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My fiance is an elementary school teacher and sometimes I think she gets more excited about summer vacation than her students. This doesn’t mean she doesn’t do anything school-wise during her break; summer reading is a big part of her R&R. In fact, last week she went to the local library , checked out a couple of books and finished reading them within three days.

It was so cold last week that I had to dig out the big coat . Winter officially starts in two weeks and for me that means it’s reading season. Not that I don’t read the rest of the year, it just always seems I read more in the winter.

This week I’m getting my daughter ready to go back to school – I bet a lot of your kids are already in the classroom. Our biggest preparation is easing back into an earlier, regular bedtime . My older daughter just can’t function without a good night’s sleep. I’m exactly the same, so I know how important it is for her to be well rested to be receptive to learning, and have a productive day at school. No matter if school is in session or not, there are so many things that we, as parents can do to help our kids succeed academically. We can make sure there are reasonable limits on TV and game time, encourage our kids to read and take them to the local library to explore for books that interest them. Nobody likes homework, and I’ve found that it’s even a drag when you’re a parent. Still, homework is an important part of learning and we need to monitor homework and help our kids learn how to do their homework independently. It may be your child’s first day of kindergarten or her senior year in college . Either way, adults play an important role in establishing the right attitude and environment for learning and growth. I hope we all have a successful year!