Children can have various issues at school if you find that they are having trouble in settling in. Many people will come and drop hints about getting a child enrolled at a special education school, if they come to know that a child is having problem in school. However, before you lend a hear any such thought, take a deep breath and try to figure out the trouble area or root of issue which repels your child from school. Identifying your child’s trouble area is important for the welfare of your child and his future. Many parents are more focused on their ego being hurt by child’s poor academic performance. This is completely unjust, unfair and inappropriate behavior. Instead of that parents must look for community resources, and find as much help as you can for the well-being of your child. In this article, we have discussed nine things parents must do if they feel their children have trouble in school. Let’s take a look.
Table Of Contents
1. Gather Evidence
Before rushing into anything and making huge decisions, gather records about your child’s performance. The past tests, exams, school reports, work assignments and school projects can provide a valuable insight about a child’s performance. Look for a defined pattern of mistakes or teachers’ instructions. You can identify the trouble area.
2. See School Psychologist
Ken Robinson in his TedTalk recalls the incident of a ballet dancer very fondly whose parents were told that their girl is sick and unfit for school as she starts fidgeting when she has to do something. The parents might have put her on some medication to alleviate this ‘fidgeting’, when luckily the psychologist saw her dancing to radio. This led her to becoming a successful ballet dancer, eventually to sit on the board of Royal Ballet Dancers.
So, if a child cannot perform academically, it is quite possible that his/her creativity comes into play through another factor. Psychologist can do several things to observe a child’s pattern or behavior in the classroom. A detailed conversation with the teachers can lead them the root of problem, and help identify if they need any kind of adjustment or accommodation. They can recommend tutoring or therapy for anxiety.
3. Evaluate Home Setting
Before jumping to any serious measures for solving your child’s school problem, it is critical to analyze and evaluate your home setting. Make sure that the environment at home is such that a child’s cognitive abilities are not affected. Is the environment conducive for learning? Does the child have a space where he/she can focus on studies without getting distracted? Is the temperature moderate? Does the child have access to adequate learning material and lighting? Instead of seeking outside help, it is important to ensure that you have left no side uncovered where a child might find room to neglect studies.
4. Consult a Pediatrician
Many a times, a deficiency in nutrients such as vitamin-D or calcium can lead to lack of focus and attention. Children cannot focus on studies due to poor health or poor diet. If a child is having trouble in settling in school, you might want to get the health evaluated by a pediatrician. Make sure that the child is getting enough sleep, balanced diet, and required nutrients. Poor diet affects sleep, energy level, immunity, and overall wellbeing a child. Hence, it is critical to make sure to rule out any such factor which is a potential health problem, and might interfere with your child’s cognitive abilities.
Also make sure, that the child’s eyesight is alright. A problem with eyesight might make the child to struggle with seeing what the teacher is teaching. Some other associated problems are headache and irritated attitude during learning.
5. Arrange Required Help
If your child seems to be struggling in a particular subject, make sure to arrange some tutoring help to make it easy for him. You need to understand that human intelligence is diverse and distinctive. It is quite possible for a child not to have fondness or knack for a particular subject. If that seems to be the case, do not push them too far. Intellectual capabilities cannot be gauged by assessing a child’s performance in a particular subject. Be open, accepting and supportive if they don’t perform well in a particular subject.
6. Promote Organizational Strategies for Homework
Extend help towards your child by helping him/her with organizational strategies when it comes to homework. Assist them in reading through class notes and handouts everyday while they start doing their homework. Break it down into two categories; simple and easy tasks, and complex work. Allow them to work on the prior tasks themselves whereas; assist them in working on the latter ones. When the child begins working on the easier homework, it will stimulate their thought processes and get them into homework mode. They will have a sense of accomplishment and achievement in doing tasks unassisted, making them confident and preparing them to work on complex tasks themselves.
7. Urge them to keep struggling
While it is important not to push your child too far to perform well academically, it is equally significant to urge them to keep trying and not quitting. Tell them it is valuable not to give in, and keep trying until they accomplish what they strive for. It does not matter if they have achieved perfection or not, but it is desirable to keep trying.
8. Devise some rules to remain on track
To keep your child on track it is recommended to implement some rules or maxims that help them sticking to the course. For example if a child doesn’t has homework, s/he should engage with some other book to remain consistent with the studying habits.
9. Keep the communication channel open
Last, but the most significant thing to do is to have the communication channel open with teachers, and especially with your own child. This is to support your child and encourage him not to give in as you are all working together to make him a success. Allow your child to come to you with any concerns, issues or problems. You can only take care of these issues effectively, if you know (s)he is going through some challenging time.
Final Words:
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