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Connect Canyons
Learning is about making connections, and we invite you to learn and connect with us. Connect Canyons is a show about what we teach in Canyons District, how we teach, and why. We get up close and personal with some of the people who make our schools great: students, teachers, principals, parents, and more. We meet national experts, too. And we spotlight the “connection makers” — personalities, programs and prospects — we find compelling and inspiring.
Connect Canyons
Episode 115: Getting Back in the Back-to-School Groove
Canyons students are back in the classroom, and those first few weeks of school can be a little jarring. Whether it's remembering to set that alarm clock or getting acquainted with a new class schedule, it can take a while to get back into the learning groove.
So, we’re devoting the first Connect Canyons episode for the 2025-2026 school year to helping students and parents alike find that rhythm again. Joining us for this episode are Canyons Instructional Coach Susan Young and Canyons AVID Specialist Jay Rudel who share their insights into things parents can do at home as well as tips for students to stay organized.
“For me, I love the start of school,” says Rudel. “Everything is new, and everyone gets a fresh start. And if you attack Day One like Day 180 and say, ‘this is what we’re going to do each day,’ you’ll have some success with that. It takes time. It’s hard work. It’s not easy. But we have to teach ourselves to do hard things and it’s OK to do hard things and fail sometimes. You get up on the horse again and try a different strategy.”
Welcome to Connect Canyons, a podcast sponsored by Canyon School District. This is a show about what we teach, how we teach and why we get up close and personal with some of the people who make our schools great Students, teachers, principals, parents and more. We meet national experts too. Learning is about making connections, so connect with us experts too.
Speaker 2:Learning is about making connections, so connect with us. Canyon students are back in the classroom kicking off the 2025-26 school year. With the first few weeks of school, naturally comes a bit of chaos, whether it's students not waking up on time or forgetting to bring something to school. It can take time to get back into that groove of the school year. Welcome to Connect Canyons. I'm your host, frances Cook. This week, we want to help students and parents alike find that rhythm again and to set students up for success. Joining me now are two Canyons experts Susan Young, one of our Canyons instructional coaches, and Jay Rudell, our AVID specialist. Thank you both for being here.
Speaker 3:Thank you for having us.
Speaker 2:Now you're both involved in AVID programs here at Canyons, which we'll get into in a little bit of the moment, but it means you know a thing or two about organization. Jay, I'd like to start with you. Would you first just tell us what AVID is?
Speaker 4:AVID is basically a system and a philosophy on how to reach higher levels of achievement with students, and it goes from the teacher's lens to the administrative lens, to even the student lens in what we call relational capacity. At different levels it's more intense than at the elementary levels, for example. For example, it's much more teacher-driven at the elementary level and much more student-driven at the secondary levels, where they have their own class for AVID, the entire school teaches a certain way, using WICR, which is Writing, inquire, collaboration, organization and Reading, to maximize student engagement in the classroom.
Speaker 2:And we have five schools throughout the district that are avid schools.
Speaker 4:We do have five. We have two elementaries, which is Sandy Elementary and Glacier Hills Elementary. The two middle schools are Eastmont Middle School, which is a national demonstration school, and Mount Jordan Middle School, and then Jordan High School is the feeder system we call it, and all those kids, or a lot of them, go through that system, through Jordan.
Speaker 2:Very cool and shout out to Eastmont. They got that national demonstration recently.
Speaker 4:And wouldn't have happened without the lady sitting next to us.
Speaker 2:Yeah, buddy, that's really awesome, Aw thanks. So, as you mentioned, organization is part of AVID, but it's deep in the roots. That is AVID, right? So let's get into the organizational side of things. There are a lot of things that our students can do, our parents can do, that can keep them organized throughout the school year. Just off the cuff, what kind of just tips and tricks would you have that just immediately come to your mind? Just tips and tricks. Would you have that just immediately come to your mind?
Speaker 3:I think, first of all, having an organizational system is really key. From the teacher, from the Eastmont lens and from the teacher lens, which is where I really specialize, we give every student a binder with dividers and we set up purposeful time at the start of school for students to organize that binder with classes in the order that they have them from first to, you know, seventh period, for example. So I think having an organizational system like that in place is really important. But we also know that in our digital world today, that we also have to have digital organization.
