How To Keep Your Children Excited About School?

The First Day of School

Meet the Teacher was the day before school started. We showed up on time and ran into old friends in the parking lot. Walking up the walk way and we were greeted by Mrs. Morrison, the school secretary who is just a ray of sunshine. Mitchell was excited to be back at school. We walked past the kindergarten building and I got a little teary eyed and he wanted to go in but I told him we were headed to his big boy 1^st grade classroom. The smile I got from him was priceless. We walked into Mrs. John’s classroom and there she was…the teacher I had prayed for. This year marks year 48 for her. She does not use computers, teaches reading comprehension the way I learned it before standardized testing and believes in daily quizzes. She told the parents we were in 1^st grade as well, it’s a team effort. 

Mrs. John's Class room

Mitchell met a new addition to our class and the school and they had so many things in common. I love that my guy is so warm and friendly and open and willing to befriend new people. We showed Dillon and mom the rest of the school and went into the cafeteria to meet all the teachers that would be teaching specials such as Art, Library, Computers, PE, Spanish, Tae Kwon Do,  and science.

Ahhh, the carpool line

I wasn’t nervous about the first day and neither was he. We got to school the next day, I walked him in and he turned around to say goodbye and that was it. After school when I picked him up he got into the car and announced….“MOM! My first day of 1^st grade was GREAT! I was more than excited to hear this. But how did I get this kid that is still excited about school?

1. I pray for his excitement and for me to be an encouragement to him
2. I build up to big events….for example when I talk about school I say, you remember how much fun you had last year in Spanish? Well you get to go two days a week now! And then I do a silly happy dance with him
3. I do not talk negatively about anything, even new stuff
4. I make the conversations age appropriate
5. I enlist the help of my family
6. I rarely include his father, who is extremely negative
7. I speak highly of his teachers and administrators



My lefty doing homework

8. I ask him if he likes school and why

These are not absolutes but guides. As a single parent our job is twice as hard as in a two parent home, it is only our enthusiasm or lack of thereof that our children see on a daily basis. Give them the best you can and many times that mean just sucking it up for an hour while they are doing homework or a cheerful "have a great day" when they get out of the car or a "you look so nice for school today". So many ways to give them a pep in their step. They are only Young once. Enjoy your children at every age. And until our next hot date.