New School Year Resolutions for Teachers and Parents

New school year is upon us. Another summer came and went. Leaves of all colors are fluttering in the air.  Our children will only be this age once in their lives. How and which direction we guide them shape both their present as well as their future. Despite our efforts to push toward outward success you can never be sure what is truly best for them. With the resolutions and the tools I share here I want to help you have the peace of mind that you are facilitating and not hindering your kid’s life.  These resolutions will put you on the right track to create a balanced and academically fulfilling life for your kids.

I often talk about middle path in my blog posts, in this article again I urge you to get the right balance.

Resolution No1: Focus on Healthy Work and Pleasure Balance, Not On Grades

We all know from experience that our brainiest friend from school did not turn out to be the happiest and most fulfilled person in life.  Did not the so called ‘lazy and dumb’ ones sometimes turn out to be the most balanced adults?

Success is measured over the course of a lifetime, not by the certificates of excellence.  Make sure you are not hypnotized into focusing on grades too much at the expense of an age appropriate balanced life.

We told our 11 year old last year we did not expect her to get good grades but to learn how to learn.  Going go to school to learn to learn does not seem like an innovative idea but it is.  We had to have special meetings with teachers not to put pressure on our daughter, expecting her to perform all the time.  Even though that was an eye opener for some, for others if we were not seen as expert we might have been marginalized and labeled as ‘odd ‘ to say the least.

We wanted our child to have enough time to develop necessary skills to become an ethical, motivated and resilient learner. We hope she studies not to please anyone, not because she is afraid she will fail in life but because she is interested in learning and is being responsible.

You can communicate this by not showing so much interest in the test results but emphasizing the importance of effort, hard work, resilience, and intellectual curiosity.

Resolution No2: Eat Mostly Raw, Unprocessed Food

Eating raw and unprocessed food will help your family to perform better at all areas of life.  Your general health will improve. Your minds will be sharper; you will see the bigger picture more easily.  Your energy will rocket.

We had these acquaintances who told us one day that even though their kids ate junk food their health did not suffer.  However the little boy kept being hospitalized during the winter for long periods of time.

Developing healthy eating habits requires patience and  self-awareness. You need to walk the talk if you were to have long term influence with your kids.

Resolution No3: Make Sure All the Family Get Enough Sleep

The effects of not getting enough sleep influence almost every aspect of your child’s life. Some of the problems caused by not sleeping enough are tiredness, symptoms of ADHD such as hyperactivity and inability to concentrate, diffculty in learning as if they have a sieve like brain.

However sleeping enough has benefits you need to know:

• Sleep balances brain activity so that memory, learning and emotional balance are optimal.
• Sleep organises metabolism, making us happy, alert and energetic, eager to learn.
• Having enough sleep makes us more sociable and focus better.

Resolution No4: Balanced Life Involves Physical Exercise and Extracurricular Activities

Being forced to sit long hours in a classroom even with regular breaks contributes to behavior as well as weight problems. I strongly advise you as parents to encourage your child’s involvement with extracurricular activities. Activities range from drawing, various sports, music,  chess, etc. to anything that is in your child’s interest.  Pursuing what they want help them to develop their personality, social skills, critical thinking and more which will help them in their adult life. For example sports would give an edge for healthy competition.

I often meet parents who see such activities as distractions from academic achievement. It is not true. Often the academic performance improves as a result of such activities.  This might be due to increased self-esteem and motivation. Children learn time management when they need to allocate their time to different activities of their choice. School work is not a choice they make but these activities give them a sense of purpose, energy which they can then use for their studies.

Resolution No5: Beware of Overloading your Child’s Time
Children need enough free time to reflect and assimilate what they have been exposed.  Unplanned time provides space for creativity to develop through play and personal choice. Creating a context for our kids’ creativity to flourish is very vital.  I will go as far as saying it is as important as academic achievement. If your child will be able to cope with the unpredictable nature of life with its ups and downs he or she will need creativity to solve problems.

Your children need to spend time as part of the family to feel connected to you and to each other.  You need to cherish meal times, weekends and holidays to strengthen the bond between each other.  This can only be possible if your children’s life is balanced between school work and activities of their choice.