Celebrating the First Day of School … Regardless

I have always loved the First Day of School. It marks a new beginning, a clean slate, and an open vessel to endless possibilities. I knew this day was special because there was ceremony to it. While growing up in a single parent household, with little money, education was set as a priority because of the pageantry of the first day of school.

While I firmly realize the overwhelming circumstances we are currently in regarding COVID-19, it’s negative effects on the health of our families and the financial stress most of us are in. The stress is so real! To make a difficult situation more challenging and endlessly complex, we are faced with the decision of how/if/ and when to send our children back to in-person learning during a raging pandemic. … I refuse to lose the First Day of School … Regardless! While I cannot manage our national response to this pandemic, I can control my reaction to it. As a mother to an African American young lady and speech therapist to countless other children, my fundamental goal is to inspire, motivate and nurture the seeds of positive change within my family, my children, their families, and our community.

Let us all celebrate THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!!!

Virtual learning? We still have a FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL! Here are a few tips for celebrating, preparing, and inspiring your children to become resilient problem-solvers, active learners, and positive thinkers while maintaining the pace and rigor of their educational and personal goals. Education is our path forward. Here are a few ideas for your First Day of School Celebration:

• Hair. Hair. Hair! While we did not have much money, everyone in our community celebrated the First Day of School with a clean haircut for the boys and a beautiful press or braid for the girls. This is the time to rock those pretty bows and headbands kept for special occasions like church. Search YouTube for beautiful new hairstyles certain to inspire both you and your daughter! Several community barbers are offering special back-to-school haircuts for boys while practicing social distancing. Search for these in your area and get scheduled as soon as possible. Our children will look beautiful while feeling confident.

• Create / design a home-learning environment. This is a family problem-solving project. Enlist your children for their creative solutions for places in the home they can be free of distractions and focus more easily on their lessons. While there are families fortunate enough to have spare rooms that can be repurposed, many of us live in smaller homes which present a more challenging dilemma. For these situations, I suggest looking to a large bedroom closet as a viable option for your home-learning environment. Temporarily pack clothes into an under bed storage container and move a small desk/table into the space. The goal is to create a home-learning environment with your child so that they have ownership and pride in the space. This is their school year to comfortably learn from home!

• Decorate! Celebrate the First Day of School with balloons, party streamers, and festive signs. Create a First Day of School picture sign and take the souvenir pictures at your child’s home-learning spaces. Plan the First Day of School family party with your child. This is an exciting opportunity to create lasting memories!

• Dollar Store School / Home-Learning Supplies. Shop your favorite dollar stores for a wide selection of school supplies and class decor items to decorate your child’s home learning environment. I am always surprised by what is at the dollar store. Speech Therapists love hunting for surprise items at the dollar store which can easily be repurposed or used as is. Be open and creative. Your options are endless!

Our children need us to fuel their futures with the positive possibilities of tomorrow, while using the urgency of this moment as the greatest need for a quality education - regardless. Let us light the candle of hope and keep its guiding light glowing to inspire our children to a positively successful school year.