Speaker 2:Absolutely.
Speaker 3:That's important, even as, like an adult right, we have things on paper, we get handouts. Well, what do we do with our handouts after we go to a meeting? Or we get emails, how do we organize our emails? Or even, how do we organize our to-do lists at home? So I think the key for both of these things, whether you're a student or a parent, is that you have to kind of figure out what is your system going to be and system going to be, and at eSmart, we make it easy, because we just tell students you have to have this binder.
Speaker 3:We just give them a binder and theoretically, teachers are supposed to be intentional about modeling the organization. But hopefully, as that translates at home, the parents should then say oh, you have this binder. I see it has dividers. Let's put papers in the three-ring binder together. Let's make sure that there's nothing in your backpack scattered papers, I don't know, nasty pieces from lunch, whatever it is and make sure that we are going through it.
Speaker 3:So I might be getting ahead of myself here, but I think just having a system and really thinking through what that system is going to look like and for different kids and for different parents and families that's going to look different, but we have to have a system, that's like the first key thing that comes to mind.
Speaker 2:That's such a great idea. With the binders and the you know what, be it tabs or folders, you've got your English class, you've got your math class and everything. You know a place for everything and everything in its place. I think everybody hears that phrase so often because it's just so innately true. Exactly, jay. How about you? What comes to mind just off the cuff?
Speaker 4:Well, from a teacher's perspective or a parent or even a student's perspective, I think getting in a routine and understanding how to maneuver that routine throughout the school week is really important and it's going to look different from an elementary perspective compared to a secondary, middle school and high school perspective.
Speaker 4:The one nice thing about AVID schools and Susie mentioned that is we do the organization or teach the kids the organization all the way through. So the kindergartners at Sandy and at Glacier Hills they're already starting to learn that organizational skill at a very early age and each grade level up they get it gets more rigorous for them. So instead of just one tab in kindergarten, now in first grade we're two tabs and we're working on math and english and also with that piece is when they get to the middle school they should be ready to be in that organized frame of mind from the very get going carrying through high school. I've talked to parents in passing why can't we have AVID in my school? Because that would really help my kid be organized and it is a philosophy and a system that each year these kids get more organized with things.
Speaker 2:And it's something that I think even if not every school is an avid school, like you said, it's a philosophy, it's something that parents and students alike can adapt on their own and really lean into. I'd like to dig into the routine of things. When I was a kid, I couldn't do my homework in my bedroom, right, there were too many distractions. Or what time are you doing your homework? Can you dig into that a little bit more about what kind of routines they can set up?
Speaker 4:One of the things I'll say is and especially from a perspective of a parent, which I was now they're growing up, thankfully you need to develop a system. Each night and obviously having, for example, middle school, you have seven or eight classes. That's a lot for a sixth grader to manage. And so, breaking it up, it's going to be Math Mondays how are we organizing our math book on Monday with math, and then Tuesday ELA, and then Wednesday we're going to do science, and then Thursday we're going to do history and elective classes. That way it's not. Oh, I got all of these eight classes I have to worry about tonight. And then another thing I say in the high school level, because we have A days and B days, have an A day binder and a B day binder, and you just switch them out each day and you know which homeworks you have to do during that night.
Speaker 4:Elementary is and Susie and I were talking about this is well, I get this folder, they bring it home, I put stuff back in it, they bring it back to school, and that's great, but it's going to get harder as they grow through the years of elementary, and so, anyways, setting up a routine like that is really important to say this is what we do, and maybe it's five minutes to start. Let's just take five minutes. Don't put all of the pressure on the student and say we got to do this for a half an hour because it's not going to work that way. Sure, let's work on five minutes and get that five minutes solid with that math for that Monday.
Speaker 2:Working your way up.
