Back To School Transitions (Kindergarten to Grade 12)

Emily welcomes 3 experts in education to the show to chat about the transition back into another school year! Did you know that it's normal for this transitional period to last for months? Have you been wondering how to help ease the transition back for your kids and your family at large? Find yourself asking if what you're experiencing with your kiddos at home during this time is common? This episode is for you! The time stamps below give a good sense of when we chat about each age group .... but I highly encourage you to listen to the whole episode! Maybe it'll give you some nostalgic feelings of where your kiddos started... or some foresight as to where they're headed in the years to come!

TIME STAMPS:
0:00- Teaser 
1:08 - Intro

3:51 - KINDERGARTEN/PRIMARY CHAT with JENN HANNA
5:46 - Separation anxiety  
9:58 - Sleep and behaviour changes at home
12:28 - Tips for parents 
16:12 - Older primary years and the shift away from play based learning
17:20 - The social piece of friendships at this age

19:35 - INTERMEDIATE GRADES (7/8) CHAT with NICKI DICKSON
22:05 - Anticipation of Highschool
24:17 - Signs that your intermediate student is having a hard time transitioning 
25:32 - The importance of teaching our kids to advocate for themselves
29:58 - The first few months are hard when establishing expectations

31:21 - HIGH SCHOOL CHAT with JASON POOLE
34:19 - Changes in Highschool to be prepared for
35:33 - Signs that your high school student is having a hard time transitioning
37:07 - What the Student Success Resource is for students in high school
40:17 - Resources for Grade 9 students heading into highschool 
43:07 - The complexities of what students of this age group are dealing with

45:38 - Wrap up and takeaways
47:43 - Disclaimer 

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*DISCLAIMER*
Just a reminder, that I am not a medical or psychological professional. Each one of my episodes has been inspired by my own experience and journey through life and is brought to you through my own opinions and my own lens. Any suggestions or advice offered here do not substitute proper conversations with your own healthcare professionals for either your physical or mental wellbeing.

Transcript

We've been back to school for a few weeks now, but the struggle of this transition is still real for many of us. Emotions may still be high, energy may still be low,
and change is definitely still happening. It's important for us as parents to be able to know how to help transition our kids back into school in the best ways we can, so that they can thrive this year but also so that we can too,
and so that our family unit stays loving and close through it all. That's why today's episode is all about school transitions and how to help our kiddos and families get through it with as much ease as possible.
But wait, don't stop listening. Maybe you think this episode is geared to parents of young kids because that's when we think that transition is the most apparent, but it's not. If you've got older kids into the intermediate and high school years,
we've got experts on today from that age group too. Three different educators to talk about all different age groups from our tiniest kindies, going to school for the first time,
all the way up to our grade 12 kiddos exiting the system. So listen in, come on parents, let's giddy up. Well, hey there friend, and welcome to the joyful Flamingo podcast.
I'm your host, Emily Shriver and I am obsessed with empowering women to tune into themselves, to zoom in on their own well -being so in turn they can lead their most vibrant,
aligned, and joyful lives. I want to create a tsunami of self -discovered, self -loved, and self -understood women to show up in this world unapologetically and joyfully and to pass the torch on for generations to come.
If any of that feels aligned with your vibe stick around, I'm so glad you're here. Now let's go find our joy. Hey hey hey Joyful Flamingo Flack and welcome back to another episode of season two.
Today we've got three special guests on the pod so I want to get right down to business today Because they have so much wisdom to pass along and I can't wait to share it with you all. Today is all about transitions for all of you flock members who are parents out there getting your kids back to school.
I think often we think that the transition back into the school year is maybe a one or two week thing, but it truly is not. This transitional time lasts months for many kids and many families and so I intentionally waited until the end of September to come to you with this specific episode.
It really is here to remind you to give yourself grace, have patience, give your kids as much grace as possible as they continue to make their way through this brand new school year.
Even if you feel like the transition is lasting a long time, I promise you, you're not alone. I've called three of my dear friends and experts in the field to chat to us all today as the trusted adults that are in your kids' classrooms,
that are in your kids' schools. And I really, truly know after having so many conversations with parents over the past month, this episode is needed because we have to remember that as we try to transition our little ones back into school,
that comes with struggles and overwhelms sometimes for us as the parents. And you know, here at the Joyful Flamingo, we're all about looking out for our own well -being as well, right?
So that we can give our best selves to our kids too. So today, it really is meant to show you you're not alone in it, give you some advice from some amazing educators on how you can help your kid get back into the school routines and therefore also help yourself through this challenging season as a parent.
