Be Patient and Positive
Imagine having five to seven different classes, homework
every night, quizzes and tests every week, then add on special
projects, sports, clubs, community service! Kids today will tell
you they feel a lot of pressure from school. With patience, we
can help develop organization skills to successfully steer a
positive course.
If a child doesn't think they can do something, they probably
won't! Let children know you don't expect perfection. Offer
support, guidance (not answers) and lots of love. Teach children
to be positive and to believe in themselves. Help develop
positive messages for strength in the tough times. Grades and
tests do not define who they are. Instead, focus on learning.
Treat mistakes as opportunities to learn. Mistakes are a great
way to see what is working, and where to focus improvement.
Remember the classic story about "The Engine that Could" ---
picture it slowly chugging up a hill saying… "I think I can…I
think I can…I think I can"…Help children have confidence: Put in
the effort to learn, and success will follow. A positive
attitude goes a long way. Involve kids in figuring out what
support will help them improve school performance.
Plan and Manage Study Time
Parents know…kids can come up with a thousand excuses why NOW
isn't a good time to study. Procrastination is raised to an
artistic level. Then there is a mad homework rush before bed.
Kids stay up too late, wake up tired, and the self-defeating
cycle continues.
Help students create a practical approach. Students
underestimate time needed for tasks. After all-they don't have
the organization and time management experience of an adult. For
example, a reading assignment may be due in 4 weeks. Why start
now? It's easy to think there is plenty of time. Then there is a
frantic scramble to cram it all in the week-end before it's due.
Conflicting demands of a forgotten family visit, illness, the
call of the beach, etc. further complicate the situation.
What's the solution? Learning to plan project completion in
small increments improves success. With 150 pages to read, set a
goal of 10-15 pages per day. The book will be finished early,
easily included with other daily work, and there will be time to
spare or to review. With practice, time management skills will
improve!
Set a standard study time. Most kids benefit from a snack and
a short break after school. Then they can settle in to do
homework. Set goals for completion, e.g. before dinner. Leave
time after dinner to finish additional work if needed. Break up
long term projects into manageable milestones. Create study
plans for tests to avoid last minute cramming. Use week-ends for
projects, team work and extra reading.
Praise Effort and Dare to Dream
We all like to hear the words "Good job!" Look for
opportunities to reinforce effort and accomplishment – however
small. Praise goes a long way to helping students feel self
worth! Honest effort deserves recognition and reward. Kids tend
to give up when discouraged. If kids feel confident, they are
more likely to "think they can" and happily keep striving for
higher goals. Help kids knock down the negative barriers that
limit performance and dare to dream of what could be.
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