Speaker 3:Can I just jump into and just say I think one of the issues where kids do have organizational problems and I'm just talking kind of maybe more like general population things, not not people who might have, you know, special needs or whatever that might take some further scaffolding or some more intervention. But I think that sometimes as and I'm I'm now parent to almost a second grader and so I see it from now as a parent going having a kid in elementary school but I think sometimes parents assume well, the teachers are going to teach my kids this.
Speaker 2:Sure.
Speaker 3:And the teachers assume well, the parents are going to enforce this and teach this to their kids, and I think obviously we also.
Speaker 3:We know what happens when you assume right.
Speaker 3:So I think the issue is that sometimes parents and teachers they're not maybe working together in the sense of like, oh, this is a partnership, and so I think that creates like a really big. The parents and teachers need to realize that they need to take ownership of teaching these things in a classroom setting and also in a home setting, and so that's why AVID is so wonderful, so wonderful and that's something that we encourage our teachers to do at Eastmont is take time, build it into your classroom routine. Yeah, that at the when you do a starter or a warm up, then, okay, you're putting that paper back into your binder in the three ring binder and you shut your binder and you put it in your backpack, like create the routine and then, with, as a parent, create the routine, like Jay mentioned, of I'm checking a section a day with my student and I'm building that into our evening routine and schedule. And so I think we just can't assume that the other party is doing it. We both have to do it together.
Speaker 2:And we were mentioning phrases that we use all the time. It takes a village right? Yes, again, it's a phrase we say all the time because it's so very true, the parents have their side. And then it's a phrase we say all the time because it's so very true, the parents have their side. And then it's teamwork with the teachers as well. Uh, you mentioned, you know, putting things back in the binder. One thing I've heard a lot of parents say is their students will, their kids will, complete their homework, it's done, but then it stops. It doesn't get back to the class.
Speaker 2:And so it doesn't get turned in and so they don't get the grade for it. So is there another layer to that? You know, beyond helping them to put it back in the folder, Then how do we get that folder back into the classroom and that piece of paper back out of the folder?
Speaker 3:Right. I mean, I would just say I see it from both perspectives because I'm both a teacher and a parent. But I think on the parent side it's helping your student develop skills to advocate and say I have this homework, do I turn it in today? Where do I turn it in? Hopefully they know where to turn it in. But you know things happen. Yeah, but just making sure, like talking to your, like role-playing it. Okay, this teacher maybe has a hard time reminding us to turn in homework. Okay, so role-play it. Hey, excuse me, you know miss, whatever. Where do I turn in my homework? Or is this due today? I have it right.
Speaker 3:So I think that advocacy is important as a student when maybe they're not turning it in because maybe the teacher isn't reminding them or has a system in place. But then it goes back on the teacher, right, the teacher needs to be providing that routine to have a place where kids are turning homework in the time and place to do it and that hopefully they're using feedback to say now is the time to turn in your homework. Oh look, johnny has it, sally has it. Right, right, right, like that feedback is really important for the teacher. So again, it is a partnership piece and I would encourage a parent if they're finding that their student isn't turning things in. It could be a student thing, but it could also be a teacher thing and I would explore which one it is and then work on that relationship.
Speaker 4:I agree totally with what Susie was saying. One thing as a parent is maybe modeling that at home and saying okay, mrs Young, where do I turn that in? Because I from my experience as a 29 year teacher is some kids just don't want to make that jump and have that conversation with the teacher going. I have this where do I put it?
Speaker 3:It makes them nervous.
Speaker 4:Yes, makes them extremely nervous, especially at the younger grade, sixth grade, seventh grade and modeling at that home and say, okay, this is how you do it. One of the big things with AVID is we want student agency and Susie said it as well is how the student advocate for themselves. That's a key piece to life and going through that and practicing that with your children, I think is extremely important.
Speaker 2:It gives them that opportunity to be proud of the work that they've done, too right.
Speaker 3:Absolutely.
Speaker 2:I finished this. I completed this task, I'm proud of it, and I want you to be too Right. Exactly.
