Special Edition | Seth Pozzi -  Head of School

The Honeymoon Phase is Ending

What SPOOKY Things Lie Ahead?

The honeymoon phase at the beginning of the year is an exciting time filled with novelty! This year especially, the honeymoon phase was strong as students returned to campus in a more normal capacity, met new friends, and tasted the first phases of the new normal. Even with the honeymoon phase being a blissful time, quickly approaching (if it hasn’t already arrived) is the end to the honeymoon phase (cue scary music). This is when reality sets in and novelty wears off. Here are a few things that may come up as part of the post-honeymoon recalibration. 

I'm Bored! What does this really mean?
The dreaded “I’m bored” comes up frequently at this point in the year. When children report being bored in school, more often than not, it's not because they already know everything that is being taught or the work is too easy. This can relate to a multitude of things, including sometimes being over-challenged by the work (it’s easier to say "I’m bored" vs. "it’s too hard"). This can also reflect a mismatch between the student’s ability and the output required (e.g. having a lot to say but trouble writing it all out). In addition, it can stem from a disconnect between the student’s interest and/or perception of value of the subject. Long story short, if your child is saying they’re bored, it’s time to dig deeper through the conversation, and checking in with your child's teacher is a great place to start. HINT: Try using the Advocacy Approach (slides 7-10 from our Parent Partnerships workshop).

Regression after an easy start to the year
When everything is new and exciting in the beginning of the year students are highly motivated and use their bandwidth to navigate new norms. Once the routines have settled, we expect to see a bit of temporary backslide. For kindergarteners, this may mean trouble separating in the morning when this was easy before, challenges with peer relationships, including being more physical or bouncing between friends, or being more tired (kindergartners need an early and consistent bedtime). Older children may start to experience the “girdle effect” where they are a picture perfect student at school, but then it all falls apart at home, resulting in tantrums, angst toward siblings, and battles over homework. This may look different for every student, but the response is still the same: Don’t panic, keep a level head, this too shall pass; continue to support your child with consistency, routines and boundaries. 

No one likes me (or worse yet, I am being bullied!)
Conflict is a normal part of child development to expect in any school as they continue to learn how to interact and develop relationships with others. We are here to coach and support children through the learning process, but there may come a time when your child will get in the car and break down in tears because of a conflict with a peer or an injustice that occurred during the day. This happens with my own children, and sometimes, I might even feel frustrated with their peer long after they have made up and moved on. There may even be times when your child is moody or sulky, changes friendships quickly or says "nobody likes me." One of the most jarring developmental transitions for parents comes around 1st-2nd grade (see what I mean by comparing the social differences of 6 vs. 7 year olds). Children may also test out words they haven’t previously used (I’m sure many of you have heard the words "stupid," "poop," and "butt" by now). It only increases in complexity as kids get older.

What can sometimes be hard for parents to suss out is when peer conflict crosses the line between developmentally appropriate behavior (even if it's not a desirable behavior) vs. bullying.  That is why my next parent workshop will be regarding bullying:

Please join me for: Deconstructing Bullying (October 26 @ 10am on Zoom). You can also learn about other upcoming workshops on our website. 

Our preschool program dedicates itself to meeting the needs of the whole child: social-emotional, cognitive, language and motor development - helping children to reach their full potential. As preschool educators, we see and observe children throughout the day. We provide a safe and nurturing environment. We facilitate their learning and work with them to meet their developmental milestones. 

As children settle into their new school year, our teachers introduce new skills and activities. As the year progresses, we notice the children’s interests, strengths and areas for growth. We also observe areas where children might benefit from extra support. This could be something small that we can support directly in the classroom, like engaging with new friends, trying different sensory experiences, or participating in daily activities.

We may also notice areas where families might want to check to ensure their child is hitting developmental milestones, so we can bring out their full potential. Educators have been trained to work with young children, but we don't necessarily specialize in all the specific areas where some children may need extra support. These could include speech & language, motor control, coordination, posture, vision, or even certain behaviors.

Part of the WHPS philosophy is that "it takes a village to raise a child."  This month we have partnered with Minds2Grow at both campuses for speech and language assessments. They are one of several wonderful resources we have available if parents or teachers have questions about their child's development:

• Speech & Language Development
• Coordination, Balance, Motor Control, Functional Vision, Posture or Strength
• Behavior, Attention/Focus or Social Development

Not every child will need some extra support or evaluation, but there are countless benefits to early intervention. We are linking some great reference tools (above) that can help parents and teachers identify any areas they might want to look into further. And, of course, if parents or teachers have any questions, our Preschool Directors have an abundance of great free and paid resources and referrals and will be pleased to assist you.