Back to School Success Tips

Q. With the school year just beginning, what can we do as parents to help make this a successful year for our teen-ager and our family?

A. Fortunately, there are many things you can do to make this a successful school year, not just for your teen, but for the whole family as well.

In general, the first thing to keep in mind is that parents and teens have a very different notion about the purpose of school. Here's how I believe it works: For parents, the perception is that we work all day, the kids don't. School is their job. Therefore, they should get good grades, just as we want to do well on our jobs.

The perception of teen-agers is quite different. In their view, school is rarely more than their social world, interrupted by six or seven classes a day.

So, here's a list of the top seven things parents can do to make this a successful school year:

Create an environment at home that models a love of learning. How often have your children seen you reading? Heard you talking about something you have learned? Discussed ideas and issues with them? While these are things to have started from Day One with your child, you can still implement them in your home now.

In whatever way works for you, make sure your teen knows that while grades are vitally important, your child is more important to you than his grades. That's the No. 1 thing I hear from kids when I ask them what gets in the way of talking about school with their parents.

This one is so simple yet so profound. Ask them their opinion on important issues of the day. You may be surprised to find out what kind of brain they have in there.

Make sure there is nothing blocking your teen-ager from learning. One example of a block could be a learning or information processing disorder, or something like attention deficit disorder. Many teen-agers I work with who have difficulty with school have undiagnosed ADD or ADHD.

Another block to learning can be the use of alcohol and drugs. Part of the process of drug abuse is that kids begin to lose interest in things that were once important to them. If they are drunk or high in school, they do not want to learn and they can't.

Know the names and philosophies of the following people who influence your child's life: the principal, assistant principals, the guidance counselor and, most important, the teachers.

If a discussion about grades has become a battleground during a particular time of day, declare that time off-limits for grade talk, unless the teen brings it up. For some families that time is the car ride home, or right after school. For many it's the dinner table. Many families have reported better digestion after declaring dinner time off-limits to grade talk.

Once you have done all this, simply put them in charge of school. Make them responsible for their performance at school. This may be particularly difficult, because this can be one of those situations where things may get worse before they get better. This is especially true if you have been pushing and pushing over the past few years. There may be a decline in performance as they learn how to be in charge of themselves with school.

Wanting your children to excel in school is a good and natural thing. There comes a time, however, when the ball is simply in their court, and it's up to them. I think the most important thing for parents to remember is that school eventually needs to become more important to them than it is to you.

For more tips and tools for a great school year, check out parenting coach and syndicated parenting columnist Jeff Herring's Back to School Success Tips

