Top Ten Strategies for a Great Start to High School

Introducing—

Top Ten Strategies for a Great Start to

High School!

Many schools in Chicagoland begin before and just after

Labor Day. These ten tips will help you and your teens get

off to a great start to

High School!

Top Ten Strategies for a Great Start to High School!

4 Blinks, Not YearsThese four years will speed past, faster than any before. You need to find new ways to say connected and engaged. The old ways won’t work anymore. You’re dealing with an entirely new version of your child. Don’t be surprised. Don’t be absent. Don’t be naive. Don’t be sorry.

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Higher StakesHigh school is all about higher things: higher risks, higher grades, higher goals, and higher demands, higher distractions, and higher independence. You and your child need to choose a few key priorities—and stick to them. Sports and outside events can impact grades. Resumés aren’t track records.

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Test the LimitsTime management is a balancing act and will get out of balance—often. Don’t protect or fix this. Let your teen experience a taste of poor planning early to avoid over-confidence and a bigger fall later on. Be there to help strategize for next time, but no “I told yous.” They already know. Really.

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No One’s InvincibleKids think bad things can’t happen to them. Driving, drinking, drugs, failing, getting caught, getting hurt—all happen to others—until they don’t. Engage your community. Remember, stories and advice from people who are not their parents carry the most weight. Be there. Remember, they’re still young, in bigger sized shoes.

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Even Your Child. . . Even those perfect angels will bend the truth, deny the evidence, and expect you to believe them. Don’t rely on past history. Keep your eyes open. Trust your gut. Ignoring small clues will only lead to bigger incidents going forward. If you sense something’s wrong—changes are good, it may be.

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Choose a Few RulesBe resolute in your commitment to following through on whatever tough consequences you establish. No matter how hard. From “All Bs or no keys” to “zero tolerance” or “no questions asked”, set family rules up before incidents occur. Everyone needs to know the price before events occur and emotions set in—for all.

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Trust Your GutIndependence isn’t indifference. Keep watch. Stay awake. Listen more than you talk. Give a hug and kiss, look in your child’s eyes, and check a pocket or two. Pay a new kind of attention, from a slight distance. Watch for changes in behavior, depression, and secrecy. It all means something. Don’t over-react, and don’t under-react.

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Get Help for YourselfHave the tough conversations. If you’re unsure how to begin, get help. Read, research, and seek out experts—for you. Learn from others and keep trying. Remember how long it took for your child to walk? This is just a different kind of journey. You need to be close by. Let your teen get up from tumbles; provide support for big falls.

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It’s YOUR Wallet!Unsupervised parties get out of hand fast. Even if you’re miles away, a party at your home makes you responsible. You are liable. Let police know your travel plans and choose this issue as one of your rules. It can destroy all you’ve built. No matter what, do NOT enable drinking—ever. Teens cannot distinguish.

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It’s About TimeTeens really do operate under a different body clock. Most are night owls, hate morning, and really poor judges of their own limits. If your teen must work, tie this to grades. If your teen needs help with courses or test prep, consider a contribution (skin in the game) to increase commitment. Choose your battles wisely. It helps.

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All Together!Top Ten Strategies for a Great Start to High School!

4 Blinks, Not YearsHigher StakesTest the LimitsNo One’s InvincibleEven Your Child. . .

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All Together!Top Ten Strategies for a Great Start to High School!

Choose a Few RulesTrust Your GutGet Help for Yourself

It’s About TimeIt’s YOUR Wallet!

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These ten tips are designed for you to consider and customize to meet the needs of your teens

and your school. Here’s to a strong start to 4 great years at

High School!

Questions?Thank you!

Top Ten Strategies for a Great Start to High School

Education