Back to School

When I was in third grade my teacher called my parents in and told them they had to ease up me. They were bewildered--they weren’t putting any pressure on me at all!

It was all my own eight-year-old little self.

As a recovering pint-sized pressure cooker, I seriously relate to the problem of academic pressure on school-age kids. Which is why I found a lot of solace--and helpful advice--in this MyJewishLearning.com article on age-old parenting lessons for a new school year.

In this short piece Sharon Duke Estroff suggests some ways to help our children succeed academically without driving them–or ourselves–crazy. And reminds us that:

…even if you conclude that your child is not a budding Albert Einstein, you’re in good company. At the end of the day most of our kids are, well, regular old kids–good at some things, not so good at others. And counting on us to love and support them in all their wonderfully regular-kid glory.