Education is a key that opens many doors to various opportunities. So, it’s hard to see your child dislike school and underperform in the classroom because of it.
As their parent, you understand how critical it is for them to do well in their academic pursuits. The problem is getting your high school student to fully comprehend the implications of their education for their future. The good news is we have some ideas that could help you to help your child find joy in getting an education and inspire them to apply themselves to their studies.
Show them how education can help them achieve success in adulthood.
Most people are visual learners, meaning seeing with their eyes how things work is how they best comprehend. So, try helping your child see how doing well in school will help them achieve long-term success in adulthood.
Malliha Wilson is an excellent example of how education opens doors. As a Tamil woman from Sri Lanka who served as the Assistant Deputy Attorney General of the Government of Ontario, she was the first recognizable minority to serve in the Supreme Court of Canada. Malliha excelled in high school, and her love for learning led her to McGill University, where she realized she wanted to follow in her grandfather’s footsteps and earn her law degree. Now, she’s the founder and senior counsel of Nava Wilson LLP, and she uses her law degree to fight for human rights and other causes near and dear to her.
Offer incentives for excellence in the classroom.
Another great way to boost your child’s classroom performance is to reward them for academic excellence. If you tie your child’s finances and report card, you’ll probably start to see rapid (if not instant) changes in their grades. Paying for grades will show them the value of hard work and help them develop money management skills. Who knows, the right motivation might be the difference between mediocre grades and your child getting invited to join a national honor society like the National Society of High School Scholars (NSHSS).
The NSHSS honor society foundation believes in rewarding hard work and academic excellence. They help members find scholarships and give them the tools to continue their education, even providing internships and career leadership opportunities. Setting the bar so high may frustrate your child in the beginning. However, give them other benchmarks and rewards to reach on their way to a national honor society and college scholarships. They’ll thank you when their hard work in high school pays for their higher education.
Find out if something is going on at school.
It’s worth investigating why your child doesn’t like school. It could be something as small as social awkwardness (which is often a sign of high intelligence) or a larger problem such as a bully taking the joy out of school. Or, there could be a deeper behavioral or mental health issue. However, you won’t know until you do some investigating to find out what’s going on at school and in your child’s mind.
It would concern any loving parent to see their child is neither enjoying nor progressing as they should in school. The good news is it’s not the end of the world. Plenty of successful people disliked high school and went on to become world-shapers.
Your child will see school differently if you help them make the connection between excelling in school and achieving success later in life. Moreover, rewarding them for reaching specific academic benchmarks will help bring out the best in your student. Continuing your education will set a positive example for your child by showing them through your actions how important education is.
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