Let's get to it. Let's chat with our first guest. Okay, so we're going to welcome Jen Hannah to the podcast this morning first. Jen is a dear friend of mine. And we actually taught side by side for a couple of years when we were both teaching grade four.
Am I right there, Jen? Great for that. Okay. It was a long time ago now, actually, when you think about it. Jen now has actually taught everything from kindergarten all the way up to grade six. She was in a grade six classroom last year,
but this year she's transitioned back into kindergarten land, which is a whole other realm of teaching, I feel like. And I feel like there's a lot of listeners at the podcast that have children of this age group.
So I'm really excited to start here and to chat with you a little bit about what the transition into kind of the first school experience looks like for kids, but the first question I have for you is,
what is the hardest part of transitioning back into school in your household. She also has two girls and they are seven and five. Yep.
Can you give us a little bit of an idea of what the hardest part about transitioning back for your family looks like. - Definitely balance is the hardest thing because teachers put a lot of time into their job that are not in the contract hours.
So there's a lot of time in the evening and weekends where I need to be doing schoolwork but I wanna be spending time with my kids. And this is a job where you need to consciously decide to turn off because you could work at it constantly and there would always still be something more to do.
So I need to make a conscious effort to be with my kids. And it's also tricky because like you said, my kids are five and seven. So one's in grade two and one's in SK. So I'm teaching kids the same age as my daughter.
And so it's hard to then separate school and home. So it's a lot of balance that we need to find. - Being in kindergarten was a big transition for you because you went from grade six back into kindergarten,
but by the time that this releases, you'll have been in the kindergarten classroom for three weeks, because it'll be coming out at the end of September. And you have your own kid in kindergarten as well this year.
So can you give the listeners kind of an idea of what you have found is the hardest for these little tiny people who are coming into school for the first time. What the biggest and hardest transitional part of that looks like for a lot of them.
Like it's something that you know you see in a lot of them. Well, every kid is different. And we do have some that transition seamlessly. But I would say especially this year where we have a lot of COVID babies.
These are kids that were born in 2019 or 2020 and they therefore had a lot of their early years spent differently than we have ever seen before.
So separation anxiety has been a big thing this year. So we see a lot of kids that are really struggling with saying goodbye in the mornings and really emotional throughout the day.
I would say that that's probably the hardest part for the majority of them. We do have some that have their own struggles. We have some with toileting needs and some that don't know how to hold a pencil and some that can't stay awake the whole day.
But I would say the biggest thing is that separation anxiety. And I experienced that with my eldest when she went to JK. And now our youngest in the morning,
but it definitely is ringing true for her as well. And they're both COVID babies of sorts, right? My oldest was born in 2018, but she was only one when the pandemic hit.
And so she was definitely affected by that. And my youngest is a 2021 baby. So I see it across their whole age group of kids, like it definitely is something that is prevalent for them.
And I would imagine just because their development at that age, it's kind of always like that, but it's definitely, I think, heightened for these kids. - Yeah, definitely, and I think also I can see,
if you get an opportunity to help your kid transition, I think having them spend time away, like you said, your youngest is going to preschool a little bit every week, those kinds of routines that you can start establishing before going to full day kindergarten is really great even if it is just a few hours every once in a while or even if it is just with another family member I can see the difference between the
kids that have had experiences outside of the home versus not so it's not necessarily going to be a foolproof solution but it would definitely help if you can have those experiences before they're gone for full day kindergarten because that is a long day and there's a lot of expectations on them as well by that point so it's a lot and if you can help lessen that separation anxiety piece of it then it would probably
go smoother. Yeah and I think it's a transitional time for parents too because most of us who are now sending our kids to full day kindergarten starting in JK and not everybody does but for those of us who are.
Most of us went to school only doing half days or every other day in kindergarten. Is that what you did to when you went to kindergarten? Yes, I believe so.
I know I have to like think back all those years. I remember being like an AM kid. Like I went in the mornings and then I was home in the afternoons. And I don't even remember if it was two years or one year,
but there's definitely a shift that they're going a little bit younger and a little bit longer right so like you said like there are kids who are struggling staying awake in the day because they probably stopped napping maybe even just like a couple months ago or are maybe like this is the first time that they're not napping in a day.
Yes I have a number of kids that are still three years old and still just coming off of napping yeah really a long day for them. So this is actually a good time to shift into talking about how sleep may be changing for parents at home,
because for kindergarten students who were used to an app, and even for the young kids at school, we're talking candy grade one, sometimes even grade two. I think it's quite normal for parents to experience a little bit of shifting in their sleep habits when they get home after a long day of that.