Speaker 3:And that ownership is really important and is also very key to the AVEN mission.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. We were talking a little bit about routines and I was reading up, before we sat down together, about some of the other ways that we can help students to be organized at home. And you know, I read like a homework caddy right, just a little basket that has their pens, their pencils. Do they need a calculator? Do they need a ruler? Even I thought this one was such a unique idea having a specific place where you keep their after-school snacks so maybe they are coming home and immediately sitting down and doing their homework but, they're also grabbing a snack, so they know where their snacks are.
Speaker 2:They know what their afterschool snacks are and they can grab it.
Speaker 2:Then at the end of the day, again making sure those assignments are back in those binders and the binders are back in the backpack. The backpack's packed the night before so we're not scrambling in the morning, right? But I also read then, setting out at least that next day's outfit, right? Is it crazy sock day? Is it crazy hair day? What do we set again? Set our children and our students up for success. Any other tips and tricks for you know kind of that at-home modeling by example.
Speaker 4:I think that's an excellent idea of having everything laid out for the next day, just like when we talk about high school students having an A-day B-day binder, knowing which one is which, and all those things. I think setting up the routine when does the student or the child start their homework is really important. Every situation is going to be different. Do you have a place or, like you said, a caddy for them to go? Oh, this is where I need to go, and we live in this very multifunctional world with a lot of distractions, and it's very difficult to get the kid focused just on the homework. And I get that, and that's what I'm saying.
Speaker 4:Maybe smaller chunks, the first five minutes of each hour at night. We're going to study this, this is what we're going to do and getting them the idea that this, you study a little bit, you play a little bit, you study a little bit, play a little bit, and you need to reward them too. I mean, if, going back to the executive functioning, if they turn that in to the teacher and you ask them when they come home from school did you turn that in? Great, hey, great job, let's go get a piece of candy or whatever the case may be to give a positive reward for that, and I think then the student will say, okay, this is just part of the routine that I have to go through as a student.
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 3:I would agree with that and I would just add, I think, some type of self-monitoring checklist, you know, like this just kind of goes off of what you both said, but the parents need again. The word intentional comes up. But the parents may need to be intentional about what the space looks like, what is the schedule, what are the rewards, but what are also the consequences? Where does the phone go If they're you know?
Speaker 3:a middle or high school student, what are your expectations with screen time around this time? And I think um, I know I get in trouble when it's like as a parent, where I don't think through those things, and then it's like, oh, it just feels like a free-for-all at home, right. So having some structures in place, but also giving them the opportunity to have the structures there so that eventually the kids are taking ownership of that checklist or whatever, they're self-monitoring, so that eventually the kids are really owning the homework, and that's what we want to see more, especially as they get into high school. Because guess what? You're going to be in college or career and you're going to have to figure out how you're going to organize your life and your schedule.
Speaker 3:I think, unfortunately, we all have good intentions but sometimes, maybe, as parents, we just we maybe do too much monitoring or we take things off their plate and maybe we need to let it go. And one thing that my principal, stacey Kurtz, always talks a lot about is like middle school is a really great time to let kids fail, because there's not really big consequences for not turning in your homework. Yeah, so I think, just as parents, sometimes we just need to like, maybe let go of the reins a little bit too. We give them the structure, but we need to let the students take the ownership. That's what I'm really trying to say.
Speaker 2:Let them learn from their mistakes.
Speaker 3:Yeah, Like don't make it too casual or too easy at home, but we need to like let them take ownership.
Speaker 2:Because, like you mentioned before, you know, the later in school that they get, the more responsibilities they're going to have. They're going to have sports, they're going to have bands, they're going to have clubs, you know, or even just wanting to hang out with their friends, and so all of that kind of piles on. So having those routines established early I think you hit the nail on the head it's really going to help them out. We touched lightly on this earlier. A number of students in the Canyons District have special needs when it comes to needing a little extra help in the classroom, and that can come in many forms. Maybe they have ADD, maybe they have other mental difficulties that they need an extra hand. What advice would you have for those students and their parents and, vicariously, what resources do we have available as a district for them?
Speaker 3:Well, I mean, I think we have a lot of resources available with a lot of our district departments. There's a lot of people who have taught in the classrooms here.
