There’s no doubt that the high school years can be difficult for a teen. Not only are there social pressures and additional obligations such as sports or after-school jobs, but the academic requirements are also much more rigorous than in previous years. Here’s how you can help your teen be successful in high school in today’s world. Teenagers do better academically when their parents are engaged. You don’t have to hover (and you certainly no longer need to walk them into the building), but you can still stay involved without overdoing it. Attend back-to-school nights to meet the teachers and attend parent-teacher conferences to discuss how your teen is doing in class. Unfortunately, many teens will say things are going well even when they’re falling behind. And by the time parents learn about the problem, it’s often too late to remedy the situation. Not all problems show up on a report card. It can also be helpful to learn how your teen is doing socially and behaviorally as well. Many teachers have their own class websites that they update daily with homework and other reminders. Get to know your child’s teachers by name so you can specifically ask questions about what’s going on with each teacher. You should know the school’s physical layout too. It’s easier to talk to your teen about the school day when you can visualize the places they are talking about. Learn the location of the office, library, cafeteria, gym, auditorium, and athletic fields, at the very minimum. If you’re not sticking nearby, check in from time to time to make sure your teen isn’t distracted by a text message conversation or simply staring off into space. This becomes more complicated if your teen is doing homework on a laptop or tablet. They may be tempted to check their social media sites or surf the web rather than stay on task. There are apps that can limit your teen’s access to certain sites during specific times. You may want to block social media or email until 7 PM or an hour when your teen’s homework should be done. As your teen matures, the goal should be to help your teen be able to manage their time and impulses better. After all, you won’t be there to monitor their internet use when they are in college. So there may be times you need to let your teen make some mistakes. Let them get distracted by technology, and then make sure they face natural consequences. Not getting their homework done on time or not having time to participate in a fun activity because their work isn’t done may help them be more responsible next time. If you can afford to do so, hiring a tutor may be helpful as well. Sometimes college students or other high school students offer affordable assistance. If you are able to help your teen, make sure you’re helping them and not doing the work for them. Although it can be easier to just write the paper yourself or correct mistakes for them, they won’t learn if you do the work. But reading can provide your teen with a multitude of benefits. Don’t be picky about what your teen reads, as long as she’s reading a book. Whether they prefer graphic novels or teen romance books, the important thing is that they are reading something they find mentally engaging. Getting your teen interested in books can help boost their brainpower over the long haul too. People who read regularly are less likely to experience cognitive decline later in life. While they may not appreciate that now, they will someday. Unplugging from their electronics for a while and getting lost in a good book could be one of the simplest ways to help them perform better at school. And it can serve as a good reminder to your teen that learning can be fun.
