Almost everyone is busy preparing for the coming school year.

School administrators are scrambling to fill the remaining vacancies on their campuses. To say they’d offer a reserved parking spot, weekly spa treatments and a free Thanksgiving turkey to a qualified applicant is an understatement.

Bus drivers and crossing guards are desperately needed as are cafeteria workers and special education aides. The pay for these positions isn’t nearly what these angels are worth.

Teachers are attending professional development sessions where energetic instructors show PowerPoints and use hands-on activities about the latest and greatest theories in how to get kids excited about learning.

The only thing the audience can think about, though, is how they’re never going to get their room set up when they’re spending all their time listening to someone preach.

Parents are staying up late shopping online for Crayola Crayons – only the boxes with 24 original colors, please – colored folders with brads and Ticonderoga pre-sharpened pencils.

They’re questioning why they have to buy a dozen boxes of Kleenex and a case of hand sanitizer. They forget that if one child has the sniffles, the whole class is infected, and teachers can kiss an entire box of tissues goodbye in an hour.

The easiest component in the back-to-school preparation track are the kids. Most get ready for school by wishing their friends are in their classes and that they have a nice teacher.

There’s no shortage of advice about how to have a successful school year.

One of my favorite pieces of advice is to establish routines and consistency. At home, that’s easier said than done when factoring in baseball and soccer practice, traffic jams and last-minute school projects that require at least two after-dinner trips to the store.

Professionals suggest teachers set up a calming learning environment. That’s all fine until a child decides to throw a hissy fit and rip down all the motivational posters on the wall.

Yes, teachers should create a positive and welcoming classroom environment. That’s possible with a smile, easy-going attitude and making sure the kids know you’re happy to be there.

Parents should limit screen time, but sometimes, mom and dad need a breather.

Of all the advice I’ve seen, read, taken or ignored, getting ready for the school year boils down to a couple of sentences.

Don’t sweat the small stuff. Can’t find those pre-sharpened pencils? There will be a pencil sharpener in the classroom.

Don’t understand the computer programs the school district expects you to master so you can contact a teacher? A hand-written letter still works.

Teachers, worried about not having time to set your classroom up exactly as you want?

No worries.

Allow your students to help put the final touches on the room. It might not look like something the seasoned teacher down the hall has or a picture you saw on Pinterest, but it’ll be a space your students will call their own.

The old adage that kids will long remember how you made them feel is absolutely true. Treat them like an experiment and they’ll resent you for not seeing them as a person.

Not every kid comes to school having had a hearty breakfast and a leisurely morning. Never forget that kids and parents are usually doing the best they can under their current circumstances.

Teachers, remember that children need your smile and your grace, both emotionally and in the amount of work you send home. Don’t forget to send home a praising note or make a praising phone call every once in a while.

Administrators, grant your teachers and staff leeway so they can be innovative and creative.

Parents, please give teachers mercy because some of them are parents as well as professionals. Offer to help instead of criticizing.

Take a deep breath and remember… no matter what piece of the educational puzzle you are, it takes everyone working together to put the big picture together.

 

This column was originally published in The Fort Bend Herald.