Early Warning Signs: Problems In School

Just as most kids experiment with drugs and alcohol, most of them will skip a few classes or be late getting back from lunch period.

However, this can create problems if they become involved in illegal behavior during that time, or accrue enough absences from a class to lose credit for that class.

What To Look For:

• Repeatedly spending no time on homework or studying.
• A frequent desire to get to school early or stay late when they are not participating in a school activity.
• Talk that lessens the importance of graduation.

These signs will most likely be accompanied by phone calls from teachers or the attendance office and failing grade reports. Your teen will likely make excuses about having teachers who are boring, unorganized, or too demanding. Don't buy their excuses! While they may really have a poor teacher, explain that those types of people abound in our society and as adults we must learn to work with and deal with them daily. Flunking their classes will not punish the teacher, or help him improve. But it will definitely cut down on your child's chances of becoming an independant adult.

If there seems to be a problem in just a class or two, talk with the teacher first, then progress to the guidance counselor, and then the administrator in charge of discipline (this is often the vice-principal).

If your child has a definite negative attitude toward school in general, make an appointment to meet with the guidance counselor and administration as soon as possible. No one can make your student study or attend school. However, there are many things that you and the school can do to make it easier and more pleasant for your child to participate in school than to drop out.

What To Do:

• Work with the guidance counselor to identify any learning disabilities.
• Have your child set aside a time for homework/studying. Link privileges to studying time such as TV or phone time only AFTER studying.
• Require that your child come directly home after school. If he says there is an after-school activity, do a few random checks to verify participation.
• Work with the counselor and vice-principal to set up a strategy to thwart your child's efforts to be a drop-out. This may involve in-school suspension or lunch period restrictions for skipping a class.
• Require that your child bring home a weekly progress report with a passing grade from each class in order to earn weekend freedoms.
• Spend time with your child and learn his interests.
• Discuss the realities of dropping out of school.
• Encourage your child to become involved in community activities such as Children's Theater, scouting, 4-H, a church youth group, a martial arts class, music, an evening class through Adult Education, etc. Discuss with the counselor whether an Alternative Learning class might suit your child. There may also be an Alternative Learning Center for kids 16 or older who have trouble fitting in to a regular, structured high school classroom.
• Keep your cool! Sometimes academic changes are caused by peer pressure to rebel.

Tips to Help Your Teen Stay in School:

• Keep parenting all the way through high school---be involved with the school, teachers, homework, etc.
• Communicate with school counselors and teachers---if there are problems at home, make sure they are aware of them. Help your teen see the importance of developing a long-term plan for the future.
• Help your teen see the relevance of what she is learning and how it applies to real life situations.
• Offer rewards for not skipping classes, or take away privileges for skipping. Support the school's unexcused absence discipline polity.
• See if your teen could be placed with a different teacher for a particularly difficult subject.
• Discuss the possibility of enrollment in the Alternative Learning Center with the school counselor.
• Keep her involved in family and community by expecting that she contribute work to family and society.
• Encourage participation in extra-curricular activities.

Discourage work or job from taking precedence over school. Some teens feel that a GED (General Education Development, only an option after age 16) is as good as a high school diploma. While a GED may be easier and quicker to get, it is not the same thing as a high school diploma. A GED indicates that the graduate has mastered the basic skills in reading, writing, science, social studies, and math, without benefit of socialization skills or knowledge in other areas. The military is reluctant to accept recruits with a GED, and many local employers prefer high school graduates. However, it is adequate to apply for admission to most vocational programs or colleges. Another alternative to traditional high school is Job Corps, open to boys and girls, age 16-24. They may earn a high school diploma, or GED, and receive specific vocational training while earning an income.

For more information and a completed listing of trades offered, contact Job Corps through Job Service, 800-544-5627.

—From the Editors at DriverEducation.com