Do you feel like that's a normal thing too? Like, can we put parents' minds at ease knowing that it's not just them. Oh yeah, but definitely they're definitely going to be more tired. These are long and draining days for them.
And for some kids, it may look like them falling asleep on the bus home or right away after school. But for others, it might just mean earlier bedtimes are able to help.
But for some, I know they have trouble falling asleep at night, so it could it could just mean a change in sleep in a lot of different ways it could manifest itself, but it would be totally normal if you're seeing changes in sleep with the transition back to school in the younger years.
And would you say the same rings true for behavior? Because I do know that there are lots of situations where kids are holding it in at school. They're getting through the day, right? They're getting through those six and a half hours.
I remember it as a teacher because I remember then parents coming to say to me, what's happening my kid? Like, is this happening in the classroom because it's happening at home and I would say no but it's because they're saving all of that pent up frustration or behavior and they're saving it for their safe space which it's a good thing that they're saving it for their safe space which is home right now so is that
something that you see or you hear from your parents a lot as well that you know that's coming out after the hours of school, but you don't necessarily see it in school. - Yeah,
exactly. You took the words right out of my mouth. I have a lot that are holding it together and doing their best, but then when they get home, they are able to feel more comfortable and you may see an increase in behavior.
For sure, I have not only students, but other mom friends that are going through that as well. And it's totally normal. I know for me also, my kids. They eat their lunches,
but when they get home from school, they are hangry. And so one thing that has helped us with avoiding the meltdowns between after school and dinner window is doing an after school snack because they're needing that and just some calm,
quiet time to wind down and reset for the night. It's a really good tip. Is there anything else? I'm thinking specifically for the separation anxiety pieces.
Is there anything else that you can give parents a tip or a trick or a suggestion of how they may be able to help their student transition a little bit more? We're in the last week of September now and I know that there are many parents who are still struggling with that transition,
especially at drop off. Do you have any suggestions of what parents can do in those moments to allow their kid to get in as quickly as possible into into the classroom?
For sure, I would say so one thing we kind of do or I've been doing with my parents is just saying you know we're going to rip the Band -Aid off and the longer you drag it out for the harder it is and so kind of set expectations of we're going to this is the last hug and the last kiss and then you need to stick with that and as hard as it is you need to say no we did our hug and kiss and now it's time to
go and then if you have the teacher on board I know I've had to help take kids in which is really hard on your heart as a parent to see them go when they're crying but I can assure you that 99 % of the time within 10 minutes they've completely turned it around it's just once once you're out of sight,
it's out of mind. So, yeah, rip the Band -Aid off and just walk away or whatever you need to do once you know that they're safe and they're with an adult. So team up with the teacher if that's still an ongoing issue.
The other thing I would say we've done is we've read some stories to help with that. So, what we did was the kissing hand and we did the invisible string. Yes,
we have that one at home. it's really great and then we so you could read those at home and just say you know even though I'm not with you we still we're still connected because we have that string between us and remember that story and it helps them to maybe calm themselves a bit and I know one other thing that we did with my daughter when she was first starting school was we did matching bracelets we had that
to kind of we could look at our bracelet or a rubber bracelet when we were thinking of each other and um something like that is a little token something visual is is sometimes helpful too yeah because the invisible string is is something you can't see but if you put a bracelet too of it or something that's perfect yeah this year we did um like something simple it was just a little smiley face that we drew on our
thumb nails um with a sharpie marker which was maybe not the greatest choice but All four of us had that on our thumb in the morning and they gave each other like a little kiss in the morning And then I said to both of them when they went off to school If you're ever feeling a little bit sad or you're feeling like you're missing either your sister or your mom or your dad You can go and take a look at your
thumb and remember that we all have that same little smiley face And we're gonna be so happy to see each other at the end of the day And then at the end of the day we put all of our thumbs together and like they were back together again. I remember when our oldest started,
we found this, it was just a plastic heart and I would hug it every single morning to give like all of our love to put it into this little plastic heart and then she would take it and hold it in her hand when she entered the school.
Again, nothing is ever foolproof, but something visual or tangible like the bracelet or the smiley face or the heart can sometimes be helpful for kids who are having a tough time with that separation anxiety piece,
I think it can go a long way. Okay, and then let's shift a little bit just because you have such an array of knowledge. Now into like the older years, because we focus a lot on kindergarten on that first step into the school structure and how big that transition is for kids.
But the transition is big regardless of the year. Let's shift into what it looks like for some of those older primary grades, maybe even into the junior grades where It's not kindy land anymore.
