As a seasoned educator with over 20 years of classroom experience, my job has often felt never-ending. Summers were often spent trying to cram as much as I could into my realm of relaxation, without complaining that as a mother of 3, that relaxation that I had been dreaming about all school year may not live up to the hype. With all the added stress that being a parent to school-aged children brings to my job as a teacher, all I ever want to do in the summer is sleep a little later and not have to worry about planning anything. The only advantage of this for my children was the fact that if mommy is on break- we are ALL on break.

I tried my best as a parent to make summer what it should be. Summer is like the recess that sometimes our kids miss out on because of all the high-stakes expectations that teachers feel obligated to meet. Every single second counts in the eyes of a teacher and that can make taking a break almost impossible. For parents who do not work in a school setting, summer allows time for them to come home after a long day at work and not have to worry about homework, the weekly spelling test, how many different ways their child has to solve a math problem now, or all the parent meetings and after-school activities that somehow, they have to fit into their daily schedule. If only summer could stick around a little longer, so that each one of us could appreciate the time to relax that we often take for granted.

Summer came. Summer went. Teachers are back at work: attending professional development, getting their classrooms ready, lesson planning, and taking advantage of all the back to school sales to stock up on much needed supplies. Parents are back at work as well: mapping out their tax-free weekend stops for the best deals on school uniforms, checking off every single item from the school supply list, and getting their kids used to having a bedtime again and waking up to the sound of an alarm. My own kids are now all in college and believe me, we still have to practice the back to school routines.

With that being said, I feel you parents. We are all in this together and I’m sure that some of us may even feel relieved that it’s time for the kids to go back to school. I know that routines may look different from family to family, but the purpose of them is definitely the same. Routines allow us to become better organized and they provide an opportunity for our kids to learn how to adhere to a schedule. As you practice those bedtime and morning routines, I think it’s equally important to think about getting your home “study” ready.

When my children were much younger, my kitchen table served two purposes: a place for us to eat and a place for them to do their homework. That space worked when they were in elementary school because usually there was only a story to read and then questions to answer or a single sheet of math problems to solve. Homework didn’t take up much space. I even added a little teacher flare to the table by using a caddy filled with pencils, erasers, pens, markers, crayons, scissors, and glue sticks as a center piece. The fact that my kids were already at the table working also made it easier for me to cook and help with homework at the same time. Routines. They work. In my home, my children learned the importance of not only completing their homework at a certain time (before dinner), but also that the space used for studying should promote learning.

The older my children got, the more space they needed to work. Eventually, I purchased a desk and placed it in a corner of our living room. I added all the frills to that space as well. I used a small, three drawer storage to store extra folders, loose-leaf paper, and any other school supply item that you can imagine. The desk was reserved for anyone who needed a little more time to study or additional privacy. I could still cook, help the two who worked at the kitchen table, and watch over the one who worked at the desk. As my children are getting ready to head back to college, I find them adding desk-related items to my back to school shopping list. The fact that they find it important to make their desk “study” ready makes all that time that I spent at the kitchen table worth it. That’s why routines matter to me, not only as an educator, but more importantly as a parent.

As you stock up on those last-minute school supplies and get your kids back in the habit of waking up on time, I encourage you to create your space. Set the tone for studying by modeling for your kids what that actually looks like. Teachers do the same thing in the classroom, so why not build on that and continue the notion of effective study habits at home. Here are a few tips to get you started:

1. Set up a homework/study area in your home. This will become the designated area for your kids to complete homework and study.

2. Provide supplies which will enhance their studying. Just think about all the things that your child might need in order to complete a homework assignment and place those in bins, containers, or on a shelf. Now there are no excuses because the supplies are provided.

3. Monitor their progress. Make sure that the space is set up in an area that you can see while you are multi-tasking.

4. Set a time limit. Decide how much time your child should spend on homework and studying and then hold them accountable to that. Set a timer if that helps. When the timer goes off, it’s time to take a break or finish it up. Remember, your kids have been in school all day and they need time to relax as well.

5. Keep the area clutter and noise-free. When distractions such as technology, TV, and even extra stacks of paper are eliminated, the focus can stay on the task at hand.

6. Make it fun---add your own little flair to the space or better yet, make it something that you and your child set up together. The more invested they feel, the more likely they are to utilize the space, even when they just want to relax and read a good book.

Happy decorating and welcome back to another year!