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Helping Kids Succeed in School Kris Jenkins, HES Specialist |
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Does Your Child Need
Extra Help in School? |
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| "Sam isn’t doing well in
school. He’s always in trouble and his teacher says he just won’t pay attention.
I don’t know what to do." "Mary is sick all the time. She never wants to go to school and this stomach ache thing is getting old. I don't know if she is faking it or really ill." For parents of school age children, it’s sometimes difficult to know what to do when you think your child needs help. Everyone has those days when it’s difficult to concentrate or when you just don’t feel like "answering the bell" for the day. Sometimes children find the adjustment difficult, they don’t "hit it off" with the teacher, or maybe they’re just bored. So, how do parents know if their child needs extra help? By now, six months into the school year, you should have a very good idea if your child is having problems. If your child has developed specific and regular patterns of behavior, shows poor study skills, or has never made the adjustment to the teacher, the classroom routine or to fellow students—your child may have some special needs. Here are some of the warning signs that your child needs help. If your child….
All of these may mean that your child needs extra attention. This doesn’t mean that there is a serious problem. A discussion with the teacher and the school counselor is a good place to start. What is the teacher’s viewpoint of your child’s situation? What can you do to help? Parents and educators working as a team create the best chance for a child to learn. Sometime difficulties arise from physical problems. Vision and hearing problems may cause your child to be restless or distracted. In second grade, I discovered I needed glasses. Until the day I walked out of the doctor’s office in my new glasses, I never knew that leaves in trees had defined shapes, how birds looked when they flew high in the sky, or how the letters should appear on the blackboard. It’s not unusual for a child to go undiagnosed. Learning Styles: Children have different learning styles that can affect how they learn. Does your child learn best by listening, by reading, by touching—or some combination? If the teacher’s teaching style favors one method and the child succeeds best by another, a child can struggle. Observe at home how your child processes new skills and situations. This will help you understand his/her learning style. Sometimes children need a tutor--a parent, sibling or someone else. Having a tutor doesn’t mean the child is "stupid or slow." Children learn at different rates. My son couldn’t spell anything in 1-3rd grade. We worked with him, rehearsing spelling words and rules until we were blue in the face. In fourth grade, it all seemed to click. He even placed in the spelling bee. Now, as a college sophomore, he spells better than I do! Math and reading are areas where children often have slow starts, but with help they can succeed. My middle child always struggled with math in grade school. She was convinced she was "stupid" in math. Sometime during her freshman year, she realized that she was not brilliant in math but she was quite competent. It was mostly a matter of confidence, maturity and encouragement. If you believe your child needs some extra help—delay no longer. Now is the time to talk with your child’s teacher, the counselor and your child to try and develop a team attitude towards school. Take time today to try to solve existing problems and head off potential ones. This is also a great time to explore possibilities to give your child extra help this summer in order to ensure a great start for next year. Does your child need extra help? There is no time like the present. |
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