After a long summer, preparing for the new scholastic year can be a stressful time for many parents. How do they cope, asks Andrea Faye Christians.
As managing director of GV Malta English Centre in St Paul’s Bay, Gaby Huhn Privitera is a busy woman. Apart from her demanding job, she is also the mother of two young daughters.
Her eldest, seven-year-old Sophia, is about to start her third year while for five-year-old Emilia, this term will be her first at a full-time school. Both girls attend San Andrea School and with her demanding work schedule, Huhn Privitera says that organisation and timely planning are the key factors in ensuring that things run smoothly.
“As Sophia has already been attending school for two years and Emilia has been going to kindergarten, I’m familiar with the back to school routine,” she says. “However, from experience I know that, as much as possible, it’s best to get things done well in advance to avoid last minute problems.”
Books and stationery are bought during the holidays.
“We get the book list in early summer and I usually order them online within the week,” she says. “I always order them with covers. It’s a small extra expense which saves us a lot of time. As for the stationery items, I take a list of what the girls need to the local stationery and they’ll have all the items ready within the hour.”
After a long summer, both my daughters are looking forward to meeting up with their friends again, and that makes things easier
However, when it comes to schoolbags, things are not quite so simple. Presently, the local trend is for wheeled schoolbags, as opposed to rucksacks. However, on a recent trip to Germany, the Huhn Privitera family visited a shop specialising in schoolbags. There, they saw hundreds of bags on display but were surprised to see that there was not a single wheeled schoolbag on sale.
Huhn Privitera’s husband, who is a doctor, researched the subject and discovered that the conventional rucksack, when fitted correctly, was by far the best option as it distributes the weight evenly. Wheeled bags, on the other hand, put all the strain on one arm which could potentially cause a number of problems in young children whose bones are still forming. These problems could range from strains and dislocations to even curvature of the spine in extreme cases.
“Emilia is just five and like many of her friends she had her heart set on a wheeled bag,” Huhn Privitera says. “However, we sat down with her and explained that a rucksack was the best choice. We then ordered them online and chose a brand of schoolbags that are aimed specifically at children in primary school as they only weigh 800 grams each.
“Despite their light weight they are robust and well made and are guaranteed for five years. We bought two sets with a matching sports bag and pencil case. They were quite expensive – however, the cheaper ones, although nice to look at, don’t last as long so it makes financial sense to invest in sturdier ones, as they will last longer.”
One thing which Huhn Privitera leaves until the very last minute is buying her daughters’ school uniforms. This is because, at five and seven years of age, Huhn Privitera’s daughters are still growing up rapidly.
“We order the uniforms from the school supplier. However, my husband handles this task because summer is a busy time for me at work. Moreover, he is very patient, which is just as well as he often has to queue as many other parents obviously have the same idea,” she says. “We also buy their shoes in Malta as in Germany children don’t wear uniforms and there isn’t a great selection of traditional black school shoes.”
As for getting her daughters ready for their back to school routine, Huhn Privitera says she doesn’t anticipate any problems.
“They have a fairly regular routine, which I tend to keep even in summer,” she says. “Moreover, I know that after a long summer, both my daughters are looking forward to meeting up with their friends again, and that makes things easier. I was lucky that neither Sophia nor Emilia had any first day anxiety and I’m sure that this year will be the exactly the same for Emilia as she makes the transition to full time school. They both have outgoing personalities and are looking forward to the next scholastic year which, for them, is one big adventure.”
Saved by the school bell
• Obtain the school supply list as early as possible and don’t wait for school to start to finalise your shopping. Also, involve your children when shopping for their school supplies.
• Don’t introduce new school routines on the first day of school. Practise the routine a few days in advance – this will make the first day of school less hectic.
• For the first week of school, clear your diary as much as possible so that you’ll spend more time with your children, especially if they are attending a new school.
• Keep a diary or calendar and mark all the important days. You have a busy schedule already, so it’s best to be prepared well in advance for extra transport duties or school activities where you will need to be present.
• Introduce yourself to new teachers, school administration staff and other students’ parents.
• If your children are anxious about going back to school, this will also rub off on you. To help your children overcome their anxiety, reinforce their ability to cope and let them know that you support them all the way. You can do this through small things, such as leaving a caring note in their lunchbox.