As we come back from our restful Holiday break we find ourselves with that confusing yet important time of starting a new semester. For our high school students the start of the second semester often lacks energy, excitement and often represents an effort reduction towards academic performance.

The second semester requires the same level of focus and preparation as the first semester in order to succeed. No matter how the first term went, the second semester provides the perfect opportunity to establish and  follow a plan for success. As parents and caretakers this time represents a challenge for us, we must motivate and encourage our teens to stay focused and committed towards school. Here are some recommendations of how you can help your son/daughter to accomplish their goals:

1.  Setting goals

The second semester is a new beginning, therefore it’s a perfect time to look back on the previous term and analyze what areas you could improve on. We can support students identifying their improvement opportunities, whether it’s organizational skills, time management, behavior, relationships with teachers and/or peers, etc. It is important for us as supporters to emphasize the importance of staying focused and goal oriented during the last months of the school year.

2. Help identify support network

First talk to your child of the importance of ensuring they have a support network in place to help them toward their objectives. Which individuals should form the network? Parents, a school counselor/advisor, and one classmate in each class who will compare notes with them or collect important information for they’re absent for any reason. Why is a support network so important? These are the individuals a highschooler can rely on for encouragement and to provide assistance.

3. Use an agenda/planner

It can be difficult to look far ahead to the end of the semester. Particularly as workload begins to grow and content becomes more critical it is fundamental for your child to use some type of organization tool. You could motivate the use of an agenda, an assignment pad or electronic tool like cellphone agenda and reminders. The important part is to supervise that your son/daughter uses some type of organizational and tracking tool, otherwise assignments could start piling up, leading to stress and frustration towards school.

We are on the final stretch of the school year, so let’s help our students to stay focused, motivated and goal-oriented.