Ensuring Academic Success in 2009

A new year brings a new opportunity to ensure your child’s academic success. Education is one of the most essential elements of your child’s growth towards being a self-sufficient and happy adult. Many parents forget how difficult school can be and try to motivate their child through negative or punitive acts. It is important that you and your child have a positive outlook towards school.

There are many things parents can do to make school a more positive experience while motivating their child to do even better. Creating a reward system is an excellent idea where a child is rewarded for completing homework well, getting good grades, joining school clubs, and working with projects. For kids that are having trouble in school, a reward system is essential – even if they are simply being rewarded for working on homework – rather than for how many they get correct. Work with your child to figure out what will work best and then create a graph with stickers, movie nights, sleep-overs, mall trips, or otherwise.

If your child is not doing well in school ask these questions:

1. How often am I working one on one with my child?
Regardless of the fact that children are in school 6 -7 hours a day, there is nothing that is more helpful than a one on one education. While most of us live busier lives than ever, and many parents feel increasingly frustrated with the school options, yet it has never been more important for parents to spend one on one time with their child. If you cannot spend one on one time daily with your child, reviewing his or her work, assisting on homework, reading, and otherwise, it is often wise to utilize a tutoring service or service offered by the school. The earlier you decide to use this method, the better. It is never wise to allow your child to fall further behind before taking action. It is also important that parents avoid the “its not fair” mentality. Many parents can become frustrated after they have worked one or two jobs to come home and then have to “re-teach” their child or spend hours on homework. I hear from parents all the time who pay high property taxes and then have to pay for a tutor for their child, or parents who are even paying for both private schools and outside tutoring services. It is easy to become frustrated. Yet you cannot allow your child to suffer because the system is not quite as good as it should be and one on one time is always essential.

2. Has my child fallen behind or is there simply gaps in his or her education?
This is a very important question and one that can be revealed by testing. Most schools and many tutoring services can perform this type of testing. For instance a child may be having a tremendous problem with Algebra and when we really get to the heart of the matter, its that they don’t understand fractions or decimals. Another thing that can occur, especially with younger children is where teachers speed ahead leaving the slower readers behind. Experienced teachers will recognize this and work to catch up the slower readers, add supplementary services and frequent word reviews. However, this doesn’t always happen and a first grader who has a few problems can turn into a third grader with substantial issues. I always recommend that parents who have any concerns get their child tested either by a tutoring services or with more significant concerns or issues by the school.


3. Are there other factors at play such as difficulties at home or school, a potential learning disability, or a negative educational environment.
There are many factors that can contribute to lower grades or problems at school. If there are issues at home, consider a family counselor, and work with your child to deal with these matters.
Many children can have mild learning disabilities and fully overcome them by adulthood, going on to become doctors, lawyers, teachers, biologists, or whatever they have set their sights on. The key is finding the issues and addressing them. A child who really dislikes school may be having a very frustrating experience due to bullying or they may have a learning disability that needs to be addressed. It is essential if you suspect your child may have a learning disability to have them tested, create an IEP and actively address the situation to remedy the issues.