Back to School Guide

Dear Kindergarten Teacher, The day has finally arrived. My tiny baby girl is officially a big kid, starting big school, and I am entrusting a large piece of my heart into your care. There are a few things you should know. 

There are a lot of really important relationships in life, from your spouse to your best girlfriends to the person who cuts your hair. Each of these relationships takes care to flourish.  Your relationship with your kid’s school and teacher is just the same. Here are a few tips to build quality connections…

This was going to be a post about how I got involved with the PTO and am now knee-deep in volunteer commitments. I decided, instead, to throw out some ideas for how you, too, can get involved at your child’s school, at any commitment level. Long story short: Don’t be scared of the PTO. There really is something for everyone.

If you or someone you know has recently sent their first child off to kindergarten you may have noticed that the (mostly) chill mothers of preschoolers often transform into a ball of worry when their first child starts elementary school. 

I signed my last elementary school field trip permission slip this week. It was one of those “How does time go by so quickly!” moments. As my youngest daughter wraps up her elementary school career, I can’t help but have some teary moments as I reminisce, and a few gleeful moments…

Before I was a parent, I always knew that I wanted to home school. After a year of public school, my husband and I made the decision to make the transition. This has been one of those big life changing decisions. A decision that requires support, resources, and community.

Now, I know this schedule is of our own doing. I also know this schedule is quite tame compared to other families, especially those who have more than two kids who are involved in multiple activities. And I’m not here to say how many after-school activities are too many. What works for one family may not work for another.

Life is hard and unfair, failure is inevitable. How in the world can we prepare our children for this life? I believe this is the biggest responsibility that we have as parents. Below I’ve shared things I’ve learned from educators, research that I’ve done on grit, ideas I’ve heard in passing and my own personal experiences parenting three very different girls.