Help Your Teen Prepare for College

It seems to be every parents dream to have a child going to college, knowing that they will graduate as a doctor, nurse, lawyer, and businessman. Not every child is on the path to attain secondary education though. Some will not even finish high school. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), 86.5% of American teenagers are completing high school. Others believe it is much lower because those with a GED are included in the findings. GED's are not considered equivalent to a high school diploma because students do not graduate from a high school and the demand placed on those receiving a GED is much less than that of a person receiving a diploma, although the majority of employers consider the GED to be equivalent (Greene, 2002).

Continuing Education

The best way to encourage children to continue education is to become interested in what they are doing, interact with them by providing them with the resources they need to flourish into a well-educated adult. Connecting with Kids, a website focused on providing educational enrichment to children suggested a few tips on helping a child to reach their goals while in school. By focusing your attention on goals acheived in school, teenagers will more likely be able to attain goals in their career choices and future. Here are some simple ways of helping your teenager on the path to success.

• Identify the goals your child has and help them to achieve those goals. The more influence you have in helping them reach their goals successfully, the more likely they will go on to secondary education.
• Support any school involvement they have. Involvement in school activities helps increase the interest they have in school. Keep them involved.
• Recognize any special needs that they have. Recognition of their needs early on can help make up for lost time in the future. If school work is too difficult , try to help them or get a tutor to help a child understand what may be unclear to them.
• If a regular school seems too much for them, think about placing them in a different school. A different school can make all the difference. Certain schools can provide the individual attention needed for each student that might otherwise be overlooked.
• Realize that not every child is cut out for college. Even if yours is, realize that realistic goals for your child should be kept in mind. Not everyone is ready to be the next astronaut. Help your child to find a major that is directed toward an interest. Finding a major that a child is happy with can make college life much easier and shorter.

The most important thing is to interact with your child, keeping the lines of communication open. This will ensure there is no confusion and that the road to educational, financial and career success will be a less than bumpy path. (www.connectingwithkids.com)

Conclusion

Think about the future, knowing your children are the future and helping them decide on the best route to take will help to make life easier. Making your child have an enjoyable time in high school, helping them graduate and feeling self-confident enough to further their education will allow all to benefit from their knowledge.