Keep school records longer than you think!
May 19, 2023
Reduce Temptation
June 2, 2023
At Springer, the school year has just ended. Your child is likely finishing too! You and your child may be celebrating the gains made this year--the corner that was turned.
Maybe they finally started to show all their work in math or realized that they have to take a few notes when reading the science assignment. Perhaps your suggestions seemed to meet with less resistance or there was less blaming of other people.
Celebrating accomplishments is important and success is a great motivator!
AND keep this in mind: When progress has been made in school, summer is not the time for “taking off”. This is especially true when so many students are still experiencing the negative impacts of the pandemic.
Summer learning loss has been recognized as an issue since the beginning of the last century. Now, however, there are students who did not learn essential concepts due to the disruption caused by Covid 19. For students who struggle in school the summer learning loss can add up to being several months behind when school begins in August or September. It is best to have a plan in place to continue their good work in reading, math and writing.
If your student is able to get through their homework on their own, you may not have such a battle in the summer. But, if you have fought all year to get the reading done, to use punctuation, edit and memorize math facts, the independent study approach will not work for your child. (You know that!!).
While we all need some kind of a break or vacation time, temper that with purposeful activities. Think about how you will structure summer, so your child is prepared for the start of school. You will need to put structure in place to maintain gains that were made this school year.
In addition to a family book club or writing letters to distant relatives, think about outside resources.
- Can you hire a tutor?
- Is there a reading program at the library?
- Can a grandparent or other relative oversee math work or writing?
- Is there a tutoring program in your school district?
- Most of the time the most efficient work will be accomplished with someone other than you!
The first few weeks of school are always spent reviewing concepts from the previous grade. Without a structured plan, however, your child could be even farther behind than their peers.
Academic work this summer can make the start of next year less stressful for you and your child.
Blogger Mary Ann Mulcahey, PhD, shares her expertise in assessment and diagnosis of learning disabilities and ADHD, and the social/emotional adjustment to those issues. If you have questions, please contact Mary Ann at .
