No parent wants to see their children
struggle or fail. In fact, if there is one goal of parenting, it’s to ensure
that children are as successful in their endeavors as possible. But when your teen
forgets his homework for the fifth day this week and you have to call the
teacher, again, to explain, are you really helping?
Of course, there’s a delicate balance
between providing support and allowing room for failure and
responsibility. If you want to
increase your children’s educational responsibility, here are a few tips that
can help.
Set
Boundaries
If your child is used to having you step
in, he or she may chafe at sudden responsibility. Discuss changes with your teen
ahead of time and set a few trial challenges. For instance, a teen who doesn’t
take responsibility for keeping a clean room can miss summer outings. This can
ease the way for more challenges at school.
Start
with Homework
Homework is often not a huge part of a
final grade, which makes it a good, low-impact area for learning
responsibility. Tell your teenager he or she is now responsible for completing
all homework and bringing it to school.
Make it clear that you will not remind them
to do homework or ask if they have it ready in the morning. If they have a
question, they can ask you or look up how to complete the problem online.
Allow
Classroom Failures
It can be difficult for parents to allow
their children to take control of all study and test preparation. Tests,
after all, show how well a student has mastered a topic. However, students must
learn how to study and take tests to succeed in school and college.
Rather than studying with your child for
every test, try giving reminders of an upcoming test and allow your teen to
decide how long to study. When your teen sees that their actions are directly
tied to their performance in school, they are more likely to study harder next
time if they perform poorly.
When
to Step In
Your role as parent is to step in and help
when your child is truly struggling. If you see your child completing homework,
working on assignments, trying hard, and still not performing well in
school, it’s time to step in. You can offer assistance by setting up additional
study time for a particular subject, enrolling your teen in an online
class to catch up, or hiring a tutor to coach the student through problem
areas.
This kind of help does not take away from the child’s efforts—instead it
provides resources that will help your child succeed. If the school environment
is a problem, you may even want to think about changing schools. The Assisted Learning Centre in Fish Hoek provides learners with high quality learning
resources by the most qualified teachers –Enrol HERE.
One of the hardest parts of parenting is
knowing when to let go. Teenagers are old enough to start taking control of
their lives one area at a time. Allowing them to take responsibility for their
actions can be a good way to foster a sense of autonomy and competence.
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