Parenting Teens

Well, it’s that time of the school year-almost the end! Most teens are looking forward to vacation, but first they have to get through their last rounds of finals. And, boy, can those be daunting! There seem to be so many of them!

My daughter has three weeks of school left, and we recently discussed her end-of-the-year test schedule for the second time. She has final exams in all four of her classes. In addition to those, for two of her classes, she has end-of-course tests, which are required to be passed in order to pass the class. On top of all that, two of her classes are Advanced Placement, for which she’ll receive college credits-but she has to pass an extra test (aside from those already mentioned) in order to receive the credits! It’s enough to stress anyone out!

That much testing alone is enough to make a teenager need a vacation! Then, there are the seniors who’ll be graduating and taking SAT’s and/or ACT’s, and need to worry about those, as well as all their college plans-which are only a few short months away. As parents, we need to do what we can to make all these anxieties more bearable, at least.

Here are a few things you can do to help:

*Talk with your teen about his/her testing schedule. Find out when each test is schedule, how much
time there is between tests, and how much each weight each test is given in calculating their final
grade in a class. Also review their grades up until this point, and be aware of which tests they need
to do really well in to bring up, or maintain, their grades in each class.

*Help them plan a study schedule. Or have them do it, and then you review it. Plan an adequate
amount of study time for each test, depending on how well they are already doing in a class, as well
as whether or not they need to bring up a grade. Allow more study time for the classes in which
they have the most difficulty.

*Make sure they have plenty of time to relax, as well as time to study. Too hard a push for tests can
totally wear out a student, and make him/her burned out by the time test time actually rolls around.
Make sure they have time to do enjoyable things, as well as just to rest, and get plenty of sleep.

*Give them plenty of encouragement and help. If they’re worried about a particular test or class, do
anything you can to help them prepare for the test. Ask questions. Help make flash cards. Have
them write chapter summaries and then check them. And make sure you give them plenty of praise
encouragement about the amount of work they’re doing. It’ll give them a boost in confidence, which
can always help.

*Get tutoring for them, if they need it. If they are having real difficulty in a class, make sure they get
the help they need. Call the school counselor’s office or your teen’s teacher about tutoring. Find
out if they can recommend a program, or someone else from the class who can help.

Testing at the end of the year can produce a lot of stress and anxiety. Do all you can to help your
teenager do his/her best and get through it. For study tips and help with things like test anxiety, visit Test Taking Tips. It’s a great site with lots of help for both students and parents.

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