Helping Your Teen Succeed in School

Not every student learns at the same pace or in the same style. Your child’s success in school is the doorway to endless possibilities for their future. For this reason, I offer the following suggestions:

Inquire about your teen’s classes and teachers
At the start of the school year, ask your child what they think of their teachers and get a sense of how enthused they are feeling about a particular subject in school. This will cue you in to potential areas where you may need to support them.

Know about their assignments what they are learning
Once school is underway check in daily or weekly, depending upon the self-motivation of your particular child, by asking about what their are learning and their assignments. In doing this, you can discover their need for assistance before learning from their report card that they have fallen behind.

Handling obstacles to academic success
What you are listening for are any feelings of overwhelm that might indicate the need for you to step in and offer support. If your teen starts expressing feelings of helplessness, or hopelessness about a particular class or classes, this could mean a couple of things...

1. They need some assistance, beyond the time spent in class, to actually digest the new information, and thus a tutor may prove helpful.
2. They may have a learning style or learning disability that needs to be better understood, like ADD, dyslexia, or a sensory processing disorder. There are tests as well as treatment which are designed to help overcome these challenges.
3. They may be struggling emotionally with depression, bullying, low self-esteem or even substance abuse. These are all situations that would benefit from a consultation and/or treatment with a trained mental health professional.

The value of the educational process
The process of education goes beyond the actual subjects they are studying. The Middle and High School experience offers students the opportunity to learn social skills, personal responsibility, respect for authority, how to manage their time, what areas interest them, as well as how to gather and absorb information (a skill that will definitely come in handy in their future). Therefore, it is essential that parents support their child in having a positive and successful school experience.

Teach a man to fish and you feed him for life
Instead of only focusing on the outcome, like graduation and college, parents can better serve their teen by walking beside them along the way. This does not mean that you step in and do their work for them, as this only reinforces a sense of dependency upon you. Your job as a parent is to prepare your child for the world by encouraging them to become a student of life.

For more information, please visit my website:
SandraDupontMFT.com
Adolescent Therapist | Parent Coach | Teen Mentor

Serving: Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Pacific Palisades, Malibu, Beverly Hills, Beverly Glen, Culver City, Brentwood, Westwood, Marina Del Rey, Mar Vista, Encino, Sherman Oaks, Topanga Beach and Topanga Canyon, Ocean Park, Hancock Park, West Hollywood.

tags: find a teen therapist, parenting teens, teen advice, teen depression, teen peer pressure, teen self esteem, teen support groups, teenagers problems