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Arts & Entertainment

OPINION: When Visions of Summer Dance in Your Head

Staying focused when summer vacation is right around the corner can be a daunting task.

With the last day of classes quickly approaching on June 23rd, students throughout Marlborough are hard pressed to keep their focus on academics. As the weather gets nicer and nicer, spring fever threatens to steal the focus of anxious students who have summer vacation at the forefront of their minds. As a result, it is more important than ever to "step up" the quality and intensity of what is happening in the classrooms throughout Marlborough. This is true at home as well. 

In order to prevent our children from just “coasting” through the last three plus weeks of school we must be diligent and establish expectations which will set our children up for success. The key is to keep them focused by encouraging patience, positivity and persistence - helping our children to stay the course and not to waver as they head down the final stretch towards summer vacation. 

There is no denying the lure of summer ... carefree, sun kissed, lazy days void of academic pressures and deadlines. Still, we need to help our children stay focused on school and finish strong. As parents we need to model taking responsibility for tasks and finishing what you start. A common thread to much of responsible and proper parenting lies in modeling the behavior we seek. We can do this by not putting things off or neglecting jobs in order to pursue something more enjoyable. This will just give our children an excuse to do the same.

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Finishing strong when doing any task is an important quality in successful people. By working hard and finishing the school year strong, students will be rewarded for their hard work and persistence.

Good time management skills coupled with minimal distractions (television, phone, computer) will set your student up for success. And, as the saying goes, success breeds success. So, as the days get warmer and students begin to daydream about steamy hot days on the cool, refreshing lake or relaxing poolside with a tall glass of lemonade, parents must ensure that their children not let up on the throttle at school.  

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Is your child plagued by visions of summer dancing in his/her head? Is he/she losing focus on schoolwork? Tell us in the comment section.

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