Teaching Your Highschooler Without Teaching Them

Teaching Your High Schooler without Teaching Them Anything 

Raising a teenager is hard enough without a global pandemic that keeps them from their friends! As the country approaches a year of social distancing, quarantine, and learning of all kinds, from remote to hybrid and in-person, high school students have had to embrace a wide variety of learning strategies—and as their parents, you’ve had to learn to roll with the punches as well.

Even if, as a parent, you may not remember everything you learned in high school, there are still many ways you can support your adolescent’s virtual and hybrid learning. High school students are still developing, both mentally and emotionally, and this time is crucial for building strong study strategies and time management skills they need in all areas of their lives.

Even in the new frontier of working and studying from home, a routine is essential to offering your teenager a sense of stability and control. By developing a routine at home, just like they would have if attending school in person, students will feel more accountable for accomplishing their virtual learning tasks, from independent work to group discussions and live lessons. 

The routine can include morning rituals that help the student prepare for the day, like eating breakfast, doing light exercise, or preparing their workspace with the books, materials, and supplies they need. Making a schedule for meals, snacks, and brain breaks ensures that the student has opportunities to move, look away from the screen, and rest their mind as they process new information from their classes. 

In lieu of the clear divide between learning at school and coming home, establish a ritual with your teenager to denote the end of the school day and the return of the home as a family space, like going on a walk before dinner or tucking school materials away. 

Such daily routines will give students a supportive structure, and they will help you as the parent feel involved without having to always remind them of what to do next.

Even as their homework assignments pile up, high school students often need support in tracking and remembering what they have to. In their designated workspace, have your child write a daily checklist of the required virtual learning for that day or that week. They can use a whiteboard, notebook, post-its, or even a digital calendar or to-do list. Tracking this information will help both the student and parents keep track of what has been learned and what needs to be done. Furthermore, practicing this essential skill will prepare them for more independent time management when in college.

Living in a global pandemic is not an easy task for anyone. Teachers, parents, and students are working tirelessly to ensure that the students are still receiving the best education that they possibly can. Parents and teachers alike want to see children reach their full potential. With the help from parents at home, teachers can reach more students and provide them the best education that they can. With the help of parents in supporting their children’s mental and emotional health, as well as their preparedness for their daily classes, teachers can focus on providing the best classes, regardless of the format. 

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