Newsletter May 2011

May 10, 2011
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We strive to bring you the most helpful and up to date information every month, and this month's newsletter is no exception.
You can scroll down through the articles below, or you can click on a headline you like to go directly to that article.

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This Month's Headlines:

Dealing with Student Boredom
Teens and Homework
End of the Year Sadness

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Dealing with Student Boredom

Most likely as parents you have heard these words come out of your child’s mouth—“I’m bored!” Some parents feel exasperated at this: if you’re bored, then go find something to do. Others may feel guilty, as though they are not providing enough entertainment or options for their child. But, experts will tell you that boredom is a normal part of life, and a normal part of a child’s development.

A small amount of boredom can be a push for action, leading to new ways of expression or other creative activities. But for some children, boredom can also turn into destructive behavior, or simply giving up and reverting to the TV for passive entertainment.

So what can you do to turn boredom into a constructive catalyst for action?

Peter Spevak, author of Empowering Underachievers: New Strategies to Guide Kids (8-18) to Personal Excellence, and founder of D.C.’s Applied Motivation, has some insight. According to Spevak, one of the best things you can do to combat your child’s boredom is to actively demonstrate your own enthusiasm. If something excites you, share it with your children (even if they find it boring!). Showing that adults can live life maintaining a high level of passion will inspire kids to not give in to boredom with passive acceptance or quick fixes like video games.

Spevak says this active demonstration is better than trying to directly stimulate children in response to their boredom. So go ahead, show how you fill your leisure time with good books or magazines, creative pursuits, or outdoor activities like gardening or bike riding. Showing your child that you are interested in life can have a double effect—they may take interest in the activities you enjoy, or they may be inspired to find their own interests.

Having worked with many children ages 8 to 18 struggling with boredom, Spevak explains that his tactic is to respond to the emotional cues of boredom: “If I have boredom creeping in, that’s a cue that I need to get active. It’s my perspective that you can just exist or you can truly live and be active.” Spevak mostly deals with intelligent kids with educated parents in his practice, and for them boredom can often be an excuse for detachment, or for blaming others. “I think people can choose to have a different perspective. They have a choice to not be bored. “

Boredom doesn’t just exist at home. For many children, it also creeps into the classroom. Often it is the students who are advanced that are suffering from boredom as they are not being challenged by learning at the level of their classroom. It’s not very realistic to expect these students to actively listen to things they already have a firm grasp on, and teachers have to cater to the classes needs as a whole. Many teachers also explain that the expectations for stimulation are higher than ever, given the amount of stimulus children experience in their daily lives with technology.

Parents can communicate with the teacher to let them know they want to be partners in their child’s education and will help in any way they can. This helps keep the doors open for discussion in the future, and lets the teacher know he or she has your support.

Otherwise, unfortunately there’s not much that can be done on the classroom level, so it’s up to parents to provide their child with extra learning possibilities better suited to their intelligence level. Many people believe tutors are for only for struggling students, but they can be of great help to students who aren’t challenged by the regular course material. Aside from this academic stimulus, parents are encouraged to be creative and allow their children to be so too—even if it means making a mess or doing things out of the usual routine.

Source:Weinstein, Anna. “The Bored Student.” education.com
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Teens and Homework

It’s a bit ironic that as grades become more important your teenage student is probably less interested in homework than ever. As children grow, social activities and spending time with their friends often becomes more of a priority. While this is normal, it’s important to help your teen maintain a balance between extracurricular activities, friends and schoolwork.

Here are some ways to help your child maintain their budding independence without forgetting the importance of schoolwork.

Schedules

Many teens have a lot going on in their lives, from sports or dance classes, music interests, hanging out with friends, part-time jobs and other time constraints. This can get overwhelming, so help by giving your teen the tools to stay organized and on top of things. Many smart phones have calendars built into them, but a paperback planner or organizer works just as well. Talk to your student about his or her schedule and make sure they are leaving enough time for homework and studying.

Location, location

Make sure your teen has a homework-conducive space to settle down into. While elementary and middle schoolers may sit at the table under your watchful eye, teens often prefer to study in the comfort and privacy of their own room. This doesn’t mean you can’t check in to make sure they’re still on task and haven’t surrendered to the power of the Internet or their cell phone.

