When School Work Gets Tough!

Whenever I play golf and hit a great shot off the tee, I go out to where the ball is and look back and I think, “Wow, did I really hit it that far?”

When you look back, you get a pretty good gauge of how you performed. So it is with your kids and school. Since it’s the end of the school year, now is the perfect time to look back and make a judgment as to just how well your son or daughter did in school this year.

If that question puts chills up your spine, but not happy chills, this would be a good time to think about what you can do as a family now to rectify the situation.

The problem is not going to take care of itself. And without some kind of remediation, the problem will just get more challenging as the school work gets tougher.

This might be a good time to think about finding a college student or even a high school student who does very well in school to be a personal tutor for your son or daughter. You could also consider summer school, and for some that might be the best option.

For others, just going over basics— taking the same text book they used and reviewing it—might be all they need.

Take a look at what needs improving. Was Spanish a problem? We have plenty of Spanish language radio stations.

Perhaps your kid should spend some time tuning in. Entrenching them in the language by way of the radio is a good thing. Require your son or daughter to tune in every day. It can help tremendously in getting a real feel for the language.

You have to stick to your guns. Your child may not want to go over those multiplication tables every day, but make it a requirement.

There is always a way to accomplish you goals. You as a parent need to put on your creative hat and figure out what would work best for your child.

For some, you might even want to consider changing schools. Maybe a charter school or a private school is what they need. Or maybe if they are in that kind of a school already, perhaps a public school would be a better fit if your son or daughter is struggling with learning disabilities.

It behooves the parent to really think things through, and think about how you can do things differently when August rolls around. Make sure you consider all the factors. Was your child in too many activities? Does your child work a part-time job? Is it too much?

These are all questions you need to answer. A part-time job is great, but school must come first. If something has to go, I vote that it’s the part-time job, so he or she can devote more time to school work.

Next month: Summer for some kids means a long visit, sometimes to another state, to spend time with mom or dad. Dr. Leman offers tips to divorced parents on making that summer visit go as smoothly as possible.

Dr. Kevin Leman is a Tucson psychologist and author of more than 30 bestselling books, including “Have a New Kid by Friday!” and “Have a New Husband by Friday.”