Back to School

It’s time to go back to school for a lot of those of all ages in our community. There’s always plenty to prepare for beforehand, making this month a busy time full of errands and getting everything lined up accordingly. You may have yet to check a few things off the list, whether it’s getting yourself enrolled in a post-secondary education program or preparing for one, registering your kids in extra-curricular activities, or simply going back to school shopping and finding solutions to keep everything running smoothly, there’s still time yet this month to pack it all in!

In the fall, our local college campuses start bustling with activity when students return and it’s an exciting time for many. As preparation is the key to success, it makes sense to do everything you can to put yourself in the position to excel. There are also many who are considering going back to school, and there’s no better time than the present to take the first step towards reaching this major career and life goal!

As for the first-time students, Casey Holsing, an Admissions Representative at Southeast Community College offers the following advice:

“Any first-time college student, traditional or nontraditional, needs to learn about what resources their school has to offer. When we speak with prospective students many of them are surprised to learn that our school offers free tutoring, career and academic advising, and computer labs. These are just a few examples of 100% free resources that every student can utilize at Southeast Community College. Preparing to succeed is about learning your resources. Success happens when you properly employ those resources.”

For any student, she adds, “Another important factor, when going to school or going back to school, is having a strong support system behind you.  There will be days when you will want to give up, but having that strong support system behind you will help keep you focused and motivated to achieve your goal.”

Jamie Keller, also an Admissions Representatives at Southeast Community College, offers a few tips for those in the latter group who are making decisions about their future schooling:

“Students need to compare the program at several institutions that they are interested in attending. Make sure that the institution has the program that you want. Then, look at the classroom size, instructor to student ratio, lab spaces…make sure that you feel comfortable in the space in which you will be learning. Does it go along with your personal learning style?

Southeast Community College places a great focus on small class sizes and depending on the class, hands-on learning methods.  This assists the students in learning material that will better prepare them for the career field of their choosing.  With the small class sizes, it also assists the students in getting to know their instructor, making it more comfortable for them to come ask for help.  Another highlight of Southeast Community College is the placement rate overall.  It is amazing to us how there are students who haven’t even graduated yet and already have had multiple offers for once they do graduate.

He further advises, “Above all, don’t be afraid to ask a lot of questions.  Go on several campus visits.  Talk with admissions, instructors, and current students in and out of the program you are looking at going into.  Get a real feel for the college.

Finally, let the quote “If you are willing to fail, you are ready to succeed” digest for a moment. Returning to school or starting college for the first time can feel overwhelming. But people won’t succeed unless they take that first step. And the people who take that first step are the people who are ready to be successful.”

Good health is also an important part of the puzzle in terms of optimal conditions required to succeed in school. It can be hard with such busy schedules during the school year to keep up with eating healthy and exercising regularly, but it’s a necessity. Thus, finding ways to incorporate healthy lifestyle choices are key. A great example in this area is Eat Fit Go, a new restaurant concept that provides healthy meals that are made fresh daily, quick and simple to prepare, and can be custom ordered according to an established meal plan or picked up on-the-go.

Speaking to the importance of good nutrition and establishing good eating habits, as well as offering a few tips, Natasha Plooster of Eat Fit Go advises, “The human body runs on the food that you give it. When you are growing and developing your body and brain, the highest quality ingredients are needed to reach your full potential. If you want to keep your body and brain healthy, strong, focused, and able to grow then you need the proper nutrients to help train, build, and recover.

Our food is perfect for the younger generation because it will actually teach you what to eat and maybe even more importantly HOW MUCH you should be eating. Our meals are always fresh and perfectly portioned. If you continually eat at Eat Fit Go, your habits will be formed to live the healthiest life possible.

In between meals, try to keep lots of fruit, veggies, and peanuts around you. Overall, the most important thing anyone can focus on when eating is simply eating real food. The more you can stick to fruits, veggies, lean meats, nuts, eggs, and legumes the better your health will be in the long run. And, you can’t do wrong with a nice PB&J before practice!”

