differs from middle school. Dr. Karmen Russell, a child psychologist, suggests that parents introduce their teens to “home rooms” and the frequent changes in classes throughout the day, and help them plan their day by studying the physical layout of the school together: “If your child can begin to imagine what their first few weeks at high school might look like, this may help with the anxiety that can accompany the transition.” Grace Chen, an education researcher at Public School Review, a well-known education site, agrees: “It’s very important for incoming high school students to learn their way around the school and get an idea of the structure of the school day.”
Jump into High School By Tanni Haas, Ph.D.
By the time they reach high school, your kids are no longer kids but they’re not yet adults either: they occupy a unique middle ground we call the teenage years. How do you prepare your teens for all the academic and social challenges of high school? Here’s what the experts say:
Visit the School Starting high school often means literary moving to a different school, and that can make any teen anxious. One of the best things you can do is to make it a priority to visit their new school on back-to-school night.
As Michael Zwiers, a professor of educational psychology, says, “familiarity helps to reduce anxiety.” The experts at KidsHealth, a major health-news site, add that highschoolers should familiarize themselves with all the important parts of their new school, including the main office, the various administrative offices, and the school nurse.
Explain School Expectations
Teach Them Organization As in middle-school, success in high school depends in large part on how organized your kids are. They have lots of courses, taught by different teachers, and the workload is often heavy and difficult. “Learning and mastering the skills of getting organized, staying focused, and seeing work through to the end,” the experts at KidsHealth say, “will help teens in just about everything they do.” They suggest that parents keep their teens organized with binders, folders, and notebooks for each course, a calendar with all upcoming deadlines, and a daily to-do list of assignments.
… and Time Management An important part of good organization is time management. Ms. Chen suggests that parents spend the summer before high school showing their kids how to organize their daily schedule so that they have time for all their activities. “The right system initiated over the summer,” Ms. Chen says, “will mean less stress over time management throughout the school year.”
You can make your teens less anxious by explaining to them how high school
Family • August 2020
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