School is starting soon. Everyone is frantically buying new pencils, backpacks, and crayons. There are
videos and memes about parents excited for the kids to stop being lazy and being glad that they are
going back to school. Students however are not so excited. Most people think kids don’t want to go back
to school because that means they can’t sleep in anymore, however the real issue is deeper than that.
Imagine that you know that in the morning you are going to walk into work and your desk is no longer in
the same spot that it was for the past year. On top of that, you are going to have a brand new boss that
you don’t know personally, but all her former employees are telling you he/ she is mean. You would be
freaked out too, right?

That is how a student feels every year. They are unsure of whether they will see their friends at lunch.
They may be nervous about how the teacher will react to what their favorite movie or book is. You can
always tell it is the first day of school because most students do not speak, at least not in front of the
teacher.

So how can you help?

• With technology today, take a video of your student introducing themselves and email it to the
  teacher.
• Have your student write down all the things they are worried about and go through each one
  individually. Don’t just toss each one aside, come up with a plan on how for them not to be
  nervous.
• Make sure everything is ready the night before. Is the student’s name on their notebook? Do
  they like the outfit they are going to wear? Being prepared will help ease the stress level of the
  student.
• Make sure the student eats something the morning of, even if they say they aren’t hungry.
  Being nervous sometimes makes us not hungry, but your student will not be thinking clearly if
  they do not eat something.
• Finally, reassure them that their teacher is just as nervous. Believe me, sleep does not come
  easy for teachers the night before school starts. We are just as nervous that we will mess up
  someone’s name, forgot to copy something, and a million “what if this happens” run through
  our minds.I hope these suggestions help you and your student get through the first day with minimal issues.