They're not in play based classrooms anymore. The the academic piece may becoming more apparent for them. Some of them may be shifting into a place of French immersion where they were in English for kindergarten and what types of things we may forget as parents that it's still transitional for that group as well,
even though they're they've been at school before. and they know what school routines and structures look like, but it's still a new year, a new teacher, all that. - Yeah, and like you mentioned,
definitely as each grade goes on, there is less play and more academic focus. They also need to have their attention system for longer and longer periods of time,
and they need to be able to sit still for longer periods of time. They need to be writing more. So everything is just increasing in terms of demands on them. And that can be really challenging for some,
especially if there's an area of that that is hard for them, whether it be sitting still or whether it be the fine motor of writing or attention, that can be really draining. - What about the social piece for those ages too?
Because by the time they get into grade one, two, three, four, they have established friendships with people and have maybe been in the classroom with certain kids a couple of years in a row,
would you have a piece of advice for parents who are helping their kids transition into a new year where they have not maybe been placed with their friends in their classroom? Because it's not always going to be the case for kids that they're always placed with their best friend,
right? So do you have any piece of advice for how parents can help talk their kids through that kind of transition? Well, actually we see a social worker for my daughter and just to help with feelings.
And one thing that she has said and that we keep working on for a lot of different aspects is facts over feelings. So I would use that with this scenario and look at the facts.
Have you made new friends before? Yes. Have you ever had a year where you haven't made any friends? No. So those are the facts. You know how you've made friends before and you have always had friends.
Yes, you feel lonely right now where you're feeling scared, but the fact is, is that you always make friends and you will make friends again. And so you can, you can do this.
Also, again, depending on the school, we are a bigger school. So we do see a lot of movement where they're not necessarily with the same people again and again, but the same grades always have common recess times.
So the older kids and younger kids go out at several times because of our numbers, but their same grades will always be out at the same time. So you can remind them that they'll see them at recess. You can also help by continuing to establish that relationship outside of the classroom.
So setting up play dates with those friends so that they don't feel like they're losing that friendship just because they're not in the same class. For sure. For sure. Those are great pieces of advice for lots of different age groups that fact and feeling piece brings true even for adults.
Thank you and thank you for being with us and thank you for your time. I know it's such a crazy busy time at school right now and we're just so grateful to have had a little chat with you today. No problem.
Thank you for having me. Now we're going to welcome Nikki Dixon to the pod.
She is a two, three teacher this year, but she has taught in the intermediate sector for more than five years now. So she is an expert when it comes to that age group.
And I'm really excited to chat with her about the transition for those trickier grades, which are those intermediate grades of seven and eight specifically. They're a hard lot to teach. I think they're also probably a hard lot to parent.
We don't know yet. I think it's really important for a lot of the listeners out there to know that there's still lots of transition that's happening at that age too. You know, we focus a lot on kindies and primary students because they're leaving their parents for the first time to go to school,
but these sevens and eights have huge transition too, so I'm excited to chat to her. Nikki is also a mom. She's got two boys. One is 10 and one just turned six. So she's got a lot going on at her household too.
And so you can imagine listeners that a mom who's also transitioning her own kids at home, but then also transitioning a group of 20 to 30 kids at school and then back into the routine and structure of extracurriculars and all of it.
It's a lot. And I think that Scheduling is a huge piece of it for a lot of families, figuring out like how are they gonna get to all the places they need to get to? And are they gonna have a meltdown on the way to getting to those places and all that jazz?
It's so good, I think, for parents to hear that even people who are experts with children, AKA teachers, it's still hard, it's still a transition. - Totally,
and I think I probably have more patience for my students that I do my own kids. But yeah, I think sometimes we give our best selves to the students and then we don't always give our best selves when we go to our own kids.
- Yeah, I hear that. My first question about the intermediates is their transition definitely looks different because they've been at school. They know what the routines and the structures look like and all of that.
But there are kind of two different routes that a seven or eight student will go in our board, um, where my kids live, they actually then transition to a whole other school, a school just for grade seven.
Yeah. And that's what I, yeah, we did grade six, seven, eight, and then we went to high school. And then in your board, the way they do it is the sevens and eights are still at their home theater school of K all the way through to eight.
Right. So do you think that there's any common stressors for all of those kids regardless of whether they're going to a new school or they're staying at their home school for another couple years before high school?
Is there one key stressor that you see in the beginning of the year that is very evident for that age group when they're transitioning back? I would say that a stressor,
like when you were talking earlier, is probably the transition to high school. I work at a very small school. So the seven eight are at a different end of the school.
