Back to School - Disappontment?

Our back-to-school buying habits do not help kids succeed in the classroom!

Parents are buying new book bags, school clothes, tennis shoes, notebooks, pens, etc., with the mistaken belief that this will help their child succeed in school. By mid-September the clothes will be dirty, the book bag will be torn, the new pens will be lost, and the notebook will have writing all over the cover. Additionally, those "in" sneakers will suddenly be "out" and the new "must have or I'll die" pair will cost you another $125.

The back to school retail season is the second most important market for retailers ? a staggering $14 Billion is spend from mid July until mid-September to get our children ready for the new school year. Yes, it is important that our children have the right mind set for their new school year's challenge. Certainly, they need to get off on the right foot and make a good first impression with the teachers. The question becomes ? what do parents do when the new clothes, shoes, book bags, and things become "old"? (Old in a student's eyes can be anything over two weeks.) What do we give our children to help them for the rest of the school year?

Our gift is to teach our children how to take more responsibility for their education. It is essential that we give them the tools they need to succeed today, tomorrow, and for the rest of their lives. How can we get kids to "own" their education? If we show them how to set and achieve goals and how to use these principles in the classroom we will give them important life skills tools that they will use for a lifetime.

Teach Your Child:

1. No Vision = No Direction. Have them write down what they want to accomplish in the first 10, 20, 30 days of the school year.

2. Teach them not to Don't Find Fault ? Find A Solution

3. Minimizing the Bummer Words: Show them how these six words that can hold them back from being successful - no, can't, won't, never, maybe, and if.

4. Coach your child that To Earn More they will have to Learn More, Think More and Do More

5. Stress the "I'll Make It Happen" words: yes, I can, and I will.

6. Demonstrate to them the power of Eliminating Excuses

7. Show them tangibles examples of how to set and achieve goals. Give them examples for how to use goal setting in the classroom.

8. Help them to develop a habit to ask themselves each day: "Did I Give My Best Effort to Today's Activities?"

9. Demonstrate the importance of Helping Others

10. FOCUS = Vision + Goals + Attitude + Action

Teaching your child how to set and achieve goals will make a positive, long-term difference in their performance in the classroom, in the workplace and in life.

John Bishop is the Executive Director of Accent on Success?, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping students succeed in the classroom and in life. He is the author of Goal Setting for Students? which has won three national parent book awards.

Please visit our website www.AccentOnSuccess.com for more information.

314-664-6110
jbishop@AccentOnSuccess.com
http://www.AccentOnSuccess.com

---

Small Children, Languages and Myths

Our children are growing up bilingual in the French part of Canada ? Qu?bec. "That's fine", says everyone. "Even though they'll probably start speaking later because they're learning two languages at once, they'll... Read More

How To Homeschool Without Making Your Child An Outcast

If you are currently homeschooling or considering homeschooling your child, you probably know all the benefits homeschooling can provide. You'll have more control over the curriculum, be able to customize teaching to your... Read More

Healthy Eating For Children: Six Simple Rules

Rule #1 Make Every Bite Count!Everything your child eats should be nutritious. Children can be picky and inconsistent, so make sure that what they do eat is really good for them. That way... Read More

Family Meetings 101

Family meetings provide opportunities for feelings to be aired and validated. They also allow younger children to feel they are an important part of the decision-making process when it comes to family vacations... Read More

7 Ways to Know Your Child

How well do you really know your child?There is so much information at our fingertips to learn more about a child's personality, 'behaviorisms' and intelligence. Of course, we want to be the best... Read More

Dads, Handle your Kids Mistakes

One of the most difficult parts of being a father is learning to accept your children's mistakes. It certainly can be easy to be loving, supportive, and helpful when your children are mistake-free,... Read More

What You Can Learn About Life From Your Children

You can learn a lot from children.The best part of all is the advice is priceless.Walls looked so much better when they are decorated with artwork. Markers and crayons work best.The living room... Read More

Help Your Kids Learn More About Managing Their Personal Economy

Remember when cash was a tangible commodity in all of our personal economies? As kids, we went to the bank, shopped with our parents and frequently watched them pay with cash. Now with... Read More

