Hello!

A new school year is a fresh start—not only for students, but for parents too! No matter what grade your child is entering, there are things you can do throughout the year to stay involved, informed, and connected to their education.

Here are some of my recommendations for helping your student succeed, along with a few things I think are especially important to know at each stage of their education.

One Thing I Recommend for Every Grade Level

At the beginning of the school year, I recommend emailing your student’s teacher—or teachers—to introduce yourself. Let them know that they are always welcome to reach out if there is anything they notice about your child as a student that they think would be helpful for you to know.

By doing this early, you’ve opened that line of communication and you’re already an easy email contact in their inbox if something comes up later.

I’ve always believed that the more we know as parents, the better equipped we are to support our children. Teachers spend a significant part of the day with our kids and can often provide insight that we simply don’t see at home.

Elementary School

If you have the opportunity, volunteer in your child’s classroom!

It’s a great way to get to know the teacher, your child’s classmates and friends, the classroom routine, and what will be happening throughout the school year. You may even get to see a different side of your child when you watch them interact in their classroom environment—which may surprise some parents!

It’s also an opportunity to create memories. As our kids get older, parents aren’t invited into their school world nearly as often, so enjoy these years while you can.

If volunteering isn’t possible, pay attention to the special classroom and school events that parents are invited to attend and put them on your calendar. Those Mother’s and Father’s Day celebrations, holiday concerts, class parties, and other little events may not seem like a big deal at the time, but they become some of the sweetest memories.

As a mom, I know they are memories I’ll always cherish from when my kids were so little, cute, and loving!

Middle School

Go to Open House!

Middle school is a big transition because students go from having one primary classroom teacher to managing multiple teachers, subjects, assignments, and expectations.

At Open House, you typically follow your student’s schedule and visit each classroom, giving you a quick glimpse into what their school day actually looks like.

Listen to each teacher’s presentation. You’ll learn what they expect from students, how homework is handled, how quizzes and tests are scheduled, and what will be important throughout the year.

There’s another benefit that I think is often overlooked: when your child comes home and starts talking about a teacher, you’ll actually know who they’re talking about! That can make your conversations about school much more meaningful.

The more familiar you are with their school environment, the better you can understand and support their day-to-day school life.

High School

Just like middle school, attend Open House. You’ll hear directly from each teacher about the expectations and academic demands of their classes, and you’ll get a better understanding of what your teenager experiences each day.

And remember: those four years go by incredibly fast.

It is never too early to start learning about the college application process. You don’t need to have everything figured out freshman year, but you should gradually educate yourself about the areas that will become important.

Learn about the SAT and ACT, start exploring colleges your student may be interested in, look at the GPA and test scores typically associated with admission, and research scholarships and other opportunities.

Each year of high school builds on the one before it. Grades, course selection, extracurricular activities, testing, and eventually college applications all become pieces of the bigger picture. The earlier both you and your student understand that, the easier it is to make good decisions along the way.

Our Tutors Are More Than Academic Support

As a mom of teens, I always tell my tutors: sometimes—and for some things—our teenagers simply don’t want to hear it from us!

That’s one reason I encourage our tutors to be another positive voice and support system in their students’ lives.

Yes, their job is to help students understand the material and improve academically, but I also encourage them to remind their students why putting in the effort matters.

Why do good grades matter? Because they can create more opportunities.

Why should they care now? Because the work they’re doing today can affect the choices they have tomorrow.

And why keep working when something is difficult? Because there really is no better feeling than knowing you worked hard for something and then seeing that great score on the test!

I’ll continue reminding our tutors what an important role they can have in their students’ lives. Sometimes having another supportive person encouraging a student to believe in themselves, work hard, and care about their future can make a bigger difference than we realize.