Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
20 THE STANDARD STYLE / FAMILY / PARENTING / BACK TO SCHOOL<br />
September 14 to 20 2014<br />
It’s the back to school blues again, isn’t it?<br />
Prudence Muganiwah<br />
And if you are a parent to one or<br />
two young ones, or three, you are<br />
bound to have gone through one<br />
hell of a time this past week! What<br />
with the packing off to boarding<br />
school, replacing uniforms that had<br />
become too small, standing in bank<br />
queues to pay fees, getting the little<br />
princesses’ hair done and so on. And<br />
this was obviously over and above<br />
the usual work routines, church and<br />
community engagements, caring for<br />
elderly parents, and the list goes on.<br />
As the new school term settles in,<br />
there are a lot of practical tips that<br />
may help ease your day just a little<br />
more, dear parent:<br />
Carpool – Organize one with<br />
your friends or other parents from your<br />
area. That half-hour you do not make a<br />
morning or afternoon school run will<br />
save you in terms of time, and allow<br />
you to get your other tasks done earlier.<br />
Sleep routines – Your little<br />
one/s was understandably now used<br />
to the holiday routine where probably<br />
they woke up around 9 and started<br />
off their day playing games with<br />
their pet, friends, siblings or watching<br />
their daily dose of cartoons. <strong>The</strong><br />
transition to the school days routine<br />
will not be easy as they now need to<br />
wake up at least 3 hours earlier. You<br />
will have to make sure the mornings<br />
are less hectic by being more<br />
organized the night before – pack<br />
lunchboxes, aid your son or daughter<br />
in doing their homework And<br />
checking it, make sure all shoes are<br />
polished and uniforms are ready.<br />
More lunch ideas - Be creative<br />
with the lunchboxes. Think out of<br />
the box, literally! Always strive to<br />
come up with quicker ideas on how<br />
to fill your child’s stomach – BUT<br />
without compromising their health.<br />
Give them lunch money as opposed<br />
to a packed lunch at least once a<br />
week, to help on the variety as well<br />
as keep the fun! Involve your kids as<br />
well in the packing of their meals –<br />
you are helping them become more<br />
self-sufficient as well as ensuring<br />
you actually pack what they like –<br />
I know one kid who would always<br />
come back with all his sandwiches<br />
and the mum had no clue what was<br />
wrong, sometimes even yelling at<br />
him. Only to discover that all the<br />
poor little one could not stand was<br />
the butter mum used as a base on all<br />
her sandwiches.<br />
Hopefully with these seemingly<br />
insignificant tips, your days will<br />
be made easier, your kids’ more fun<br />
and consequently this coming week<br />
will be better.<br />
Prudence Muganiwah<br />
THIrd term is upon us, and the<br />
Ordinary and Advanced level candidates<br />
in your home are probably<br />
besides themselves as panic mode<br />
sets in and nerves are all over the<br />
place. Of course they are wondering<br />
if they have done enough in terms<br />
of studying, research and mentally<br />
preparing themselves for the exams<br />
that they are due to write in a few<br />
weeks. Exams that will determine<br />
their next step in terms of education<br />
– exams that will determine<br />
their fate. And naturally, you are<br />
probably increasingly concerned<br />
too, as the days draw nearer. Is there<br />
anything that can be done now? But<br />
of course!<br />
• Form study groups – your<br />
teen’s teachers may have already<br />
done this, but it may be beneficial<br />
for your child to be part of a study<br />
group so that they share ideas, exchange<br />
notes and books, and help<br />
each other understand their studies<br />
better. It may even be a Whatsapp<br />
group where helpful links are<br />
shared.<br />
• Go over notes – this is the oldest<br />
and safest way to keep all that data<br />
locked up in your teen’s brain. Encourage<br />
them to try to read as they<br />
go, after a day at school, they should<br />
go over everything they wrote so it<br />
sticks. And they should not just flip<br />
pages, but make sure they understand<br />
and grasp concepts otherwise<br />
they are just looking at words and<br />
passing time!<br />
• Start the syllabus over – now<br />
this is not to say your child will<br />
need to do everything from scratch,<br />
there is simply no time! But in their<br />
spare time, they can start from the<br />
very first chapter of all the recommended<br />
text books, and go over the<br />
basic, main topics just to refresh<br />
their minds and have an overview<br />
of the whole course.<br />
• Seek extra help – whilst going<br />
over what they have learned by<br />
themselves is a good way to brace up<br />
for exams, it is also crucial that your<br />
teen seeks their teacher or tutor’s<br />
help and guidance where needed.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y may be grey in some areas,<br />
or doubtful of certain concepts –<br />
daily attempts should be made to<br />
just try and clear these as the term<br />
progresses so that when exam time<br />
comes, both you and your teen don’t<br />
regret not having asked.
Change language