More Water, Not Less, Will Help End Bedwetting

Children are notoriously bad at drinking enough liquids. They are so busy playing they sometimes 'forget' to drink. Sometimes, children seem like camels - able to go for ages without having a drink.... Read More

Say No to Mealtime Mayhem: Eating Out With Your Baby or Toddler

Many parenting books advise against eating out with young children. Their short attention span and need to be involved in everything will mean a nightmare for you, they say. They're wrong. We eat... Read More

MORAL ARMORS Irrational Parenting, Part II

Handing Down Malignancy.Children may begin bright and eager to face the world, but are often inundated with the conditioning of their fear-ridden predecessors speaking of lost dreams-taken by no one in particular. Their... Read More

Does Sexual Abuse Usually Occur Just Once?

Your daughter tells you that Uncle Charley has touched her bottom and she doesn't like to sit on his lap anymore! Should you believe your child? Yes.Your initial reaction is to confront Uncle... Read More

The Challenges of Single Parenting

Having worked with parents for the last 35 years and written books on parenting and relationships, I've discovered that one of the greatest challenges for us as parents is to be loving role-models... Read More

Diagnosing ADHD in Children, an Introduction

Everyone in a private practice setting who works with children or adults is going to have their own opinion on how Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder - ADD or ADHD - should be diagnosed.... Read More

Taking Home Souvenirs, Not Junk

Gift shops are a kid magnet and often a trip highlight! Do you cringe at the sight inexpensive trinkets and novelty items that will be lost or broken in the span of hours?... Read More

Friends Are A Gift You Give Yourself

My oldest boy is fifteen and was a real jerk about a month ago. He had gotten pretty full of himself and acted like he was too cool for the rest of the... Read More

Raising a Tobacco-Free Kid

We begin forming healthy habits at a young age. With all that we know about smoking, it is astounding that young people will still take that first puff of a cigarette just to... Read More

Picky Eater Syndrome

'Picky Eater' is a label coined to describe the phenomenon that someone has discerning taste preferences different from their parents or others. These discerning taste preferences are dictated by their blood and body... Read More

MORAL ARMORS Irrational Parenting, Part I

"If a kid asks where rain comes from, I think a cute thing to tell him is "God is crying." And if he asks why God is crying, another cute thing to tell... Read More

5 Ways To Help Your Kids Do Math

Uh oh.Your kids arrive home with their school reports and it's poor marks from the math department. Now what do you do?You may not be a math teacher, but thankfully there are ways... Read More

Guerilla Parenting Techniques: What Are They?

When you hear the phrase, 'guerrilla parenting techniques', what images come to mind? I see a big, broad shouldered soldier, dressed in green fatigues, with brown paint on his face. His chest is... Read More

Play the Ball, Not the Man!

As parents and teachers, sometimes we want to praise, at other times we need to rebuke. Either way, how do we put our point across with maximum effectiveness? Adults entrusted with the character... Read More

Life Lessons in a Glass of Beer

It was blisteringly hot last Saturday. As I took that first sip of a cold quality beer I knew it was sure to ease my thirst. However, I never expected that in that... Read More

A Mothers Way

Dear MomOn this day set aside to honour "Mother's" let me tell you a story about you and me and your granddaughter Shelby."Hi Mom, I'm in a really bad space" so many things... Read More

Surviving As A Single Parent: Seven Simple Suggestions To Make Your Life Easier

1 - Forgive even if you will never be able to Forget -Let go of grudges you may hold against your child's other parent, who is absent from BOTH of your lives. Holding... Read More

The Thing with Quality Time

It's funny how people seem to think that they have spent quality time with their kids after work by bringing them out to the mall for a lifeless and meaningless stroll only to... Read More

Ten Tips to Stimulate Your Newborns Senses

A number of scientific studies have shown the way a baby uses her senses in the early months of life is crucial to future development. A baby, whose senses are stimulated develop a... Read More

School Issues: When Should an ADHD Child Be Held Back In School?

This can be a very complicated issue, so I don't mean to suggest that my comments here are the definitive thoughts on the subject. For a parent to even consider the issue, things... Read More

Clean Your House Green for your Children?s Sake

My thirteen-year-old daughter recently called me up to say she had cleaned the whole kitchen and bathroom herself. So many emotions ran through me at that moment. First, I was shocked by the... Read More