She adds, “Forming proper nutritional habits is the most important thing a parent can do for their kids. The habits they form when they are kids are exactly what they will do when they get to college, get into their professional lives, and start to have families of their own. Teach your family how to eat early in their life to ensure future success for generations to come.” It’s not only about establishing good habits but also about balance when it comes to choosing activities outside of the traditional classroom curriculum.

Regular physical activity is another component of a healthy lifestyle that can fall to the wayside when life gets crazy, so any time you can incorporate that is a plus. Sports and dance lessons are great examples, and popular activities at any age. Their wide-ranging benefits go well past simply staying fit though.

“For youth, extra-curriculars are important because often those activities are where they find and connect to their passion,” emphasizes Sarah Brown of Lincoln DanceCentre. “Finding and feeding a passion creates balance in life between school, family, and fun.  Even though trying to be successful in something one is passionate about can still require a great deal of hard work and self-motivation, particularly for a child but that also holds true for adults, if it’s something they genuinely find personal enjoyment in then they are learning an important lesson: working hard at something you love will always make you feel successful.  It boosts self-confidence too.

School-aged children can enroll in any of our dance classes: ballet, tap, jazz, modern, and contemporary.  Taking one, or a combination, of those techniques positively builds movement skills whether you are a beginning, intermediate or advanced in your dance experience.  Lincoln DanceCentre’s program stands apart in Lincoln because every class is taught by highly experienced instructors who are as talented at teaching as they are/were at dancing. Adults always enjoy our ballet class that is specifically geared toward their more mature learning patterns.  What they like is that they don’t just get a class when they come to us.  They get real training, corrections, and things to challenge them so that they see and feel progress.  And it’s just a great social environment too!”

She continues, “As far as advice I’d offer, less is more.  I think all parents will agree with me when I say that it is actually in the best interests of both students and families to limit the number of activities on a weekly basis.  Lincoln has so much to offer kids in sports to be a part of, theater programs, music lessons, church activities, etc.  It’s easy to be so excited by it all that pretty soon you find yourself trying to do it all, and then you’re overscheduled, over-committed and not enjoying any of it as much as you thought you would.  It’s a good lesson in decision-making skills for kids to have to choose.  Children are more inclined to value and take greater responsibility for the things they have personally decided to invest themselves in.  Choosing an extracurricular activity that promotes physical fitness is actually a necessity in the age we live in.  The human body was not actually made to sit for 6-8 hours per day.  So parents need to make sure their kids are moving—and moving often, to counteract the sedentary lifestyle which is the outcome of our now irreversible reliance on technology and modern conveniences.

If you focus on the quality of your child’s activities instead of the quantity of their activities, your child may just find their passion.  We see a lot of that every day in our students at Lincoln DanceCentre.  Parents fee so fulfilled just simply seeing their kid ‘light up’ over what they’re doing, regardless of whether or not they’re ‘good at it.’  As a society we’ve become so programmed to make an immediate decision about whether or not an activity for our child is resulting in measurable merit.  Just remember that especially for kids, the journey is always more important than the destination.”

Indeed, everyone’s journey in life is different, learning opportunities and abilities included. Pursuing an education is full of struggles and triumphs, with minimizing the struggles the goal as then we are able to enjoy more positive experiences. A perfect example of this is those who have ADHD, as the classroom presents many obstacles that must be overcome to succeed.

When it comes to the act itself of returning back to school and the schedule adjustments that follow, transitions can be very difficult for those with ADHD. “The transition from summer back to school is quite an adjustment for the ADHD student,” says Jennifer Kampfe of Fantastically Focused.  “Moving from the lax routine of summer to the strict schedule of school along with increased demands of focus, organization and work can take weeks, even months for the ADHD student to become settled and adjusted.  This means teachers and parents need to be prepared with patience and compassion.

As an ADHD coach, I work one on one with students and their families to develop individualized routines, systems and strategies to improve life at school and home.  Because the ADHD brain struggles with internal structure, it is very important to create consistent routines and structure. I help families develop a morning routine for getting out the door and to school on time, organizational systems to get homework complete and returned to school, homework routines and much more. Wherever they are challenged and however they are struggling, I come alongside them on their journey.  As a coach, I help students and parents understand ADHD and the ways it is impacting their lives.

