If You’re the Parent of a Student of Any Age
Your child’s school is probably doing little, if anything, to teach him or
her how to study. Which means he or she is not learning how to learn.
And that means he or she is not learning how to succeed.
There are probably even more dedicated parents out there than
dedicated students, since the first phone call at any of my radio or TV
appearances comes from a sincere and worried parent asking, “What
can I do to help my kid do better in school?” Okay, here they are, the
rules for parents of students of any age:
- Set up a homework area. Free of distraction, well lit, with
all necessary supplies handy. - Set up a homework routine. When and where it gets done.
Studies have clearly shown that students who establish a
regular routine are better organized and, as a result, more
successful. - Set homework priorities. Actually, just make the point that
homework isthe priority—before a date, before TV, before
going out to play, whatever. - Make reading a habit—for them, certainly, but also for
yourselves. Kids will inevitably do what you do, not what you
say(even if you say notto do what you do). - Turn off the TV. Or at the very least, severely limit when
and how much TV-watching is appropriate. This may be the
toughest suggestion to enforce. I know. I’m the parent of a
teenager. - Talk to the teachers. Find out what your kids are supposed
to be learning. If you don’t know the books they’re supposed
to be reading, what’s expected of them in class, and how
much homework they should be scheduling, you can’t really
give them the help they need. - Encourage and motivate,but don’t nag them to do their
homework. It doesn’t work. The more you insist, the quicker
they will tune you out.
xii How to Study