Posted by Melia Dicker on Nov 10, 2009 - 11:53 PM
I believe that most people who write articles on parenting have the best intentions. I think they want to help parents help their children. Encouraging parents' worst fears, however, does not help either party. Parents get each other worked into a tizzy -- fearing that little Johnny won't amount to anything if he's not taking a practice SAT at age 12, or doing Baby Einstein when he can't even talk yet -- and they reinforce the culture of "push-parenting."This article is from a magazine based in Mississippi, a state with some of the lowest educational rankings in the country. Parents are especially sensitive to their children getting a good education. The author of the article writes, "It's your job as a parent to keep your child on track," and recommends making sure that she take the advanced courses and start considering college when she's in 5th grade. In my opinion, your job as a parent is to help your child figure out who she wants to be, and then to help her become that person. What if she takes extra art classes instead of advanced math, or decides to work on a fishing boat instead of going to college? If that makes her happy, so be it. It's her life, not yours. Your job is to give guidance and support as you teach her to make her own decisions.
You can do several things for your tweenage student who will face the college entrance requirements of 2012 and beyond. Marsha Watson, director of Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning’s College Knowledge Project is tasked with finding ways to equip today’s middle schoolers with the knowledge and skills they will need to successfully enter college following their high school career. “Some families falsely believe that the college preparation process begins about the junior year of high school,” says Watson. “While there are certainly important milestone activities that must be accomplished by then, true preparation begins much sooner. There are things parents and students can begin to do as early as fifth grade.” ...
Don’t Let Up When the Going Gets Tough
As your child progresses, classes become more challenging. One way to help address this is to ensure your child stays on top of all assignments and masters the content presented—because each unit is a building block for the next level.
It can be tempting at times to allow your child to opt out of the more advanced courses. Their best friends may no longer be in the advanced classes and they might not want to be separated from them. The greater homework load might take up a lot of after school and weekend time. There are many rationalizations to justify letting your child take easier classes. It’s your job as a parent to keep your child on track. Aim for the more challenging courses. Locate tutors if needed. Set aside after school time to do homework.
Do whatever you can to keep your child on the college-prep track. It takes more effort to get back on track than it does to stay on track.
A college education can be very important to your child’s ability to navigate successfully through life. By taking proactive steps now to aim your child toward successful completion of a college prep curriculum, you help create a strong base for a positive, rewarding future for your child.
Tags for this entry:
