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1st Day of School or Job Jitters – Tips to Survive

This morning I dropped off my son for his first day of kindergarten. He was relaxed and excited. I was a mix of relief, pride, and anxiety. I know he is ready for the academic challenges of school, but I am more nervous about the social challenges.

First days of going to school, starting a new job, or even of a vacation bring a mix of emotions. Some things that have worked well for me to mark and survive first days include:

1. Making sure I am prepared with the right supplies and right location. We began shopping for school supplies in late June. Yes, late June. We are sure we have everything and it has been organized and re-organized many times.

2. Stake out the place ahead of time. My son spent a few hours this Spring in the kindergarten classroom as part of his 4K class. We attended an open house the night before school started to get a lay of the place and to locate important landmarks – bus drop off and pick-up, bathroom, lunch room, and where he puts his stuff.

3. Practice important skills. Throughout the summer we have been practicing several important skills like personal hygiene (streak free wiping), reading chapter books, writing with lower case letters, and shoe tying.

4. Excel at the basics to build confidence. I am sure kindergarten will start with a review of some basic skills, knowledge and tasks to help the kids gain confidence and adjust back to school after a summer of freedom.

5. Set attainable goals. Before you can do calculus you need to be able to add and subtract.

How do you survive the first day of new job or going back to school?

As I wrote this post I was thinking about the book, [amazon-product text=”All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten” type=”text”]080410526X[/amazon-product]. Have you read it? I probably read this in the mid 1990s. I might need to pick-up a copy this Fall.

By Greg Friese

Greg Friese, Stevens Point, Wisconsin, is an author, educator, paramedic, and marathon runner.

Greg was the co-host of the award winning EMSEduCast podcast, the only podcast by and for EMS educators. Greg has written for EMS1.com, JEMS.com, Wilderness Medical Associates, JEMS Magazine, EMSWorld.com and EMS World Magazine, and the NAEMSE Educator Newsletter.