Cure For The Back to School Blues

Parents are jumping for joy at the thought of Back to School. Kids are off on the bus and families are back into their regularly scheduled activities. I envy those parents. I really do. Because I am NOT that mom. I am the mom with the Back To School Blues. Back to school means I no longer get to enjoy those super long breakfasts, lunchtime conversations, and watch as my 6 year old processes the world around him. However, having an amazing teacher can cure your Back to School Blues!

Sending my son off to Kindergarten was hard… like REALLY HARD. All I could think was .. What if his teacher is mean? What is she doesn’t know the signs of him struggling or having a bad day? What if she blatantly ignored his needs altogether and he hates school now? I talked myself out of a million warped & twisted scenarios as I thought about safety and mean classmates. My husband was genuinely excited for our son. He knew our baby would be fine and do great. And the truth is, after I met his teacher and principal, those worries seemed far fetched. Over the course of the next 9 months, the love and admiration I had for his Kindergarten teacher could not be put into words. She not only kept my precious little baby boy safe everyday, she imprinted an impression of school and learning that was fun and made him want to go back everyday for more!

As we ended the year and prepped for 1st grade I was so sad to leave our Kindergarten teacher behind, but excited to meet the infamous first grade teacher we’ve heard such wonderful things about. Leaving Back to School night just solidified how fortunate, lucky, blessed (insert whatever word you think is most appropriate here) we are to have the teacher we do for first grade. She is personable, involved, and someone who truly loves her job. My son comes home everyday, just as excited as his did in Kindergarten, and super comfortable with his new teacher. There’s not much more you can ask for as a parent and I’m happy (and relieved) to say, my Back to School Blues have been cured!

While we’re in a very lucky category with amazing teachers and administration, here are 3 easy ways YOU can cure you Back to School Blues.

Get to know your child’s teacher! You are in a partnership with this teacher for an entire year. Know how you can support and reinforce things happening at school when your child is home. Find out if they have room parents, a PTA, or opportunities for volunteering. You don’t have to be a stay at home mom to communicate with your child’s teacher via email and let them know you are playing an active roll to their education at home!
Reinforce education at home! It doesn’t require hours of studying to support lessons learned at school. Read (even if its a short story) every night before bed. When your child gets home (or when you get home) check their backpack. See if there are any important notices or documents. Make sure required forms are filled out and sent back to school (especially Emergency Contact forms) and have the peace of mind that your child’s record is up to date.
Ask questions! The question “how was school” will give you a response of “good” 9 times out of 10. Ask specific questions about their day, like the funniest thing that happened, who they sat next to at lunch, and their favorite lesson or song of the day.