So that's maybe like an exciting transition for them. And that's kind of where the older kids go. Other schools, they might be upstairs now. Like there could be the transitions just that way. But I think either you have the kids that are so done and are ready to go on or you have the kids who this has been the last 10 years of their life at this school and the fears of like moving on and not having maybe that
teacher because I think the biggest difference from elementary to high school is these kids have a teacher all day every day right you have a different French music teacher but you still have that teacher who really gets to know you yeah and I think it's also that fear of now I'm going and I'm gonna have four different teachers And how are they gonna understand who I am and all of that stuff?
And I think that's a parent concern as well because you know, I think with that elementary, those parents really get to know that teacher and know about that teacher because they've been there maybe for a while, but it's that transition of what's coming next.
I think that is a normal fear for them. The anticipation of it almost of like, oh my gosh, it's coming to an end. And for those kids that are in boards that do transition to a different school I think a lot of the times those seven and eight students are floating they maybe have a homeroom teacher but they're taught different subjects by different so it's gonna happen maybe earlier for some students than others but I
get it it's almost like that feeling when you're in grade 12 - right and maybe we'll talk we're talking to Jason Poole for high school in a bit but That feeling of it's almost like an ending that you either really want it to end or you really don't want it to Yes,
is there a certain behavior or Characteristic that you can identify in students when you're okay This transition seems to be a bit more difficult for them than some others if you're saying that it's that anxiety of you know What's to come?
What does that manifest like in the classroom or maybe at home? I think there's different ways that this can show. You'll have students that maybe certain friends didn't get to go in their classes.
So it's kind of where they'll be a little bit withdrawn. You don't get to see even that little spark or like a smile. I remember there were students that didn't smile for like a couple months until they started to feel comfortable around different peers.
Intermediates, that teenage you're finding yourself right so sometimes you're trying to stay on like the path that everybody is and other times you're like that's not really me and how can I be accepted when maybe I don't do what others are doing.
It is a tough age group so you'll either be withdrawn or you'll have the students that have a little bit of a power struggle with the teachers and instead of pulling back they can get pretty argumentative and it can go a little bit of head to head that way.
How important is communication? I think sometimes the older kids get, the more worried parents get that they shouldn't be communicating so much with the classroom teacher.
Is that the case? Or what do you want? My advice is not to say you can't be a voice for your kids because I do think you need to again this transition for them to high school we need to start allowing the student to advocate so if a student comes home or your child comes home and says something happened at school today I would say the first thing would be well what did you do right and majority of the time
they're gonna say well I didn't do anything I'm just telling you that I was upset about this but then as a teacher it's easier to fix the problem in the moment when it's happening then it is the next day or if a student's not understanding a math concept or something for language and they're just come home and they're upset because they don't understand what they're doing well then as a parent I would just say well
how did you help yourself in that moment because we really need to kind of not remove the parent but separate it a little bit so that it is advocating for themselves because once they start doing that,
they're going to realize like, oh, Mrs. Dixon's out with me for five minutes and now I get it. Instead of coming home and crying because they're frustrated because they don't understand what they're doing. Yeah. So would you see an important skill for parents of this age group would be to walk their kid through what it looks like to properly advocate for themselves or to give them examples of things that they can say
in the moment that help them more. And that's actually a more important skill than just emailing the teacher and saying this is what happened. What can we do? Exactly. More important to give the kids the skills.
Can I just be honest right now? Yeah, I feel okay. I feel like kids are really getting saved too much these days by parents.
And it's not I totally understand it. And I think there's different ages where we can advocate more than others. But I just feel like we're not allowing kids to feel uncomfortable anymore. For example,
like, well, I didn't know what to say to the teachers. So now the parents coming in to save the child for what to say. And I think it's really teaching them, like, it's OK to feel uncomfortable.
And that's a normal feeling. I think sometimes we are labeling so many all of the time, like, for example, grade 8 hate giving presentations, most people do.
And then they'll ask to do it at recess or at another time, and they'll say, well, I'm anxious about it, or I have anxiety about it. And I said, okay, so then I'll ask the whole class, like, who's nervous to present today?
90 % is nervous. And so I tell them, like, this is a normal feeling. I get nervous, like even to do to do a job and it'll be like it's okay to feel that,
but I want you to feel what it's like after you accomplish something that made you feel uncomfortable. Totally. That's such a good way to even to preface it is like wait until that feeling after.
Yeah. And it happens. Like I've called parents and been like she got up there and she did her presentation and the mom is like crying on the phone. She's like, I can't believe she did did it because they can do it,
right? I think sometimes we have to guide them and not always save them. I would say the biggest thing that we all notice as intermediate teachers is once routine starts,
the classroom is calm. And we we talk so much about acceptance. I'm so glad that my kids are growing up in this generation of diversity and having those discussions and accepting our differences but recognizing that differences make us way cooler.
