High School is challenging. Students are often stressed because they constantly try to keep up with their peers, join all the activities, earn good grades and stay connected to home. It truly is a time when details are necessary, almost critical really. And as most of us parents know, we are often left to help sort out the details.
Williams Educational Consultants has provided Parent Coaching for almost two decades. Even though our primary mission is to help your student choose wisely, we often coach the you alongside your most proud possession. Since the pandemic, parents have begun reaching out to us more for individual support and guidance because when students evolve into high schoolers, the actual high school tries to push students to become more responsible. Therefore, parents have less interaction with the school. This is not wrong; shifting the responsibility to the high schooler is suitable for many reasons, but for parents, it is a shift in the educational system and the family dynamic. Therefore, it can become a concern for parents.
Here are some tips on how to stay involved in your students daily activities:
1. Get to know your student. The best way to help your child is to get to know them. Through the years, I have learned that asking open questions is critical in building a relationship. And often, these conversations are best with your child while on a car ride, playing cards, taking a walk, or doing any physical activity. Open-ended questions allow your child to give a free-form answer, whereas closed-ended questions are answered with a "Yes" or "No." Open-ended questions are helpful because they create an opportunity for a conversation.
Here are some Tips:
Begin with words such as "how," "what," "where," "who," or "when."
Avoid "why" questions; instead, ask, "Please tell me more about that."
Aim to collect stories! Asking open-ended questions take longer to receive answers, thus allowing you and your child to spend more time together: learning and reflecting.
2. Get Involved. The high school shift allows for parent participation. Being an involved member of the high school will give you access to faculty, counselors, parents, and students. In today's time, most parents have both work and home responsibilities. However, attending workshops, volunteering once a month, or being part of the PTA can help parents feel more aware and involved in their student's life.
Often parent participation causes a direct path to helping students create their stories. Parent involvement is critical to a student's story because getting involved in your child's life will most likely enhance academic performance and, most importantly, help your student maintain a positive attitude toward education. Additionally, students can have higher self-esteem and find more motivation when a parent is a positive part of their community.
3. Help With The Details. If you have a high school student, you have heard of "the Frontal Lobe." This part of the brain controls many essential functions, such as problem-solving, emotional regulation, judgment, organization, memory, attention, and communication. But here is the shocker, research suggests that the frontal lobe does not fully develop until 25 years of age! Therefore, helping with the day-to-day details is vital for your child. Working with high school and college-aged students is a passion of mine because it is an opportunity to guide and mentor each student on how to create their story successfully.
Here are some tips on how to help with the details:
Visit the school website. Parents will find the annual calendar, information on classes, the counselor website, clubs, and more.
Help your child understand sleep patterns and create boundaries for studying.
Offer help with studying, creating a comfortable place to learn, and tips on studying can be handy to a tired teen.
Teach your student about nutrition and wellness by involving them in meal planning and cooking. Cooking together is another great way to learn more about your student's stories!