Tips for Succeeding in School
By Michael McAvin
Despite the controversy surrounding President Barak Obama’s live back-to-school broadcast Sept. 8, the potential for meaningful discussion and thoughtful debate in public schools resulting from his speech is endless.
I watched the address at a local high school along with 34 high school journalism students. After the broadcast, I discussed its overall message and effectiveness with more than 150 students throughout the day. Ultimately, while most students applauded Obama for taking the initiative to speak directly to them, they were also disappointed because he had little, if anything, inspirational to say.
Some students felt that Obama’s recipe for success — “show up to those schools; pay attention to those teachers; listen to your parents, grandparents and other adults; and put in the hard work it takes to succeed” — was far too simplistic, similar to the ’80s war on drugs slogan, “Just Say No.”
Despite the students’ less-than-impressed reaction to the speech, I challenged them to go beyond the speech and take ownership of the problem themselves: What would you tell students if you were President of the United States? What would your advice be for success in school, especially at the beginning of the school year?
As the comments came in, clear patterns began to form, and many of those patterns reflected the ideas in Obama’s speech. As the students began to think more deeply about the overall means to success in school, their own comprehensive plan began to take shape with three distinct areas of focus.
Before School Starts
Familiarize Yourself with Your School
Noted linguist Stephen Krashen believes that when people are exposed to potentially stressful situations or situations that cause anxiety, an “affective filter” will go up in the person’s brain that prevents comprehensible input from being processed. Now, imagine how stressed out a new kindergarten student is on the first day, or how stressed out a freshman is just trying to navigate a new school, or a middle school student experiencing puberty.
In order to decrease the potential stress experienced by your child when a new school year begins, have them visit their school ahead of time to learn where things are that they might need on any given day, including the bathrooms, the cafeteria, the school nurse, administrative offices, campus security, the playgrounds, bus stops and the library.
If your children take the time to learn this information before they need it, it should make their transition easier and make them feel more comfortable, which Dr. Krashen believes helps people process information better, regardless of age.
Alter Your Sleep Routine Before School Begins
This is one area where most of the students agreed, and it’s easy to find sleepy (and sleeping) students on most school campuses. Along with obesity, this is one of the biggest health issues faced by students, especially at the beginning of the year.
Most students, young or old, have a different sleeping pattern during the summer, so their pattern needs to be altered before the beginning of the school year. If possible, try altering the sleeping patterns of your children at least a week before school begins so they can adjust and be ready and alert by the first day of school.
Plan a Healthy Diet
Most students agreed that one of the most important aspects of being successful in school is having a healthy diet, and national statistics support this opinion. Studies by the World Health Organization show that poor nutritional habits, anorexia, bulimia and obesity pose serious threats to the physical, social and psychological well-being of more than 15 percent of U.S. children.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on its website in August that the prevalence of obesity among children and teenagers between the ages of 2 and 19 has more than doubled since 1976. A good diet is key for all students, and it needs to begin at an early age.
When School Starts
Set Meaningful, Rigorous Goals
Like President Obama and many successful corporate and private businessmen, most students feel that in order to succeed, they need to set goals that are tangible and realistic but that will also push them.
Have your children devise a vision statement of where they see themselves in six months and where they see themselves in two years. Once their vision has been defined, have them create a mission statement that explains the steps they will take in order to get there. During the course of the year, have your children review their progress toward their vision, and make changes that will help that vision come to fruition.
Develop a Routine That Will Allow You to Succeed
Students need to learn to develop time management skills to reach their goals, regardless of their age. Younger students need to learn that they must spend some of their free time doing homework or completing chores in addition to having personal or play time. Many older students said they use a daily planner to help keep track of their responsibilities, while many parents help younger students devise a schedule at home that combines work with free time, similar to their schedule at school.
Develop Self-Advocacy Skills
By their own admission, some high school students have a difficult time dealing with and resolving their own issues. If students don’t like their classes or are in the wrong class, some refuse to take action and end up in classes where they are unhappy and don’t perform well.
Some students also tend to turn to their parents or their counselors if they have problems with their teachers rather than trying to resolve the conflict directly with the teachers. Regardless of the issue, students need to learn to advocate for themselves and try to resolve their own conflicts, especially older students who will soon be on their own.
After School Begins
Monitor Your Progress and Be Proactive
The question that probably drives me the craziest as a teacher is when students ask me what their grade is. Assuming the work is coming back graded on a timely basis, students should always know what their grade is as long as they know how the grade is calculated. If they don’t know how to calculate their grades, they should learn so they’re never surprised by their grade. Also, if students know they’re struggling, they need to re-examine their daily routine and change it.
Get Involved
Many students said that, by the fifth or sixth grade, their natural desire to please a teacher or even a parent begins to decrease, along with the general appeal of school itself. Because of this, many students said they need to find something other than academics to keep them interested in school, give them something to look forward to on a daily basis, and make new friends. So, help your children get involved, and expand their horizons.