Like if we were all the same it would be very boring. So the biggest thing is creating a safe environment and we say this all the time as teachers but you have to know that if your kid may be feeling nervous coming to school or if they're struggling with their gender or they don't know who they are and they're trying to figure that out or their sexuality.
knowing that we are always keeping it safe at school and if something were to happen to know that like all of these teachers have every kids back in this classroom and we will always be there for them but I think creating just that open environment where kids feel that they can come to and intermediate is a tough age group right it's hard to make relationships with kids right away so my other thing I would say to
them is the first two months are hard they're hard because we have to set the rules because you have to be firm because if we're building too many relationships at the start, then December is chaos because we haven't set those rules.
Last year, I had a challenging group and it was just a lot of dynamics with the kids. I was in November, we were there. Yeah. So just know that they might be like, oh, Mrs. Whoever is really,
she seems upset all the time or they're being really strict but know that like that is what's making that classroom the place that it needs to be. Right yes and I think it's important to know that transition back to school is not just a one week thing right and this was kind of intentional why this is releasing at the end of September because from a teacher's standpoint from somebody who taught you know for almost a
decade just like you said it takes like months of transition back in and it is normal still even at the end of September friends if your kids are coming home and they're still not themselves or they're still really tired or they're still not talking to you about what's happening it's normal it's going to take a little bit more time you just have to be patient and take some of the suggestions you've heard today from
the experts about what you can do so thank you no problem thanks for having you it's fun thank you for being here Okay,
so last but certainly not least is our friend, Jason Poole. He is a high school teacher. He teaches both phys ed and English, and he also runs the student success program.
He's going to talk a little bit more about that. We are thrilled to have him here because I feel like oftentimes, like I've said before in the episode, we really focus in on our younger students transitioning back to school.
And I think sometimes our older kids get forgotten about. So I think it's really important for us to have this conversation, not only for the parents who are currently experiencing their kids going through it,
but for all of the other listeners at the podcast who will eventually have kids who are in high school. Even though we may not all be there yet, we will be at some point.
So welcome to the pod, Jay. Nice to have you here. Thank you. Thank you. I'm glad to be here. Can you tell us what the hardest part transitioning back to school has looked like for your family first?
To give the listeners a background, Jason is almost a dad. He is expecting. Well, you are a dad. You're a dad now. We can say that you're your dad.
Him and his partner are expecting in January, and they are both teachers. So can you give us a little bit of a background of what this transition back to school for you this year has looked like?
Yeah, absolutely. Like in the past, it's all about just setting the routine early, and we're so used to being in that summer mode, especially when we're kidless now,
we just get stuck into that. I wouldn't say the mundane, Monday to Friday, I guess it's Sunday to Sunday, summertime stuff, but it's about getting back into the routine and we actually get really excited about it because we feel like it's motivating and it's a healthy change from maybe what we were used to in the summer where we were more self -motivated or lack of self -motivation.
But still there's every weekend, every single summer we get these, and a lot of teachers will know this is the Sunday scaries, And it's the idea that we have to go back and we have 90 new kids to focus on and we have new protocols and new mandates that have come from the board or what have you.
So we get excited about the transition. We eat better. We seem to live better, although we are busier, but we like to think of ourselves as more productive. And there's this essence of the unknown because we don't know how we're going to get on with our kids.
We have a good relationship with many of them, but especially with the early grade nines. These are brand new kids to us. We're excited about the next step, getting back into the classroom.
But we recognize that it's a little bit scary, but that's a good thing. It's like those butterflies you get before you walk on stage or you go out onto the field for a game or whatever it is.
It's the exact same. Yeah. It means that good is about to happen eventually, even if it takes a little bit of shifting to get there. - Yeah, if you weren't nervous, it wouldn't be right. - Yeah,
for sure. Would you agree that transitioning back into school and that whole conversation that happens about transitions back to school is mostly focused in on the younger kids?
- Oh, absolutely. And I'm glad that you've kind of brought me on or looked for a secondary perspective because we just consider elementary as the most formative year. And we're just so hyper focused on that,
that stage of growth and success and maturation for our kids. But you know what, secondary school is still an absolutely huge transitional moment for them.
And as a parent, you don't just set free and walk away. Elementary is a lot more structured, then secondary, and there's nothing wrong with having a hyper focus on that.
But I would say that high school provides its own personal and generational challenges for kids and parents alike as they transition from sort of the safety net of elementary school, the dependency on teacher and routine into sort of independent way of existing and progressing.