Accountability is a large part of coaching. Parents are grateful to know their student has someone checking in, supporting and holding their child accountable for their action plans and goals in between sessions. That one piece can take a lot of pressure off the parent-child relationship and improve the home environment.  Students like having someone who ‘gets them’; who sees their strengths and challenges while supporting their goals. They begin to see their successes, which motivates them to try harder and feel better about themselves.

I also help students learn to use a planner consistently. I have a planner that I recommend students purchase. Every student I have worked with has loved its simplicity. Of course, there are apps that can be used for homework as well. Whatever is used has to fit the unique needs and learning styles of the individual.  I also help students with after school and homework routines. I have a notebook system I recommend as well that students appreciate. The simpler the system, the more likely the student will use it.  We work on systems for organizing in the home and room too, like a launch pad where everything is set out for the next day the night before–a grab-and-go system for the morning.  Whatever the challenges a family or student are facing, we work together and experiment with different tools, routines, systems and strategies until we find what works for the individual and family.

There are in fact many ways to accommodate the ADHD student. Once the student, parents and teachers understand how the child learns, how their brain is unique and different and why he/she may need to do things differently, everyone involved in the student’s education can make accommodations that best meet the individual student’s needs. Armed with knowledge and understanding, students can begin to advocate for their needs.  Many students with ADHD need to move about, fidget or doodle to focus. Movement actually stimulates the ADHD brain, allowing more focus and attention.  It is also important that teachers give ample time for ADHD students to transition from one subject to another. Writing assignments on the board and checking that the homework has been written down are extremely helpful. Consistency, support, patience and compassion play a large role in the success or failure of students.

It is also easy to label an ADHD student as lazy and unmotivated.  You may see the student do well in one subject and be involved in the classroom, but when he/she goes to another, less interesting subject, focus, attention and motivation seem to disappear.  This leads us to assume the student needs to try harder or is lazy and unmotivated.  If they can do it in this class then they should be able to do the same in all classes, right? Not for the ADHD student.  ADHD is interest-based. The more interesting a student finds a subject or topic, the easier it is to focus. ADHD is also situationally-based. The environment plays an important role in the success or failure of the ADHD student.  Distractions, lack of support, pressure to try harder all make symptoms worse. In fact, the individual with ADHD shuts down under pressure and can’t perform.

My key recommendation is for students and parents to advocate for what they need to be successful. This begins by understanding your challenges, learning styles and what accommodations or tools drive the student toward success.  Open, respectful communication between teachers, other school staff and parents is crucial.  I always explain to my son’s teachers that my goal is to help them know what he needs to succeed and for all of us to work as a team.  I’m not in any way telling them how to run their classroom, but communicating to each other on a regular basis will make the school year more enjoyable and successful everyone.”

Finally, the fun part of preparing for school, aside from picking your classes for some, is back to school shopping! This generally centers on essentials such as supplies and wardrobe, but could even be things like buying a new car or equipment for a sport your child is playing.

Focusing on busy college student who needs a good mix of casual, professional and dressy outfits, it’s most important to have staples and build your wardrobe in preparation for many different scenarios. Our local boutiques are a great place to find unique items that fit your personal sense of style.

Cherie Travis, owner of Rachel’s Boutique, offers a few tips and trends for those doing some last-minute shopping before the school year officially starts.

“Leggings with boots and a long sweater or jacket is a look that’s easy to put together and transitions well. Leggings are still a staple for fall, and because they are usually black or darker colors, are susceptible to fading. I advise refreshing your wardrobe by investing in at least one new pair. You’ll also want to make sure you have staple pieces for function as well as fashion, such as a warm vest and jacket for running between classes, as well as lightweight and heavy scarves or even a poncho. Fall is always a great time to purchase a new handbag, shoes and boots as well as new accessories to go with items already in your closet that will be making an appearance again this season.  And, of course, don’t forget your Husker apparel because game days will be here soon! We have a large selection and more styles arriving this month, as well as a great selection of Husker jewelry.”

As you can see, there are many different things that can be done in order to be ready for your return to the classroom this fall. It’s time to get going on all of those so you continue to stay ahead of the game!