Support and Praise

While you probably won’t need to be as involved in your teen’s homework as you were in the past, it’s great to stay in communication with them, whether about simple homework assignments or larger projects and term papers. Be interested in what they’re learning and working on, and gently inquire about how they’re managing their time to stay on track for deadlines and due dates. Your child may want to bounce ideas off you, have your feedback on a project or have an extra pair of eyes to proof a paper for mistakes.

The Power of Numbers

Study groups can be both beneficial and a temptation for slacking off. Many close friends enjoy studying and doing homework together, and it can make it feel like less of a chore, simply because someone they like spending time with is there. But make sure they are really working on schoolwork and not spending their time chatting. Study groups are also great for helping each other out—often one student will be stronger in a particular area than the others and can explain things.

Technology

Your child may need to use the Internet or other forms of technology for their homework. This is OK—the Internet can be a very valuable resource for research papers, tutorials on difficult subjects and other topics. But the temptations to check your email, Facebook or Twitter page can often be hard to ignore. Make sure your child isn’t falling prey to these temptations. Sometimes a simple solution is to suggest breaks every so often, where they can surf to a page they want for a few minutes before getting back to work. Even better? A stretch and breather that gets them away from the computer screen and gives their eyes a rest.

Keep Talking

As always, communication is key—both with your child and the teacher. If your student is struggling with a particular chapter or assignment, try to discuss it with the teacher. Teachers often have other insight into your child’s struggles that you don’t see at home. Tutors can also be highly beneficial for students who need an extra push, or extra review sessions. Make sure your child knows that there’s no problem asking for help, or admitting to not quite getting it just yet. The more you allow your child to be open and honest with you about schoolwork, the more likely they will turn to you before things get to a point where their grades are suffering. If problems are more deep-seated or emotional, guidance counselors can also be of service to you and your child.

Source:Helping Your Teen with Homework.onetoughjob.org
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End of the Year Sadness

It may be hard to believe, but some students actually start to get sad as the school year winds down. Younger students may feel concerned about facing a change. Will next year’s teacher be as nice as this one? Summer may hold new experiences that can be challenging, like attending summer camp with new children. Older students may be feeling this too, or other worries about summer—what will they do? Will they still see their friends and stay connected? Will a summer job or internship put a damper on their free time? Many will experience a sense of nostalgia. Next year they may be entering a new school, or they may not have classes with the same people they grew close with this past year. There are a host of things that may have your child feeling a little bittersweet about the year coming to an end. Some students feel these things before the school year ends; others don’t realize the reality until summer actually starts.

Regardless, all of these feelings are common and nothing to be overly concerned about. Rebecca Branstetter, a school psychologist and blogger, explains, “Children and adolescents alike can experience anxiety or discomfort around the end of a school year as they anticipate a change from the routine. Sensitive students and those with special needs are particularly vulnerable.”

Branstetter suggests turning this into a lesson about the impermanence of life. No matter how old we are, things will change and we may feel uncomfortable facing the unknown. The more comfortable your child gets now with these concepts, the better they will be at handling them as they grow.

There are other ways you can help too.

Listen to their feelings, or what they say to their friends. Keep an eye out for a change in behavior suggesting signs of sadness or anxiety.

Resist the urge to offer things as a replacement. Summer camp won’t be just like school and making these kinds of comparisons can set children up for further disappointment. Instead focus on the excitement of a new experience in and of itself.

Allow your child to unwind and adjust. School has been a constant for 9 months; it’s OK if your child doesn’t know what to do with him or herself at first. Give them some space to process, but make sure they don’t slip into a summer slump of doing nothing or having no stimulation.

If your student is sad about leaving his or her teacher, encourage him or her to write the teacher a nice note or email. Tell them they can still visit the teacher next year. Knowing that the teacher will not completely disappear from their world can go a long way toward relieving any concerns.

Don’t start talking about next year yet. Children worked hard all year, and they deserve the summer to have fun and pursue other interests and activities. Wait until August before you start talking about what’s coming next year. By then, they’ll be ready for what’s around the corner, instead of missing what’s just passed.

Source:Tafrate, Polly“Coping with Last Day of School Sadness.”education.com