DEAR TEACHER
– by Peggy Gisler and Marge Eberts
Helping all parents make their
children’s educational experience
as successful as possible
How Much Routine Do
Students Need?
Q
uestion: How much rou-
tine should we have in our
family on school days? I
don’t want every minute of the day to be
organized for our children. — For Some
Routine
Answer: There are no hard and fast
rules about how much routine children
should have during the school year. Rou-
tines need to reflect each child’s personal-
ity and needs. For example, a child with
ADHD will definitely profit from quite a
bit of structure, while one who seems to
have a built-in organizer can function with
far fewer routines.
There is a need to have some routines
in every home just to make things function
smoothly. This should include a morning
routine that will have a time for getting
up and dressed, eating and for leaving the
home with everything needed for school.
Most homes also have homework and
bedtime routines to give a sameness to
every day. No routine should cover every
minute of the day. Free time needs to be
part of every routine.
Finally, if a routine doesn’t seem to
be working, change it. And the older your
children get, the more input you should get
from them.
Ways to Foster
Children’s Creativity
Question: All we ever hear about is
that kids need to be creative. Of course, I
want my kids to be creative. Beyond what
the teachers are doing with their assign-
ments, how can I foster their creativity? —
For Creativity
Answer: One of the keynotes to cre-
ativity is being curious about things. Babies
and toddlers are naturally curious. To them
everything is fascinating. You can build on
this by talking with them about what they
see as wonderful. For example, when they
observe that the moon is a circle. Ask them:
what other circle shapes do you see in the
sky, on cars or in our home? And when
they express an interest in anything from
coins to birds, help them build upon it with
books, videos, and conversations.
Basic routines need to be written out
and displayed. Pictures can be used for
young children. And there is another thing
about following routines — they need to
be flexible. They will change as activities
are added or eliminated. When routines
are disrupted by outside events, such as a
traffic jams, dinner, and homework proj-
ects, they can be changed. As children grow older, they move
more toward finding the right answer rath-
er than going deeper and finding out more
about things. So, help them widen their
horizons by finding out more about oppos-
ing views or connections to other things.
This is certainly an easy thing to do with a
subject like politics. Asking, “What do you
think?” is always a good way to start them
thinking creatively. Another is to take a
common item like a coat hanger and ask
what else could this be used for. This will
get your children thinking outside the box,
which is what creative people do.
To help some children follow rou-
tines, especially early morning ones, a
kitchen timer can be used to show when
a particular activity should begin or end.
Rewards can also be used if they are an
effective tool in encouraging children to
follow routines. There is one other big thing that par-
ents can do to raise creative children. They
can, in their own lives, show the children
their own wonder and curiosity about
things. Plus, another helpful trait of creat-
ing creativity in children lies getting them
accustomed to different ways of handling
26 WNY Family August 2019
obstacles from a difficult math problem to
a bully. Asking the right questions can ac-
celerate this process.
What Needs to Be
Done Before the
First Day of School
Question: My child will start an ex-
cellent school this year according to all
my neighbors. What should I do before the
first day? — Wondering
Answer: Begin by asking the school
principal for a school handbook. This will
answer many questions that will arise over
the year. If your school doesn’t have a
handbook, ask the principal and teachers
questions such as the following:
What teaching methods and materi-
als are used? Are the methods used
to teach reading and math based on
scientific evidence about what works
best? Are science and social studies
materials up to date?
How much time is spent on each sub-
ject such as reading, math, science,
and history?
How does the school measure student
progress? What tests does it use?
Does the school meet state standards
and guidelines?
Are teachers highly qualified? Do they
meet state certification requirements?
For children beginning kindergarten,
ask: What areas are emphasized in the
kindergarten program? How focused
is it on academic instruction?
If you have not seen it, ask to look at
the school’s report card. These report
cards show how your school com-
pares to others in the district and indi-
cate how well it is succeeding.
Find out if the school has a website
and, if so, get the address. School
websites can provide you with ready
access to all kinds of information —
schedules of events, names of people
to contact, rules and regulations.
Let your children know that you think
that school and learning are very im-
portant. This will help your children
to develop a positive attitude towards
school.
Parents should send questions and com-
ments to dearteacher@dearteacher. com
or to the Dear Teacher website.