Cradle to the Class

 

Tommy Tiernan (a well know Irish comedian) does a fantastic sketch of a ninja-like Irish Mammy hiding in the cupboard awaiting her young ones’ return home from school. The children are clearly refusing to follow the mother-ship’s insistance of putting their school bag in the appropriate spot . Like all good Irish Mammies –Tommy’s using her sixth ‘not under my roof’ sense, the mere second of the bag hitting the tiles immediately has the Mom flying out of the press – with blood curdling screams yelling: “Don’t throw your bag on the floor!” This hilarious re-enactment of something we can all relate to, is my inspiration for my next topic in my back to school series. The school bag!

This dude usually gets a bit of bad press because of his perceived weight and ability to resemble infinite abysses. Hope a few of my school bag hacks or good old-fashioned tips will shed some much needed light and restore order in the school bag realm.

1. Whose bag is it anyway?

First off – the bag belongs to your child. Yes unfortunately whether we like it or not – kids need to pack, organise and carry it. I often have to resist the urge to intervene in the morning or evening when bringing my class to or from the line and I witness parents (resembling bell boys from a swanky hotel) carrying school bags for kids or picking up bags flung in their direction. One parent admitted to me that she felt pressure to carry her child’s bag because all the other parents were doing it. I can assure you going against the mould with this one will do your child no harm but plenty of good. I know one might argue that bags are heavy, but to give teachers and schools their due we have worked really hard to reduce the amount of materials going home. Just make sure that both straps of the rucksack are worn and adjusted appropriately for the child.

 

2. Organisation

My first recommendation here in terms of books is big guys to the back. The bag should resemble the steps of the stairs when your little one is done. Obviously this might take time for your child to master but when their homework is complete I would make sure they prepare their bag for the next day. Adults should take a back seat with this one too and don’t try “fixing” anything.

Location, Location, Location :

Often I get questions about kids struggling to find a certain book and matching copy. I have one ultimate solution that has revolutionized the anarchy that may lay in the school bag. I colour code top, bottom and ‘fore edge’ of the book and copy according to subject with a different colour. For example the Maths book and copy have an orange top and fore edge in the pictures below. With just one glance in the bag one can quickly remove the required items in a jiffy.

Also I’m called for assistance when an item (“I’m sure my Mom packed it!”) can’t be located, so items such as mini folders are a godsend in this case for holding worksheets or items that need to be kept together. Of course certain sheets have to be held on to but just make sure to do a clearout of these once in a while. Speaking as someone who has found lines from the Christmas play in May – that’s just taking up good room and not paying any rent!!

Sticky tabs are great to help a child remember where in their homework journal or readers they are if they’re not quite used to dates and page numbers. Also for any notes that school sends home, a great hiding place of mine is in that day’s page of their school journal. Thus the minute they open up this page – hurray the note has arrived safely to its destination!

 

3. I’m always on the “pencil case”

Listen I’m the first to admit in my profession most of us are self-confessed stationary addicts….the mere smell of a crisp new note pad and the inklings of a fresh pen is enough to send us into a spin. The difference is that as a thirty year-old woman I’ve learned to harness my addiction and have the motor skills to seek out that gold sharpie with aplomb, while alot of kids are still figuring the HB from the Junior Grip. We all know that stationery creatures live in a pencil case, but shopping for that pencil case can actually be harder than it looks, with an array of colours, themes and materials to choose from. It’s totally down to what the child likes and is comfortable with but I’ve included here some of my favourites.

See-through ones can be so handy in order for your little one to check if they have got everything.

Rubber material ones are quite durable and I just love these Monster style ones from Easons.

I’m a huge fan of the double zip as ones are great for keeping items separate and super easy to locate.

My pencil case mantra is just bring the essentials. Most book lists will state the required stationery items, and you shouldn’t feel any need to go beyond that list. For Junior Infants to 1^st Class the rule of thumb is two pencils ( I’m partial to the grips – nothing like a little comfort), sharpener, eraser plus some colours. Twistables make a great alternative from pencils –a paring free environment is what teacher dreams are made of.

Also I’m a sucker for these MILAN eraser and sharpener combos. A great little space saver in the pencil case.

From 2^nd to 6^th Class I’d add a few pens along with the previous items. It’s totally normal for a child to have a favourite pen (glittery watermelon-scented pens are all the rage) but keep the sacred items to a minimum. I do also love these Pilot Frixon Ball pens with an eraser on top – this bad boy rubs out the most stubborn of ink without ripping your copy.

Ultimately school bag packing is like carry-on luggage – don’t over-pack, make sure everything is easy to find, and once you do it right once it will be hard to find yourself packing any other way. I hope you enjoyed unzipping a few school bag tips and hints with me. Make sure to check out my other posts in the Back to School series, and if you have any queries or comments please drop me a line in the box below.