---

Google News Updated : Mon, 06 Oct 2008 14:48:34 GMT PGA -- 2008 Turning Point Championship Recap - Pro Fantasy Sports SkySports PGA -- 2008 Turning Point Championship Recap Pro Fantasy Sports - 41 minutes ago Hello in the second of the “Fall Finish” series, a unknown rookie birdied the 72 nd hole to earn a hefty paycheck and a spot on the PGA tour for the next two years. Johnson earns first win at Turning Stone Sports Network Rookie posts first victory San Francisco Chronicle WFIE-TV - Chicago Tribune - PGA Tour all 293 news articles Publ.Date : Mon, 06 Oct 2008 14:07:14 GMT Ask.com Sails into Semantic Search to Differentiate from Google - eWeek BBC News Ask.com Sails into Semantic Search to Differentiate from Google eWeek - 1 hour ago By Clint Boulton Ask.com's search engine market share is minimal at best, but the company keeps on plugging away in application development to keep from being extinguished by Google, Yahoo and Microsoft. Ask.com Amps Up Search Again Wired News Ask.com, now with more answers CNET News BBC News - Search Engine Land - Computerworld - Profy all 21 news articles Publ.Date : Mon, 06 Oct 2008 13:04:07 GMT Obama accuses McCain of looking for distractions - CNN Los Angeles Times Obama accuses McCain of looking for distractions CNN - 19 hours ago (CNN) -- Sen. Barack Obama on Sunday charged that Sen. John McCain's campaign is launching "Swift boat-style attacks" on him instead of addressing the country's problems. Health Care: Coverage -- But at What Price? WIS Health Care Destruction New York Times Los Angeles Times - BlueRidgeNow.com - Chicago Tribune - Wall Street Journal Blogs all 1,314 news articles Publ.Date : Sun, 05 Oct 2008 19:30:50 GMT Angelina Jolie Debuts New Movie and New Ink - Actress Archives MTV UK Angelina Jolie Debuts New Movie and New Ink Actress Archives - 39 minutes ago Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt recently attended the movie premiere for Jolie’s new film “The Changeling” directed by Clint Eastwood, and the film wasn’t the only thing on display. Video: Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt at Premiere AssociatedPress Angelina Jolie’s New Tattoo MTV UK eFluxMedia - First Coast News - ChattahBox - hecklerspray all 402 news articles Publ.Date : Mon, 06 Oct 2008 14:09:31 GMT For Some Animals, There's No Place at Home - U.S. News & World Report Canada.com For Some Animals, There's No Place at Home U.S. News & World Report - 1 hour ago By Amanda Gardner MONDAY, Oct. 6 (HealthDay News) -- Exposing your children to the joys of pet ownership may, in some cases, also mean exposing them to infections and injuries. Keep Kids From Exotic Animals, Docs Say NewsNet5.com Doctors: No hamsters or exotic pets for young kids The Associated Press WRCB-TV - Reuters South Africa - The Press Association all 291 news articles Publ.Date : Mon, 06 Oct 2008 13:06:44 GMT Mammals facing extinction threat - BBC News Canada.com Mammals facing extinction threat BBC News - 2 hours ago By Richard Black At least 25% of the world's mammal species are at risk of extinction, according to the first assessment of their status for a decade. Many, many mammals face extinction Los Angeles Times One Quarter of World's Mammals Face Extinction Scientific American Washington Post - Daily Green - eFluxMedia - Boston Globe all 194 news articles Publ.Date : Mon, 06 Oct 2008 12:37:47 GMT Postseason ace Beckett shelled as Angels win 5-4 - The Associated Press The Associated Press Postseason ace Beckett shelled as Angels win 5-4 The Associated Press - 37 minutes ago BOSTON (AP) - Josh Beckett waited four extra days for a chance to show his postseason brilliance. That shine wore off with his very first pitch. Video: Angels, White Sox Each Force a Game 4 AssociatedPress Red Sox's injuries could prove costly vs. Angels FOXSports.com Boston Globe - MLB.com - Newsday - Boston Herald all 2,381 news articles Publ.Date : Mon, 06 Oct 2008 14:11:21 GMT Affiliate Data Feeds Amazon Associate Feed

PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts, Websites, and more...

Adsense websites

The Truth Behind Having Children

In the beginning, having children was just a byproduct of... Read More

Am I Really A Stroller-Monger?

I was reading "A Modern Infant Armada", a humor column... Read More

The Ten Things That Successful Parents Do

1. They are leaders as well as parents. They don't... Read More

Diaper Bags for Dads - Papas Got a Brand New Bag

Today's dads are more hands-on than ever before and their... Read More

The Legend and Charm of The Tooth Fairy

The legend and myth of the Tooth Fairy is a... Read More

Public-school Teachers Know Best --- They Send Their Kids To Private Schools

A study done by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute found... Read More

How To Be A Bad Mother

As I sit here and reflect on the past two... Read More

You Want Whaaat???

Not too long ago my teenage daughter approached me with... Read More

The Value of Play

Isn't it ironic that a country whose constitution allows for... Read More

Labeling is Disabling: Achieving Congruent Communication

A small town, somewhere in the world, was managed by... Read More

To Clean or Not To Clean

Before my daughter was born my house was... Read More

The Twenty-First Century Parent

John was a 43 year-old sales manager at a large... Read More

Parenting Your Teenager: What Parents Say About Teens

What is hard for parentsLetting them learn from their mistakes.Trying... Read More

What Are Reasonable Expectations of a Child?

To have reasonable expectations of our children is an important... Read More

Single Parenting: How The Challenge Of Single Parenting Affects Your Decision To Divorce

Single parenting has seemingly become an acceptable norm which is... Read More

Things To Teach Your Teenage Driver

Is it hard to communicate with your teenager about issues... Read More

End Homework Battles

Ask parents what their biggest school year challenge is, and... Read More

Confident Kids : Why Some Parents Should Carry a Health Warning

As a hypnotherapist, I am acutely aware of the power... Read More

Eye-Opening Questions for Working Parents to Ask

I remember watching my 18-month-old son eat a big frosted... Read More

Guide to Choosing a Computer System for Your Child

Before going further into choosing computers for children, I believe... Read More

After the Driving School

If you visit search engines you can find several resources... Read More

Meningitis and Septicaemia

Meningitis is an inflammation of the membranes around the brain... Read More

How to Get a Good Diagnosis to See If Your Child Has ADHD

Your child's teacher says that you need to find out... Read More

Is Your Child Ready For an Allowance?

Children think money grows on trees. Maybe not literally, but... Read More

Aptitude, Achievement, Processing Deficit - What Does It All Mean?

You are sitting with the professionals who know about learning... Read More