Back to School with Confidence

Hi families!

We took a break from The Legender as we worked to launch the Legends app. It’s a confidence training program that guarantees a more confident kid in just 90 days with 5-minute daily exercises for parents and kids to do as a team.

Now, we’re excited to relaunch The Legender as a biweekly newsletter full of actionable insights from the experts on our team. In this newsletter, we’re covering the topic on every parent’s mind right now: The back-to-school transition, and how we prepare parents to navigate it confidently.

As always, if you have feedback or requests for content you want to see, let me know! I hope this is as helpful to your family as it is to mine.

3️⃣ Tips for a Confident Start to the School Year

The summer before fourth grade, my mother swallowed hard as I confidently led her through the hair product aisle at CVS. At my insistence, she bought a giant vat of hair gel, and, reluctantly, some temporary hair color.

I got picked on and left out a lot in elementary school, so I was worried—terrified even—about how things would go in fourth grade. I was determined to take matters into my own hands. They’re not going to pick on me if I have cool spiky hair like the guys in NSYNC, I reasoned. And they’ll have to notice if I dye it green.

The unknown can loom large over a new school year. Kids have lots of questions like: “Will I like my teacher?”, “What if this year is way harder?”, and “What if I don’t get along with the kids in my class?”

A little bit of anxiety is normal for kids. Especially if they’re headed to a whole new school. It shouldn’t be a cause for alarm, and we want to help them work through those feelings and walk into school feeling confident.

Without needing hair dye.

Here are 3 things you can do:

1. 💭 Remind them of ‘past wins’

2. 👀 Look for opportunities for them to be in control

3. 💪 Reinforce a growth mindset

CONTINUE READING 👉

🔗 Legendary Links

• This list of 50 alternatives to “How was school today?”

• Dr. Wendy Mogel talks with Dax Shepard about how to build confidence, fearlessness, adventure, and politeness in kids
  (Shared by Legends Insider parent Toby D.)

• How Lego clubs are helping one neurodivergent kid build confidence
  (Shared by Legends Insider educator Nicolette G.)

• A teacher’s reflection on how to spark motivation in kids
  (Shared by Legends Insider parent Tamara F.)

• This documentary that explains TikTok through the eyes of its “power users”: GenZ influencers
  (Shared by Legends Insider parent Jordan S.)

• Dr. Lisa Damour’s frank talk on what “mentally healthy” looks like in kids, and when distress should be cause for concern.

• Something truly legendary 
  (Created by the Legends team’s very own Harry Isaac)

🏫 Duke Move-in Day Reflections

The U-Haul truck, not just a trailer but a very large vehicle, pulled up to the front of the residence hall. My colleagues and I, along with dozens of students, were positioned there to assist with new student move-in. The truck had been in view for several minutes, waiting in the queue. As it approached, we prepared to greet the new student and his family, ready to help move his belongings into the room where he'd be living for the next eight months at Duke University.

It’s not unusual for students to bring a lot of stuff to college, but a U-Haul truck load? We all became somewhat concerned as we pondered whether this student was living alone or with a roommate. Regardless, there was not going to be room for what was in that truck!

The back of the truck opened, the ramp was set in place, and…

CONTINUE READING 👉