10 Ways to Help Your Child Succeed in High School

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This post is sponsored by C2 Education but all opinions are my own.

10 ways to help your Child Succeed in High School. Be a partner in their team for success.

Exam season is here and for thousands of high school students across the country, the next few months could mean anxiety and worries about tests and even picking courses for the next year.

As South Asian parents, many of us grew up with the pressure to be successful and get good grades. Now, we just want our own kids to do well.  With competition both inside and outside the classroom, helping kids build a positive attitude towards learning and work habits is key. By the time your child reaches high school, it’s common to not feel like you’re connected with every aspect of their academics and even their lives in the same way you did when they were younger.

Research shows more and more teens experience anxiety. Moreover, High anxiety levels limit working memory capacity, and by some measures, moderate to severe test anxiety can produce a 12% decline in test scores. That’s why helping your child like you’re on their team and with them every step of the way is key for success.

Here are 10 ways you can help your child succeed in high school:

1. Know what they’re learning, take interest

It’s important as parents to look at the curriculum outlines provided by the school, ask questions of your children and their teachers to see what your child is doing well in, what they’re learning and how you can help them navigate the gaps and challenges.

2. Teach them to take academic responsibility

As much as you might want to take control, it’s important to encourage accountability and ownership of their work.  Teach your children that they control their own success. Establish a “no excuses” policy. Part of controlling their success is taking responsibility for their mistakes. It wasn’t mom’s fault that the homework was unfinished, and it wasn’t the teacher’s fault that there was a test that wasn’t studied for. Help them build a schedule and ask your child to set goals for the week.

3. Understand homework expectations, and reinforce them

Ensure you know homework expectations for your child’s grade and decide together if they need extra help such as tutoring. Sometimes extra help is necessary. There are tons of resources to help students overcome their studying struggles, from after-school programs at the local library to online courses and individualized support from an organization like C2 Education. If you think your child could benefit from extra support, contact C2 Education for a free consultation.

4. Prepare Teens for Test-taking

Test taking is a skill. But anxiety can hinder this skill at any age. While schools may be embracing different definitions of success, taking that SAT is an important part your child’s path to the right school. When preparing for Test Prep, it’s crucial for your child to have a team that stands by them and is equally prepared to deal with the stress that comes with it. To help give your teen a winning edge, add C2 Education to your team. Personalized programs can make all the difference.

5. Enlist help when it comes to University application

When it’s time to apply to a college or university, it sometimes feel overwhelming. Enlisting the help of experts who have been through the process and know what counts can be key. Advice by expert who understand college admissions can be the difference between getting into a good college and a great one. While good grades and test scores are necessary to get into a top college, there are many other components that make up a great college application. C2’s certified counselors help students create a comprehensive high school plan with the goal of designing a college application that stands above the rest.

6. Prepare them physically — good eating habits, sleeping habits 

Get your teen to bed at the right time.  According to the National Sleep Foundation, teens need about 8 to 10 hours of sleep each night to function best. Most teens do not get enough sleep — one study found that only 15% reported sleeping 8 1/2 hours on school nights. This can impact overall health and eating habits. Encourage healthy snacking and ensure a daily habit of lights out without devices.

 7. Be proactive—stay in touch with teachers as necessary

Emailing a teacher at the beginning of a term can be productive and encourage your teen to open up and ask questions. Follow up with their teachers on test results to discover the gaps and learn how extra resources can help.

8. Help them navigate problems when warning signs appear

Encourage your teen to seek help when challenges arise and not wait until the end of a term. Encourage healthy conversations about fear of failure, anxiety and get help early.

9. Motivate your child with good messages about academics without pressure

This is a big one. Many of us may have grown up with the idea of, ‘What happened to the other 10%? or ‘You need to get the top grade’ but it’s important to have goals that will show improvements, even if they’re small. Embracing failure or problem areas can equip us better to ask for help, make leaps and learn from mistakes. Share your stories of a time when you failed or didn’t perform as well with your teen and encourage an open dialogue. 

10. Encourage a balance of academics and extracurricular activities for good physical social and mental health

Encourage your child to pursue a hobby, whether that’s dance, music or joining a sports team. Staying active helps brain development and builds teamwork skills. Balancing academic work during the school year with extracurricular activities can be tricky. So try to pick a balance that works for your teen. For example, encourage more school participation in school activities during the year and leave the test prep for the SAT for the summer!  That way, teens can get a head start before school starts and reduce some of the stress during the year.

Click here to get in touch with a local C2 Education center to get your child the help they need!

 


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