did manage to keep their papers and binders fairly neat throughout high school. Likewise, having younger students maintain a log of assignments and due dates will prepare them to better manage the “binder-reminder” books they might use when they get to junior high.

Create a productive workspace with your child’s input. The ideal setting includes a comfortable chair at an uncluttered desk or table with good lighting and minimal distractions. Some children need a quiet atmosphere, while others seem to perform better with music (ideally non-vocal) in the background. Make sure necessary pencils, paper and other supplies are organized and readily available.

Communicate your interest in your child and the importance of education by discussing their schoolwork with them regularly. In fast-paced classes, students can fail to see the value of what they’re learning. When you help them connect their studies to practical applications and encourage enthusiasm for learning, school becomes a training-ground for life, not just daily endurance test.

For more information, contact Diane at dianetrautman@studypros.com

Much has been written lately about bullying in schools, and one item in particular has caught my attention. It talks not just about the bullies and their targets, but about the bystanders as well.

Citing numerous sources, the authors of an article in the latest issue of the journal of the Association for Childhood Education International argue for heightened awareness of bullying and intervention programs on school campuses. Such programs should involve faculty, staff, parents, and students. Adults need to recognize the indicators of bullying, and develop techniques for intervention with the bully, the target, and the bystander. Supervision and discipline must be consistent among all the adults on the campus.

However, most bullying occurs out of view of adults, and in the presence of the target’s peers. When bullying incidents occur, the student bystander has three choices: (1) side with the bully and become an accomplice; (2) support the target and risk becoming a target himself; or, (3) remain silent and live with the shame and guilt. Obviously, none of these choices is acceptable. Bystanders and targets alike need to be taught how to handle bullying.

Targeted students need to express their feelings and receive support. They need to learn how to avoid exposing themselves to bullies by walking to school with a friend, avoiding unsupervised areas, and leaving expensive belongings at home, among other techniques. Such a child should also be taught how to neutralize a bully through confident and assertive behavior and humor.

Student bystanders can be trained to intervene on behalf of the target either during an incident or by reporting it to an adult. They could talk to the bully privately to intervene on behalf of their friend or anonymously report the problem to authorities.

Given the increases in childhood violence, substance abuse, high school dropout rates and suicides in our society, we need to take bullying much more seriously. It isn’t a harmless rite of passage or a passing phase that adults should ignore. It is a physical and emotional assault akin to child abuse, and it disrupts a child’s growth and learning.

For more information, contact Diane Trautman at StudyPros In-Home Tutoring at (661) 296-9206 or studypros.com.