It seems silly writing about how to keep your high school student motivated to work when, for many, the new school year has just begun. Many kids are very gung-ho about learning at this point — new books, new subjects, and a new outlook on schoolwork.
However, for most students, that will change, even if just a little. The newness will wear off, and some aspects of school will become tedious or boring. It’s better to be prepared now for this roadblock instead of wringing your hands later wondering how to combat this feeling.
One of the first steps to take to make this a great year of learning is to allow your teen to help you select the curriculum he will be using. Ask your teen what he hopes to get out of not only the classes he will take, but out of his high school years in general.
Let him set goals (long and short term) he wants to achieve. By having these goals, he will have something to work toward. Using short-term goals brings self-gratification and pride quickly, while still allowing him to work towards those longer or tougher goals. Starting small and simple is another way to assure attaining those goals, and giving him confidence to conquer those harder ones ahead.
Besides setting goals and choosing curriculum, focusing on real life experiences is also key. Most kids get bored just doing bookwork. It’s important that our children understand how the “real world” works as well. Taking a break from books, and understanding how to put their newfound knowledge to work makes learning fun and useful.
Some of those fun things we did with our elementary students are equally as important for our teens. Take a field trip, volunteer, go outside and study nature and our effects on it, sit in on a debate, visit the state capitol… so many things we can do to show how education truly is important! When kids, no matter their age, understand a direct link between what they are learning and its importance in the world, well, they become more eager to learn.
Find how your teen reacts to rewards and punishments. Some kids, like my sophomore, respond to negative consequences better than to positive. She asked me to take away her extra computer time if she doesn’t get her work done. She knows that she will be motivated by this consequence. If your child is the same, find what he likes best and will have the most impact on him and use that to help motivate him.
If, however, your child responds better to positive reinforcement, ask him what he would like to be rewarded with and go from there. He, more than likely, has a list a mile long of things he would like to work towards! Surely you’ll be able to agree on a few things to help keep him motivated.
As with all plans, you must sit down and re-evaluate how things are going every few months (or sooner, if needed). Make sure your teen is involved. Let him know where his strengths are, and how proud you are that he is meeting his goals. Discuss the obstacles that may have come up that are keeping him from achieving other goals. By giving him a hand in planning and implementing his education, you will help him claim ownership over what lies ahead for him. In doing so, he is more likely to stay motivated and succeed!
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Michelle can be found writing at Pass the Flu Bug Please
photo titled Homework
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Thanks for the great tips from a mom with a new teenager (well, since May) in the house. ;-)