Well, I am a senior mom. This brings about so much excitement and sadness too. I can’t believe my son is a 12th grader and in seven short months will be off to college. He is doing a great job in school and his teachers brag about his hard work and love for people but they wanted him to be more organized. What I heard was, “He works so hard, BUT he can’t ever find a thing.” After the meeting, I talked with him and told him how proud I was of his grades and how he has really worked hard these first five weeks. I also shared with him that I want him to become more organized and be more responsible. After I told him about this, I wondered what responsible meant to him and if it were the same responsible I had in my mind. Please believe that our definitions of responsible were totally different (smile). One of our scholar’s’ biggest responsibilities is being a good student. Doing well in school is a key to enjoying life! It’s hard to imagine paying bills without knowing Math, for example, or voting in an election without understanding history.
In order to be effective scholars, our girls must take their jobs seriously— and that requires parents’ support. It’s important to:
Make learning a priority. Explore the world with your scholar. Visit the library, try new foods and take nature walks. Play games (such as Monopoly) to build important skills. Show your scholar that learning is actually fun
Encourage perseverance. Our scholars need their parents’ encouragement to keep trying when homework and other tasks are tough. When your daughter is tempted to give up, provide guidance and a positive outlook. “Let’s review the instructions again. I know you can do this!” Compliment effort and progress.
Enforce routines. Scholars need help creating and sticking with routines that lead to success, such as going to bed, waking up, reading and studying at the same times each day.
Wonder together. Instead of providing answers, let your scholar take charge sometimes. If she asks you, “Who was the second president?” help her find the answer. Use it as an opportunity to learn about other things, too. “I wonder who the second vice president was. Let’s find out.”
We must change our behaviors if we want to keep everyone safe. Are you raising a responsible scholar? Thinking about this…Every day before my son leaves for school, I always say to him “You learn” and he says “While you earn.” We both say “Now go be uncommon.” What is your mantra with your scholar?
