By Stacy DeBroff 

For most students, summer is a three-month-long vacation for the brain. Here are some great tips to keep your child's mind sharp throughout the summer months, without them even knowing it! 

PREVENTING SUMMER AMNESIA:

-    Kids think “school’s out, summer’s here, don’t bore me with anything intellectual!”
-    Teachers complain about spending the first two months of school reviewing material forgotten due to summer learning loss

There are 2 major ways to counter this summer amnesia as a parent

1) Make sure your child doesn’t see books as foreign objects collecting dust on the shelf.

-    Have the library staff recommend great thrillers and adventure books.
-    Pick an exciting and challenging book to read aloud together, even with a middleschooler!, as it increases vocabulary, improves his listening skills, and stimulates his imagination.
-    Set and stick to limits on TV, video, and computer games: just as you during the school year.
-    And remember that even comic books and magazines beat reading nothing at all!

2)  It’s never to late to add some fun, intellectual activities to your summer plan! For example:

-    Visit a local museum, going to the gift shop first to buy 4 postcards of exhibit items and turning the visit into an adventurous treasure hunt, or
-    Cook together with your child, even doubling recipes, as each step involves math and science.

JUMP STARTING THE FALL

-    We are shockingly already into July; and before you know it, the first day of school will be here with all the unresolved academic and social issues of last year coming back into play
-    Take the next 6 weeks to craft a detailed 2-page letter about your child for next year’s teachers. Teachers swept up in the tumult of a new school year so appreciate getting insight into your child: everything from passions outside of school to intellectual interests and interpersonal dynamics. Think of this as your summer homework.
-    Watch any negative comments to your child about this coming year’s teachers, such as “I heard your teacher Mrs. Smith for this coming year is….very strict or not very good or very demanding….” Teachers say these comments ultimately get back to them in the classroom in the form of a disrespectful behavior, as it does not take long for your child to feel the same way about the teacher as you do.
-    Encourage increased independence and responsibility at home this summer: your child will apply the same qualities to his education. Learning to pick up after himself and keep track of his stuff this summer will prepare your child for the self-reliance teachers look for.
-    Be on the lookout for summer stories your child will be asked to share in September and have your child dabble in summer creative writing capturing exciting details while they are fresh.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN TEACHERS AND PARENTS:

 -    Complete disconnect between the two camps: agree among themselves but not with each other!
-    Teachers want to collabarate and parents want to advocate, which teachers in turn think as wanting to agitate
-    Teachers want the opportunity to work things out, taking time to figure out an issue, such as why a child struggles academically or thinks the teacher hates him, while parents feel aggravated and want immediate action and a fast, definitive resolution when a big problem presents itself.
-    School administrators and teachers often fear increased parental vigilance . Many teachers would prefer to shut their classroom doors to keep parents away rather than be overwhelmed by criticism, demands, incessant meddling, and complaints to the principal.
-    Misunderstandings build crisis

NAVIGATING A FINE LINE

-    Parents feel that teachers lack the time to focus on the needs of an individual child in a class upwards of 20 plus kids all clamoring for attention.
-    We fear that w/o our intervention an average child will get lost in the shuffle, a smart kid ignored, and a struggling kid will fall further.
-    Key = Where to draw the line so not over involved to point that we drive teachers crazy.
-    A huge parental fear lurking in the background is that our children will fall behind academically if we don’t push and stay on top of the details. In our more anxious moments, we worry that our children’s untapped potential will be lost in a tidal wave of mediocrity.
-    Take nightly homework struggles. We’ve all been there. You’re trying to help your child sitting at kitchen table until wee hours so picture perfect and all corrected. (Brooks planet story) Teachers say it’s the worst thing you can do. Teachers want to know if your child is struggling to address it in class.

THE IDEAL LEVEL OF INVOLVEMENT

-    We parents find it difficult to strike the fine balance of advocating for our children in an informed, strategic manner without micromanaging details to the point where our children lack the confidence to tackle problems independently.
-    Ideally we intervene as:
-    Facilitators not meddlers
-    Homework consultant not co-participant
-    Enablers not controllers
-    Build a united front with the teacher even if disagree
-    Dinner stats alone: family dinners 4 nights a week TWICE more likely to get A’s

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