It probably feels for a kid. And for some parents, I would imagine it's very sink or swim. It's just a completely different pond, though. We're still in the very beginning stages of transitioning into school.
Now by the time this episode airs, it's, you know, the third fourth week of school. Right. So still early stages. Are there some telltale signs as a teacher in the secondary school system where you're like,
wow, this kid is struggling to transition here. What are some some lookouts that teachers have and that maybe parents should have on their radar? I notice it a lot in student success mainly But I do also notice it as a teacher.
So what I see is it's not just your new grade 9s It's high achievers as well You notice that they're not transitioning and usually telltale signs involve this level of apathy disconnect Something as simple as they're consistently late for class.
They are struggling with due dates. They are struggling to remain engaged in class. Then on the other side, which is quite interesting is they seem to settle back into very familiar environments.
I have many students who consider me a trusted adult, and you've got to watch out for students that become overly dependent and reliant on that trusted adult. There has to be an essence of growth and independence.
So although I'm always complimented when a student wants to reach out and needs to talk, and I will always make time for that student, but it's those repeated individuals over the years where we notice that they are struggling.
If they're, they're not developing that grit, that resiliency, as they go through to grade 12, then we're alarmed. And you say you've noticed that a lot in student success,
so can you just give like a little tidbit because I think maybe there are parents who don't even know what that piece is right what student success is because it really truly is a resource for kids for students in secondary.
So can you tell us what that resource is for students that is really helping them with the transitional piece. Yeah, myself you can almost be a jack of all trades.
So what we provide in student success is we establish communication between students who may be on the margins, on the precipice between success and struggles or what have you.
We provide an alternate learning space. We provide almost like in school support for academics. We look after a lot of the mental health and our mental health initiatives at the school board.
Me personally as a student achievement leader as well as someone who exists in student success. I'm also looking at literacy levels. I'm looking at mathematics levels and then one of our main goals this year is that mental health and social health aspect to it.
So what parents need to know is students just don't rotate from class to class and the only outlet is that teacher. The first outlet is absolutely that teacher. But what we can then do and put in place is provide assistance and support from the student success point of view,
whereas I will implement strategies, help teachers, help the students, and engage and start those discussions to make sure that kids not only become better students, better versions of themselves,
but just are happier. High school is not just an academic place, it's a social jungle as well. Those are the challenges. - Such a good way to put it. - Right? And that's why I always say it's not just a grade transition issue.
You have to check on your kids every single year, be present, be interested, but be patient, because at any moment in time they may come upon a struggle or a challenge,
which may not just be academics, but could be social, emotional, mental. If your kids having a tough time in class, they come down to student success or resource, and we just talk it out. It could be about university applications.
It could have been, "I forgot my lock on my locker, it doesn't matter. And that's that's why we're there. And parents need to know that that exists and they can start lines of communication with that department too.
I have a funny story. I remember this, like, what are we in grade nine 14? Is that what we are? Yeah, it's always five plus. Yeah, you got 14. So, oh, five plus. Why did I never think of that?
It's always five plus your year. Okay, so I would have been 14 and I was asked to take the attendance to the office, which shows our age because wow, isn't that crazy that like we had to like take attendance down to the office instead of just like submitting it online.
And it was my very first day. I actually went to high school where Jason teaches and I was asked to take it down to the office and I had no clue where I was going. And that building is four stories.
Is it four stories? Is four stories. I went to every single level until I realized that the office was actually on the level I was on and I like did all of the flights upstairs and then finally I had to like ask probably a very scary grade 11 or 12 to be like where's the office so can we just for a hot second talk about for grade nine students who are first timers in the building can you tell us what resources,
there are now four grade nine students who are transitioning into a first time high school situation. We provide a high school here I come program. And that usually happens in late August.
And that happens at I want to say it happens at every school. And you as a grade eight student with your parent will come in. And you would find it where your first period, second period, third period, fourth period classes, where's the cafeteria,
where's the library, you're doing a tour of the school, You are talking with other volunteer educators about the courses you've chosen and pathways. We start that discussion very early with them,
so hopefully to ease the anxiousness. Then within the first three weeks of school, I believe it's actually this week for us. So second week of school, this Wednesday we have our orientation. So it is mandated that all of our grade nine teachers and then any additional teachers or coaches that want who say and be involved come to school on Wednesday night and they take their parents to first period.
They walk their parents in first period and then they all sit in the classroom they meet their their first period teacher and then the bell will ring after 20 minutes and then they go to second period and they show them their locker.
It's meant to make the kids feel familiar and it's meant for parents to become familiar. I'm lucky enough to be able to coach and run multiple clubs, we're also there.
