Let’s be honest, school is weird this year. We are not in our comfort zone AT ALL. In fact, if Middletown was our comfort zone, we would be somewhere in the Caribbean!
Usually, Back-to-School is exciting and fun, and we’re buying new shoes and backpacks and pencils, and now were still buying pencils, but we’re also building desks and little home offices for our kids. We’re buying tablets and laptops instead of shoes, and its just….not as fun.
We feel you, and we want to help. Sylvan Learning is a tutoring center, but we’re also a community, and we’re a part of YOUR community. We’ve come up with a little list of tips to absolutely crush Back-to-School and kick off this year with a bang.
- Reintroduce Regularly Scheduled Programming.
- Start reinforcing a normal bedtime/routine now, so that going to bed early and getting up early becomes more natural. It makes those Monday mornings much easier, and it’s one less thing to worry about next week.
- Now is also a great time to start introducing normal mealtimes. Sometimes we get too comfortable grabbing a snack whenever we want, but having the structure of 3 meals a day can help with focusing during school time.
- Get Organized.
- Create a family calendar for everyone, so that you are all on the same page. Time management is tricky, and writing down major deadlines, assignments, due dates, events and extra-curricular activities all in one place not only promotes accountability and schedule visualization, but takes the stress away from having to remember everything off the top of your head!
- Keep Up With The Good Habits!
- If your family has established some great study habits that are productive and efficient, don’t ditch them now! This year is going to look different, so if your family had a good summer learning routine going, don’t forget about the fun activities that kept your students engaged with art, reading writing, or whatever keeps them interested!
- Speak Up.
- Help your child to speak up when he or she doesn’t understand a concept. It’s intimidating to speak up on a virtual class, so encourage them to ask questions. Make sure they know it’s okay to not know, and that using the “Chat” feature on Zoom is a great way to reach out for help.
If you’re still struggling with virtual learning this fall, don’t hesitate to reach out to us! We are here to help, however you need it. We have homework support for students of all ages, as well as discounted tutoring packages! Let us know how we can help you and your student!
