January/February 2024 Newsletter

Back to the Basics & Finding Simple Joys- for 2024

Welcome back to reality and 2024! Education Connection Advisors continues to help families with their educational needs which, at this time of the year, includes being counselors, therapists, editors, and educational gurus as you navigate the entire school process.

We continue to address the specific needs of each individual family and their children, but we always like to impart a little wisdom and positivity. 

Trends we are seeing: 

• We continue to see the aftermath of Covid in the highs and lows in our daily life which includes educational mastery of certain subjects at all age levels.
• We see increased anxiety in parents which can transfer anxiety to your children.
• There is more dependence on teachers to teach and parents are not working with their children as much as in the past. This may include looking and/or editing their homework. Be sure to make time to look over your child’s work and be informed about assignments.  
• “Tolerance, flexibility  and patience” are words we need to bring back to life and in your daily vocabulary. 
• Growing dependence on the computer for spell check and editing one’s work instead of learning how to spell or memorizing the math tables. We all rely on the computer even as we are writing this newsletter!
• There is a trend of reading graphic novels at elementary age. The child needs to read books without pictures too, so their minds can stretch and grow. ‘Graphic novels provide creativity for all reading levels but try to incorporate other books as well. Reading books enhances vocabulary, imagination and deeper comprehension. 
• There are so many activities that our children are participating in everyday, thus a spontaneous trip to the zoo or the library will not happen as often. We have lost the free afternoon and downtime. Children will say they are bored and expect you to fill their time.
• Playing outside, making forts from blankets or making your own play dough are great activities. Don’t feel like you need to always buy formal art kits or fancy football gear.   We are not allowing our children the time or space to create, wind down and be kids. Think outside your box on how to allow your children to be ‘kids’.  

Think about the way you started school. How did you learn and what do you remember as simple joys in your childhood? 

The C’s:

Curriculums are constantly changing, but the most important point is to figure out what kind of learner you have. A 4 ½ year old is capable of learning only so much, but when you are measuring learning, each 4 ½  year old’s abilities vary widely. Each child learns differently and it is the teacher most often who must make her/his classroom fit to the individual needs of the students. Thus, we stress the importance of class size, specific curriculums, and community of the school and its classroom. In a classroom today, there is a wide range of abilities, ages coupled with many varied learning styles. Therefore, parents must look carefully at choices of schools and do their research to find the correct fit. Some compromise will need to be made as there is no perfect school. Your consultant can help with this challenge of understanding learning styles. 

Things to do with your family during the colder months: 

Due to the winter weather, this is the time of year when you can go to the plays at the different schools or our fabulous local theaters. Use this time to take your children to the museums and highlight the cultural arts in our city. Clean out your pantries or closets and take food down to The Atlanta Food Bank or go to the basketball games of your neighborhood school or private school. Check out Ponce City Market or Krog Street Market as a family, for a fun family lunch.

Plan a family activity or pot luck dinner. Let the kids do the menu planning or even go grocery shopping and learn about ingredients that are healthy. Staying on devices and hearing, “I am bored,” is not acceptable. These are the months when grades can go down, and you see lack of motivation, which makes the need for family activities even more important. Your public library is a great afternoon activity for you and your family. Challenge everyone to find a new book to read this month. Maybe also grab a National Geographic Weird but True or Fact or Fake to keep in the car for driving to and from school and activities.

We think winter months are a great time to pick up a book and read by the fire! Here are some of our recent favorites:

Reads for Adults:

Fiction:

The Book of Lost Names (Harmel)

The Frozen River (Lawhon)

Absolution (McDermott)

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store (McBride)

Non-Fiction:

Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland (Keefe)

Astor: The Rise and Fall of an American Fortune (Cooper)

Never Enough: When Achievement Culture Becomes Toxic and What we can do About it (Wallace)

Brave the Wild River: The Untold Story of Two Women Who Mapped the Botany of the Grand Canyon (Sevigny)

Reads for Kids ages 8-13:

Framed (Ponti)

Unbound (Berg)

Because of Mr. Terupt (Buyea)

Spy School (Gibbs)

For Younger Readers: 

Dory Fantasmagory (Hanlon)

Junie B. Jones (Park)

Ivy & Bean (Barrows)

Planning for the summer: 

While it may seem crazy to plan for summer in January, camps fill up and we want you to have plans in place, while also having some downtime for your family. Get out a calendar and make sure you begin to pencil in what needs to be done. We say this every year but it is a good time to think ahead and make your summer trip, line up activities, doctor’s appointments, and explore camps.  

The Challenges we face as families have increased. There is no perfect world out there. The complexity of driving, school, and schedules makes finding time for your own mental health so much harder. We continue to stress that as life grows more complex, you may need special resources, specialists, and analysis of what is going on in your home and life. We understand the anxiety of being perfect but you need to bring back some of the simple joys of life. You must look inward and outward, build your family with continued emphasis on love, tolerance, and flexibility. It is time to get back to the basics and be proactive and positive in 2024.

For those interested in working with us for the next admission cycle, we start taking new clients in late April, but you’re welcome to inquire now and get on our list. We hope you take some time for yourself and your family as we embark on this new year.

From our house to yours, welcome to 2024, 

Barbara, Fontaine, Betsy & Margo