So during the lunch period, which is 20 minutes in between the second and third, the hypothetical lunch period, they'll come down into the gymnasium and they'll go around and look at different programming and different clubs and sports and athletics that are provided.
Along with that, we have our great assemblies very early on to make sure the students know their expectations and know what's happening. I like to keep things extremely simple. We have these big grand ideas,
but parents need to know that there are teachers out there that are going to be in the halls and our admin are in the halls. They are supporting. They recognize that that's a real eager and anxious time for our grade nines especially.
We're present and we're here to help. Be engaged with your child because when you do that, then you see your child is more of a less of a student.
We see your child is far more than a student. And it doesn't take much. This is our job as teachers, as educators. It's not just students, it's families. And when we are coming from both sides,
coming together for a common purpose, then the support from home just makes us feel so much better about what we're doing in a school. It advocates for us to be able to put in the work that we're always doing,
knowing that it's also being done at home. We can't imagine how it's like to be a parent. Many teachers are parents, but at the same time, we can only do so much from our end. And that's the difference between elementary,
intermediate, and secondary. It's almost like a mini university. You've got 10 minutes in between classes to remember your algebra homework, find out when practice is for basketball and thinking about a science test that's happening two weeks from now.
Where are you going for lunch and who you're going to lunch with? Maybe use the bathroom and be on time for class. So much is happening in that tiny space. So much is happening. So just be patient,
especially with our new Niners, and be understanding that it's a moment of change for them in so many facets. And giving them grace, I love that, like saying be patient.
It's also a form of giving give your kids the grace like know that you know it may have been a long time since you've stepped foot in hallways the way well we haven't as parents we just haven't stepped in hallways the way that our kids are.
In general and so giving our kids the grace and the patients to work through all of the things that are happening in their head at the same time as all of the developmental things that are like physically and physiologically happening in their bodies at that time,
too. So I think, you know, love prevails always, doesn't it? It will, 100 % will all the time. And we've got to keep things simple. We're still dealing with human beings that are,
as you said, they're the maturation process is happening in so many different levels. And even 10 years ago, high school doesn't look the same. The social stress of just daily life.
Did my photo not get a like? Did someone leave me on red? It's a lot of things that myself, your self, parents especially, they don't understand it's more than just showing up for class and doing well academically.
It's about gaining that social circle that trust in others as human beings that will take you to the next steps 100%. It starts with trusted adults and it ends with just feeling okay with yourself and being and identifying yourself as sort of I'm a learner,
I'm a human being and I want to succeed too and have fun in this life and learn. Yeah, yeah, I love that. Well, thank you for being here with us. We really appreciate your time, especially in the first couple of weeks of school. And we know that over the course of talking with all these teachers,
there's huge impact here for parents. So we really appreciate your time. Of course, I've got plenty of time today on Sunday to be scared about tomorrow. Okay, I gave you a little less of the Sunday scaries for the last couple minutes.
Well, flockies, there you have it. Three amazing experts, three different age groups, and tons of different suggestions and reminders for us as parents of what we can do to help our kids thrive the way we know they can.
There were so many tidbits today from our conversations that I loved. You know, the piece that Jen talked about about that fact versus feeling, I think that is something that resonated with me even on a level for myself,
reminding myself there's fact versus feeling. There really truly is. The advice that Nikki gave us to prepare those intermediate kids with the tools that they need to start advocating for themselves to not always step in to save.
And then Jason's advice on, you know, always making sure we're humanizing ourselves, having patience, having grace, taking into account the vast variety of things that are happening for our high school students as they close out their childhood stage.
I hope that you put some really great tools in your belt today. And even if there's something that is, you know, gonna be pulled out not for another couple of years, I really,
truly hope that there's so much value here for you today. And I really wanna immensely thank our educator guests. You know, they all met with me to interview during the second week of school so that we could have this episode ready for you in time by the end of September.
And that's an absolutely crazy time for educators. And they were so so generous of their time, which proves what amazing teachers they truly are. So thank you to them.
Please be sure to share this episode with any parent you think could benefit. The impact here is huge for so many and we would love for you to share it with your friends. We will be back in two weeks with our next episode at the beginning of October.
I'm so grateful for each and every one of you. Thank you for being part of the joyful Flamingo Flock. Until next time. Just a reminder,
Flamingo Flock, that I am not a medical or psychological professional. Each one of my episodes has been inspired by my own experience and journey through life and has brought to you through my own opinions and lens. Any suggestions or advice offered here do not substitute proper conversations with your own healthcare professionals for either your physical or mental well -being.