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Parent Tips for Five Common Issues in School

Children of all ages face challenges in school, and it’s no secret that almost every parent receives the dreaded phone call from school at least once in their parental career. Although parents are on a never-ending quest to make their children’s lives easier, when it comes to problems in school, parents may feel lost on how to best fulfill their parental role. 

“Whether it’s behavioral, social or academic, every student could face a problem in school,” said Elizabeth Dunlap, Social Worker at KIPP Truth Academy. “Knowing what to expect and how to react will help you handle ‘the phone call’ more easily.”

Elizabeth Dunlap is a licensed social worker and the counselor for students at KIPP Truth Academy, one of two KIPP charter schools in southern Dallas. Elizabeth shares five common issues and her tips to parents on how to play an effective role in improving their children’s experiences at school.

1. Stress – We all face stress. Over one third of young students experience stress in school, according to a recent NPR poll conducted with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health. The study researches students as young as kindergarteners. Stress brings students into a state of fear, and to control it, it’s important to avoid chaos and obtain control over our environment.

        • Create a Routine: As a parent, you can help by forming a daily routine and including regular rituals in your student’s schedule. Maybe it is daily homework hour (think of what you could accomplish in that time, too!), or Friday pizza night, or bedtime stories.
        • Stick to It: Whatever the routing is, stick to it. This consistency and predictability at home will comfort your child and help control his/her stress level.

2. Low Self-Esteem –Children and adolescents struggle with self-esteem on many different levels, and studies indicate a correlation between self-esteem and academic performance.

        • Identify Strengths: As a parent, you can help by pinpointing where your child does have confidence and amplifying this. For example, if your child enjoys and excels in math, decode why this area of study makes him or her feel good about themselves, and channel this into other areas of study.

3. Disappointment or rejection – It’s common for adolescents to experience disappointment or rejection – perhaps it’s a low test grade, or not making the team, or not being invited to the birthday party. Whatever it is, parents cannot avoid or fix this problem for your child, but you can help them be best equipped when disappointment strikes.

        • Create a safe space: Give your kids something to own at home, such as a daily chore or a weekly ritual to lead. This leadership opportunity will allow them a safe space to fail and get back up. Without experiencing failure, kids will never have the opportunity to develop the ability to deal with disappointment or rejection.

4. Disrespect –Children of all ages might struggle with disrespect. Moreover, children are perceptive, imitating behaviors they see in others; especially adults.

        • Model Positive Behavior: Think about how you treat yourself, your significant other, and those you come in contact with as that is most often the way that your children will learn how to be respectful. Remember, kids are less prone to do what you say and more likely to do what you do.

5.  Peer Relations –As your child grows up, peer relations become more and more influential in his or her life, and whether positive or negative, can have a significant impact on child development.

        • Set Clear Boundaries:  Help your child navigate the increasingly complicated world of friends by setting clear but reasonable boundaries on their use of social media.
        • Teach responsibility: Expect your child to take responsibility for their actions and help walk them through the process of evaluating whether or not certain relationships are truly in their best interest. 

“It might seem obvious,” said Elizabeth, “but it’s so important for parents to discuss acceptable classroom behavior with their children at an early age and to demonstrate that you as a parent are on the same team as the school.”

About KIPP DFW 

KIPP DFW is part of the Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP), a national network of free, open-enrollment, college-preparatory public charter schools dedicated to preparing students in underserved communities for success in college and in life. KIPP DFW currently serves elementary and middle school students through KIPP Destiny Elementary and KIPP Truth Academy. KIPP DFW plans to grow to ten schools serving 5,000 students in pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade by the year 2021.

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Monday, 27 January 2014