The large step from middle school to high school is significant and it can be hard for many children to make the transition. Even the ones who manage to adapt quickly struggle in the first few days of high school because of the challenging educational and social demands. While students can rely on Megamind Learning Centre for expert tutoring facilities to help meet their educational demands, they need help from you, and their parents, as well.
As parents and guardians, there are multiple things you can do to ensure that your children manage to make a successful switch from middle to high school. Let’s go through them one by one.
Encourage self-reliance – During their high school years, children need to learn how to rely on themselves, and it’s up to the parents to help them adopt self-reliant techniques to complete their tasks. One of the best things you can do as a parent is to create visual reminders for your children that help them stay alert about any school assignments that are due. You could also help your kids make timetables and stick to them, which can help them balance study and free time.
It’s important that you involve your children as much as possible while creating visual reminders because every child is different. While some are naturally more inclined towards the academic side of things, others may be more in tune with performing arts or sports. Give your children space, to be honest, and transparent with you and allow for the things they love doing the most on their timetables.
Talk about what to expect without exaggerations – Children may react well to positivity, and they are usually happy to reflect their parents’ optimism. Similarly, if you are pessimistic about something and your children get to know about it, they may be negative about it as well. Positive reinforcement is what you should aim for when talking to your children about what to expect during their time in high school. While it would definitely be wise to tell them about the harder challenges that lie ahead, it’s important not to scare them.
Talk to them about the good things that high school has to offer. Typically, the high school comprises the time when children naturally begin to transform into adults, and as a result, it’s the phase when social circles become more refined. From an academic perspective, high school defines the period during which students zero in on their subjects of interest. So, without exaggerating the positives, share your optimism for high school with your children.
Get to know the school and its teachers – To help students settle into high school better, numerous schools have started offering orientation days. While attending orientation days usually isn’t compulsory for students, it’s best not to skip them as your children will get to know the ins and outs of their new schools. Orientation days may also offer your children the chance to interact with their new peers.
As parents, you should also attend parent-teacher conferences to interact with your children’s teachers and see what they have to say regarding their performance at school. If they have complaints about how your kids behave at school, you can take corrective action by talking things out with them at home. Remember, the more involved you are in your children’s high school affairs, the better chances you have of guiding them in the right direction.
Be ready to extend a helping hand whenever required – No matter how busy you are with your professional and personal commitments, it is important to always be ready to help your children with their studies, and most importantly, your children should know that you’re there for them whenever needed. After every school day, talk to your children about their classes and how they’re finding them. On many occasions, parents tend to listen more to the teachers and less to their own children, and this should never be the case.
While there’s no doubt that teachers’ opinions about your children do matter, you should never forget that your children’s opinions matter too. Children often do not perform as well in classes where they don’t like the teachers and it’s important to give them the space to be open about their opinions. If your child consistently complains about a certain teacher and his/her teaching methods, you could get in touch with the teacher to work out a solution.
Keep asking the right questions – If you want your child to respond to your questions elaborately and, most importantly, honestly, you need to ask the right questions that they are genuinely interested in. This will help them understand that you care about their opinions.
Instead of asking the same questions every day, switch it up to make it interesting for your child to answer them. Also, it’s not always necessary to ask them questions pertaining to their academics. Occasionally, ask them about their friends and why they like/dislike a certain subject. If you’re only talking about grades and performances, they may feel overwhelmed by the burden of expectations placed on their shoulders.
The leap from middle and elementary school can seem overwhelmingly large ad frightening, however, if they have the utmost support of their parents, there is considerable scope for success.
If you want to discuss high school options for your child, please don’t hesitate to give us a call at Megamind Learning Centre. We’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have.
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