Inside The District
by Cody Barger
November 04, 2008
Several years ago at a parent teacher conference, I had parents of one of our freshman students tell me that they had "got their child into high school, now it was up to us to get him through." They had concluded their job was done. Their child was in high school. I have encountered this parental attitude to varying degrees over my many years as a high school administrator. I'm not sure i believe that it takes a village to raise a child, but i do believe that strong parental/guardian interest in their child's academics, coupled with student responsibility for learning, decisions and actions and a teaching staff committed to every student's educational success, will result in student readiness for their post high school plan. Any breakdown by one of these stakeholders and there is a high probability that the student will not achieve to his/her potential. Parents and school staff must work in a collaborative and cooperative manner to help support and navigate their student(s) through that thing they call high school.. Listed below are several strategies that have been identified as contributing to high student achievement in the classroom. I believe all of us need to review these strategies from time to time and evaluate our progress in these areas.
Be There- Teenagers are not adults. They are kids. Kids want and need to be supported by their parent(s) or guardian by attending their extra-curricular activities and other school related functions. Knowing that they can count on you to be there gives them a sense of security and stability. Next to parents, school staff have the most influence on students. Students enjoy having school staff support them in their extra-curricular endeavors. Seeing your students outside the classroom performing their talents and showcasing their hard work strengthens the student - teacher relationship. As the stress and pressures of high school increase, students want and need to know that no matter what they do, positive a=or negative, you will be there.
Goal Set- I urge parents to sit down and discuss short and long term goals with their students. Academic and personal goals should be established and written down. Studies have shown that you are more likely to achieve a goal that's written down. Goal setting involves more than just knowing what a student wants to achieve. It also entails creating a plan of how he/she is going to achieve that goal and what obstacle he/she might need to overcome in order to achieve it. Students need to share their academic goals with their counselor and teachers. School staff can be in valuable in helping a student in reaching his/her goals.
Organize- The stakes to earn top grade, state assessment and ACT scores, is higher today than ever before. The number one challenge for students is coping with the increasing educational demands on their time. The most effective way to do this is for students to be highly organized. From notebooks, pocket folders and planners to study schedules, an organized lifestyle can produce successful students. Parents and educators must be diligent in helping student prioritize and plan the rigors of their class work. Doing this will help students avoid a lot of stress and tension.
