Building Momentum

Over the past 22 years of teaching I have been asked many, many times about what students can do to have great momentum for the summer and the next school year. It's a great - and incredibly understandable - question. It can be easy to assume that it's just the parents that want their child to build on skills moving forward. But the truth is, many students have goals and aspirations for themselves, even if they don't necessarily have all the tools and ideas about how to get where they want to be.

So, here are some of the common things I have shared with parents and students over the years...

*Reading --> so crucial. Make a plan to read for at least 20-30 minutes a day. Yes, even during the summer. Make it part of the daily routine, and that's what it becomes: routine. If this is something that is established during the busy school year, it can be an easier thing to maintain during the summer months. Something that can help with this is having a regular "spot" and time to read. When it's something kids can depend on and be comfortable with it is even easier. Have your child create a wish list of books they'd like to read, and don't be afraid to make that a long list! This is easier to make during the school year when they're exposed to a lot of text at school through teachers and classmates. Encourage your kid to read as wide a variety of genres as possible, but always remember that at the end of the day - reading anything is a positive start. The wise saying (not mine) that I remind my own students at school is: Read what you love until you love to read!

*Writing --> just as important but often overlooked. Often times students and parents may struggle with what to write about. Usually, this might be because people can build up the thought of writing and give it an elevated importance/prestige. In truth, writing is just like reading, practicing a musical instrument or sport, or exercising a muscle...it just takes a lot of reps! A great, simple workaround to this is to write about what you know. This can start with writing reflections around what you're reading, a movie or show you watched, writing a review of a restaurant, writing a game summary of a game you watched or even played in, etc. The more students get the chance to write - even small, quick writing samples - the better they're able to build their voices.

*Organization/Planning --> like I mentioned with reading, start building some routines while the school year is still going! Sit down and set some goals together...listen to your child as they talk about their interests, passions, hopes and dreams. Tie this type of planning with reading goals, and establish some great routines around planner use, consistent reading/homework time, breaking down larger projects into smaller chunks, and having a dependable organizational system. Work with and encourage your child, but push them toward as much autonomy and ownership as possible. It might be slow and painful at first, but any little bits of progress will go a long way!