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Roger The Math Tutor - Newsletter

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School Again????
Only a few weeks away and then another school year starts. Here are some important tips to remember regardless of the age, or grade of your child.


The teacher will form their opinion of your child within the first week of school.

The challenge is to not take any teacher opinions personally. They will just be a great signal of the year ahead. It is important to get the email of the teacher as soon as possible. The great news is a lot can be resolved through emails.

The teacher categorizes as a natural way to try to manage, or control a classroom. It is very difficult for them to change their perception without some strategy on your part as a parent.

Your child will form their opinion of the teacher within the first three days.

Here is the good news. You will know if there is going to be a problem with the teacher at least four days before the teacher does. Your child will form their opinion and fall into groups within the first three days.

If they tell you they like the teacher then it is probably true. It is easier for a child to say they don't like the class. This is because it gives them a built in reason for why things might not go smooth for the rest of the year.

The hardest adjustment is getting into the new daily groove.

The biggest adjustment is really a change in schedule. If you can get your child to make the changes in time the last three days of the week they start then you will save a lot of anxiety.

Get a homework schedule as soon as possible.

The first week is usually light, second is medium and third is let me dump this workload on you. Get on a schedule during the first week when it is light. Most children should work in twenty minute chunks and then take a short break. If the work is taking them more than thirty minutes then they need extra help.

Remember most children have the same goal that is to play more and work less.

It is best not to fight this, but to make it work to your advantage. When children understand the concept that they can get more done when they are focused earning them more play time they become extremely productive. Ten minutes of focused work can get a lot of homework done.