Back-to-School – Collective Wisdom

Last year I reached out on Twitter and here at Resourceful Mommy to find out what parents wish they had known before sending their first child to school.  My daughter, Emma, was heading off to kindergarten, so the topic was very much on my mind.  The tips were incredibly valuable, and I personally enjoyed the sense of community when readers came together around a timely topic.  With back to school once again upon us, I’d like to try the same thing, only with a twist.  This year I’d love for you to answer this question:

What is the most valuable lesson you learned during the course of the last school year?

Did you find your voice as a parent when faced with parent/teacher conferences?  Did you learn to de-clutter your calendar and calm your child’s life?  Share your nuggets of wisdom in the comments below and watch for some of the to be featured in a future post.

Let’s hear your tips!

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8 Comments

  • As a teacher on hiatus, being on the flip side of the parent-teacher interactions is still difficult (son heading into second grade after Labor Day). The biggest lesson I learned last year is to listen to my heart. When you think something more is going on, you are probably right. No matter what the teacher says you know your child the best and are their biggest advocate.

  • @txcotton

    Can’t wait!

  • I learned a valuable lesson last year from my son, then a third grader. He had an incredible teacher but the rumor at the beginning of the year was that she gave a lot of homework. He had spent much of second grade complaining about writing spelling sentences and I was dreading the tough year. Turns out he had an incredible experience. He excelled in the class, loved the teacher, totally figured out the (very detailed) organizational plan she put in place and did not complain once about the homework load (which was definitely a huge increase from second grade). The secret – I (and his awesome teacher) let him be empowered to figure it out, make homework choices and do the assignments in his own way. It helped that his teacher was so great — for example, she used technology extensively and they did fun multi-media projects rather than just learning from a book — but showing him the confidence that he could handle this on his own made all the difference in the world.

  • As a teacher, albeit a secondary school teacher, I would like to have parents make more effort to contact me. I call parents as often as I can but rarely does a parent call or email me. I would suggest introducing yourself to your child’s teacher and emailing once every couple of weeks or more if you have concerns.

  • i should’ve listened to the teacher last year when she said one of my boys had a tough time reading. with four kids i didn’t make it a priority to sit and work with the one who needed help. this year i’m having to work extra hard to make sure he has a successful year at reading!!!

  • I learned that some of the most important lessons in life have been taught to me by my 5-year-old daughter. Harness the passion for learning, seize those teachable moments, take pride in accomplishments and love like there’s no tomorrow. Youth may be fleeting but the joys of watching your child learn and grow can last a lifetime.

  • I learned that I have to ask more questions if I want to be up-to-date with school information. Last year I made the mistake of not asking things to the teachers every time I picked up my son because I didn’t want to seem intrusive. After all, they do have a “notices” notebook where all announcements and info is posted there. But I still kept missing a lot of information! When I asked other moms (after the fact), they always said that they asked the teachers. Live and learn! Now I’m the nosy, annoying parent that I didn’t want to become.

  • Glad that I am just the Grandmother. It sure makes life lot easier. Don’t worry ladies the time goes faster then we realize.
    Diana is so right on this one “Youth may be fleeting but the joys of watching your child learn and grow can last a lifetime.”
    Debbie