Speaker 3:We have student wellness and so I know there's resources from them and I believe they also offer things like classes and things like that for parents. So we have resources here. But I would also talk with the teacher. The teacher who is teaching that student is going to have especially if your student is maybe has an IEP or a 504, you're going to have teachers and also counselors and social workers and school psychs that have experience and have really specific interventions and things that can help your student thrive. And yeah, it is going to look a little, may look a little different, but we do have people who have those specialties. So I would work in partnership with those teachers and those staff members to come together and to get ideas to help your students succeed. And I found as a teacher that if a parent was really with me with a student, we were able to come to a place where we could both support that student in our different roles. So don't hesitate.
Speaker 4:I strongly suggest going to the counselors. They do a great job with the resources and Canyons is fantastic with a lot of resources. We have a ton of them out there. The one thing I'll say too is just like Susie's, what she said. It was talk to that teacher. I mean teachers are in this to help kids. I mean, it's not the money, okay, we're here to help the kids. We want the kids to succeed and in my experience I haven't seen any teachers would say, oh, I don't want to help that kid, we want to help. That's why we are here. So please reach out to the teacher and say what can we do to help your situation with that particular class?
Speaker 2:I think in all of the podcasts that we do, that's probably the number one word of advice that is constantly shared Reach out to your teacher and establish that partnership. They're there to help. They want your students to succeed and I think for the most part teachers are going to love hearing from parents. It shows that the parent's involved. They can say I noticed Johnny did really well with this and that's something he's been struggling with. And then the parent gets that positive feedback and then it only you know helps the student even more so.
Speaker 2:Any final words of wisdom or encouragement for parents and students alike as we enter our new school year.
Speaker 3:I mean, the thing that comes to mind is just don't give up and persevere. I think what's tricky about teaching or parenting is that there's a lot of variables that we can't control. I mean, I think about I have three kids and my kids are all very different from each other and the way that I parent my oldest versus my middle child right now is very different because they're very different personalities. And so for my middle child, we're currently trying to figure out some things for him, and it looks different than what I did with my daughter at the same age, and just recognizing that there's not always going to, there's never a silver bullet, I'm sorry everyone.
Speaker 3:I'm sorry, there's not a silver bullet, you know I wish there was a silver bullet for life and for teaching and for parenting, but there's just not. And so sometimes you have to try something and then it fails and you're like, oh that, that that did not work well, and then you have to try something different. And so I would just say, if you're a parent feeling like I don't know what else to do, keep persevering and, um, you know, keep Googling, use chat, gpt, talk to your resources, um, talk to your teachers and school counselors and admin. Don't give up and have faith that you're going to find what you need for your student. It's not going to be perfect, but you do the best that you can.
Speaker 2:As do we all.
Speaker 3:Right, that's all we can do, so just don't lose hope.
Speaker 4:For me. I love the start of the school year because everything is new and everybody gets a fresh start. And if you attack day one, like you know, day 180, and say this is what we're going to do each day, you'll have some success with that. Now again, like Susie says, there's no silver bullet. It takes time, it's hard work, it's not easy, but we have to teach ourselves to do hard things and it's okay to do hard things and fail sometimes and you get up on the horse again and try a different strategy and stuff. But I will say this canyons is loaded with resources. You can reach out to the avid department and the instructional supports, as well as student wellness, special education. We will be there to help you awesome, Awesome.
Speaker 2:It's like Thomas Edison said he failed to make a light bulb a thousand times, but he didn't count it as a failure. He learned a thousand ways not to make a light bulb, Absolutely Well. Thank you both so much. This has been eye-opening for me as an adult on ways that I couldn't even organize my life, Nevertheless teaching our young students early on how to get that organization, that ownership and pride in the work that they do. So thank you.
Speaker 3:No problem, thank you.
Speaker 2:And thank you for listening. If there's a topic you'd like to hear discussed, send us an email to communications at canyonsdistrictorg.
Speaker 1:Thanks for listening to this episode of Connect Canyons. Connect with us on Twitter, facebook or Instagram at Canyons District or on our website, canyonsdistrictorg.
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