Slán,

Julianne

Last week I came home to a funny anecdote from my father. When ever he hears a story involving school or teachers he is like a child who has been asked to keep a secret and is about to burst telling me (I actually do enjoy these tales, so in fairness Paddy keep them coming.) This tale began with my Dad asking a friend all about his daughter’s return to school. My Dad’s enquiry was met with a disgruntled response. The man said they had such an awful time with the child not eating their lunch last year so he’d have to make it his business to go in at the start of this year and GIVE OUT (I KID YOU NOT!) to the teacher for this occurrence (or lack of occurrence) with regards to the lunch consumption. After I had a timely chuckle to myself, then pulled myself together to probe my father on the conversation. My father responded “Listen to be honest the guy was so annoyed at the teacher I didn’t want to be upsetting the man any further” In fairness my Dad (who last stepped foot in a classroom circa the 1970s) had brought about an important point.

School lunches are causing havoc for parents, teachers and children alike across the country and it’s about time we get a hold of the Tupperware and lifted the lid on the topic.

1. Time:

Often when people want my opinion of this issue, time seems to be one of the biggest issues. One hears phrases such as – “they didn’t get enough time to eat it”, “sure by the time they got their lunch out it was time for them to line up and go outside.” To be fair to teachers – they don’t have control over lunch time. This is allocated by the Department of Education (esteemed professionals in the area of education) and then the school fits it into their daily timetable. Teachers can usually give discretionary minute or two but school is a busy place so ultimately this decision is out of their control. I know from experience and talking to co–workers a lot of teachers use timers so encourage kids to develop their awareness about their consumption deadline and the ‘ready, steady , off you go…..’ approach seems to work a treat. If your child admits they find this aspect of lunchtime hard why not try the time solution at home and let them show off this time keeping skill to their peers.

2: Organisation:

I guess I wouldn’t be a teacher if I didn’t have a soft spot for organisation. ( a place for everything and everything in its place – am I right?) Lunch boxes come in all sort of shapes, sizes, themes not to mention the secret compartments. I have lost count of the times I’ve had queues up to my desk (that would rival a line for Cu Culainn in Tayto Park) with pots and boxes and the bearer struggling to open it. My advice here is less is more. One bigger lunch box/bag with a smaller container and a drink bottle is enough. Make sure a “dry run” at home is completed in order for the child to open and close each one of these. Hey presto – you’ve got yourself a lunchtime Houdini.

Water bottles : Please, please, please lets reside the leaky bottle to the ash-heap. Sometimes I think the class floor resembles a paddling pool rather than the lino covered ground that it should be. A good trick is get your child to close their bottle, gently turn it upside down and if no water comes out -WIN. If the drops start to flow like Niagara Falls, oops, back to the start, remove the lid and try twirl it on again.

Fruit: such a welcome treat in all lunch boxes but if your child can’t remove the peel or skin… Houston we have a problem. Some parents like to cut up the fruit into pieces which is brilliant and us teachers salute you but never be afraid to model orange/banana peeling etc and then let your child at home have a go. Not only are you developing those much needed fine motor skills but giving your child a leg up on their lunch game – GO PARENTS !!!

3. Choice:

Look, I know most of us were reared on the standard white bread sandwich and apple duo but times have moved on (in some ways for the better, in some ways for the worse) in the lunch realm. Before one hits the supermarket for your weekly shop, a great starting point might be a casual consult with your child about what they might like for their lunch. Obviously you get to VETO any item but sometimes giving kids ownership over their lunch might encourage them to look forward to it.

Simplicity is key – I’ve witnessed some lunches that are nothing short of a Michelin four course meal ( parents you are an amazing species) but by the time it gets laid out, dressings added, chopped up items mixed in the rest of us are already hitting the playground and our Frances Brennan mini me is still deciding whether to use his fork or spoon?! A simple wrap, whole wheat roll or oat cakes is sufficient with some fruit and or vegetable additions.

Step away from the processed stuff! I’m to the first to admit we are all busy but the lunchtime ritual is so important to our children’s well being and nutrition. While processed snacks once in a while are totally fine, a deli hot chicken roll a few days running sounds the alarm bells. Not only are the portions enormous, the additives are dreadful not to mention the wasteful amount of packaging one is faced with. They are a pricey alternative that should be kept to a minimum!

4. Preparation:

From time to time hand over the controls – kids are great at giving a helping hand. I’m not going to lie- this may be time consuming in the beginning but you won’t regret it. Have kids remove and clean their lunch box once they return home from school. Once modelled by you, children will be a dab hand at this task and the responsibility will do wonders for their self esteem. I’m not saying turn them into scullery butlers or maids but pure and simply many hands make light work. So sneaky bananas hiding in the bottom of school bags – BE GONE.

I understand back to school time can be fraught with tension and bedlam but I’m hoping some of my thoughts and ideas might alleviate some of the stress and panic, while offering practical tips from a classroom practitioner’s point of view. This is the first post in my BACK to SCHOOL SERIES. I’ll be covering a range of topics from homework tips, to bag organisation and coping with the early morning routines again (seriously how are we at September nearly again?!) I would love to hear your opinions or suggestions on any other areas of interest so feel free to leave a comment below. Until next time, Slán Julianne