The first ACT is rolling around and I am reminded again of Stephen Covey, writing in The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Families, who explains the Law of the Farm. What if, he asks, you were a farmer who did nothing for most of the year, then hurriedly tried to prepare your fields, sow your crops, and expect a lush harvest? It would be impossible.
Covey was trying to explain that good results take hard work. Successful families take investment and nurturing.
I would like to add that our children are our crops. Many people realize far too late that they have not invested as much into their children as they should have. When the ACT comes, not enough investment has been made into the student's overall upbringing - not only enough knowledge itself to excel on the test, but also a significant understanding as to why the test is important or why school was important in the first place - so that the child does not do well. This is a kind of "crop failure" that is agonizing for everyone involved - teachers, coaches, the student, and especially the parents, who are ultimately responsible.
(I am saying this now, while there is still just a fraction of time left to bring your child up to the point he/she wants to be. I can't tell you how agonizing it is to see a young person who NEEDS scholarships score an 18 or 19 on the ACT. I can't tell you how agonizing it is to have to tell a senior he/she will NEVER be in the National Honor Society because their freshman year killed their cumulative grade point average. I really can't tell you how hard it is when a student watches his/her friends go off the university while he/she stays here. The only upbeat to it is that all things are learning experiences and hopefully an insight will come to the student and parent from it.)
There are, of course, factors beyond the control of a farmer. He has no control over the weather, a plague of insects, the commodities market, or bad soil. Sometimes he can do everything right and the crops still fail.
The same is true of raising a teenager. We have little control over the social climate (think of those poor parents in the '60's waging a battle against hippies and illegal drugs - an epoch whose influence has caused many bad social repercussions), the plague of unsavory "insects" circling your child as friends, your own struggle with maintaining a job in the fluctuating market, or having a recalcitrant child who will not listen, no matter what.
Still, if you are just waking up to the fact that your child is facing the end of high school and you have not been a good farmer, there are some proactive measures you can take. Some require stealth, others can be overt. The important point is to never give up.
1.) Struggling ACT scores. The first ACT is in October and the application has to be submitted in the next couple of weeks. You should have on file your child's previous attempts at the ACT or, if your child took the PLAN test as a sophomore, those scores can give you an estimate of where he/she stands. If the last score was a 19 or below, you have three options: a.)enroll in an ACT prep class now and buy practice books, b.)take the ACT again in December, so that you have access to the score before the scholarship due date of Feb. 1 (for most institutions), c.)take the residual ACT at the university your child wishes to attend - these are given daily or weekly by appointment, depending on the college, and are good at that college only - results are usually available the same day.
2.)Struggling G.P.A. This is just as hard to fix as a poor ACT score, but most students have become more serious by their junior year (which is also the hardest) and their GPA has begun to come up. By the first semester of his/her senior year, your child should be making a strong GPA, but unfortunately many college applications are sent out in October, before this takes effect on the cumulative GPA. You can wait until the first semester grades are transcripted to send in the application. or you can get your child's resume beefed up through:
3.)Involvement in Extracurricular Activities. Involvement in extracurricular activities can offset a poor GPA, not entirely, but it can reduce the damaging effects. Schools also look at the types of activities a student is involved in as an indicator of motivation, quality of person, guarantee of overall success. Today's schools offer extracurricular activities for a wide range of interests. Direct your child toward those activities which develop skills such as leadership, physical fitness, and knowledge in enrichment subjects, such as art, dance, theater, or music.
4.)Struggling Reading and Writing Skills. These are essential skills necessary in today's world for even those menial jobs. ASK TO READ YOUR CHILD's ENGLISH ESSAY. You may be shocked by what you read. If you find your child does not have the writing/grammar skills necessary for success on the college level, getting a tutor now can avoid his/her falling flat on his face as a freshman in college. Some things are better learned by experience: failing freshman English is not one of them. That is a waste of your money, as well.
If your child is a senior and you have not been planting these seeds all along, start now. Until you hear Pomp and Circumstance playing, you've still got a little time.
3 comments:
Did anyone see Michelle Rhee, the Chancellor (Supt.) of the Washington, D.C. schools tonite on C-SPAN? She was talking about her experience in turning around an at-risk school - she made the students do 2 hours of homework per night, for 8 YEAR OLDS!! I am a firm believer,too, that children should have a desk of their own and quiet time to read and study either after school or in the evening from an early age (the kitchen table is fine, too, as long as it is not too distracting). It's the best way to guarantee that a child understands how important studying and school is. It should be carried out throughout high school, regardless of having a job, sports, or extracurricular activities.
Someone can come around later, too, can't they, years after the Pomp and Circumstance is over?
Anonymous, of course they can! It is just much harder to catch up. I think we like to see our children not have to struggle as hard as we had to, and so our first impulse is to protect them by trying to keep them from making any mistakes. Mistakes are fine (as long as kids are learning from them - some never do get it and that can be scary) - mistakes help us grow as individuals. At some point, some things are too late. If your child is 18 and hasn't shown signs of genius, then being a child prodigy is probably out of the question! Hang in there, though - with a little providence, it is rarely ever too late.
Professor Snape: I saw Michelle Rhee this summer when she was confirmed and I liked her very much. Point taken about homework requirements for students who are behind. The only thing is, what teenager would agree to doing 2 hours of homework to catch up? At that point most of them just cruise or give up. I can't say it enough - it is better not to let your child slip into that situation.
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