High School: It's for Parents Too

When one thinks of parents volunteering in the classroom, chaperoning field trips, and going over the nightly homework, usually images of elementary-aged children appear. By the time students reach high school, parents have been booted to the sidelines—quite literally—of the football fields and basketball courts. Gone are the days of volunteers leading small group reading circles, helping teachers with paperwork, and facilitating science experiments. While this may be the reality, it does not and should not be the case. Parental involvement is just as needed and beneficial at the secondary level as it is during the younger years. I’d like to offer some practical ways in which adults can get involved with their children’s education at the high school level. If you teach high school, or just want more input on this topic, here is a lesson designed to get secondary pupils thinking critically about the significance of their parents’ involvement in their own education.

1. Communicate with Teachers

Communication is key. Remember that if your children attend a typical United States public high school they are visiting approximately five to six different teachers every day. Furthermore, they are one of approximately 150 pupils that each teacher sees daily. As you can imagine, these educators’ plates are entirely full with preparing and delivering curriculum, assessing performance, managing behavior, maintaining a safe and effective learning environment, on top of any additional extracurricular duties they may be in charge of. In reality, it is incredibly difficult for these hard-working individuals to reach out to each family. Usually parent communication is reserved for Back-to-School Night (which is generally poorly attended by parents), limited comments on mandated progress and report cards, and calls home when learners are under performing or behaving poorly. I assure you, it is much easier for parents to pick up the phone once a month and call their child’s teacher than for educators to call each family that frequently. Don’t have time for a phone call? Shoot them an e-mail. Make it brief. Let each instructor know you are just checking in on your son or daughter’s performance. Specific areas to check on include: attendance and punctuality, completion and quality of work, and participation and behavior in class. Know how your child is doing from an adult’s perspective. Don’t just rely on a grade on a report card as feedback. For a little extra input on teachers, family involvement, and school, check out this article.

2. Monitor Homework

The most common excuse I hear for parents not helping their children with homework at the secondary level is that they don’t know how to do it themselves. Yes, it is most likely that your completed level of education might not be sufficient if your adolescent is taking a high level math or science, or an advanced placement humanities course. Furthermore, its probably been years—or decades—since you’ve looked at most of this content yourself. This is not a problem! You still can and should be involved with their work! You do not need to do the work for them, or correct it for them—in fact, you shouldn’t be doing this. But what you should do, is know exactly what assignments, projects, and tests they have to be working on and preparing for nightly. You should know their level of completion, and you can easily monitor the quality of their work. This is where having an agenda or a homework sheet comes into great use. While some schools and teachers require them, many do not. I suggest you either purchase a simple agenda where your high-schooler can write down his assignments and upcoming tests for each class, or use this planner from Lesson Planet. Whatever method you choose, check it nightly, as well as checking the actual work. Read their essays and look at their math problems. Talk about it with them. Encourage the best quality of work, you know their capabilities. Even if you can’t answer their questions, you can know what they are working on and where they need extra help . A big red flag is if night after you night your learner claims they have no homework. There is always something that can be done: reviewing vocabulary words, studying the day’s lecture notes, preparing for an upcoming test, or independent reading.

3. Be Present

Do your absolute best to be physically present on your student’s high school campus a few times a year. It doesn’t sound like much time—does it? You would be surprised, however, at how many parents never set foot on campus. I understand that parents work full time, have multiple children, and a myriad of responsibilities that come with parenting. However, this is one of the responsibilities that cannot be pushed to the side. It can be as simple as taking a long lunch break four times out of the year to go to campus, participate in a PTA meeting, pop in and say hello to a teacher, volunteer in the classroom, or give a guest lecture. Be aware of where your adolescent spends the majority of his day. The more you are around, the more knowledge you will have of the true ins and outs of your child’s education and the more you can help him navigate success.

There are multiple other ways in which parents can be involved with their student’s academic success. When in doubt, ask! Ask the teachers, parent leadership, and administrators how you can be involved. I promise you, there will be plenty of opportunities!

It must be noted that even if you have the straight-A valedictorian, three-sport athlete, student government president as your child, you still need to be involved. Parental involvement is not reserved for the struggling, misbehaving pupil. It must also be noted that you aren't helping if you are the helicopter type parent that is looking over every teacher’s every move. You must give your teenager and instructor the autonomy to do their jobs and execute their responsibilities accordingly. Do not do your child’s work for him. Do not communicate for him. Do not make academic decisions for him. But be involved. Know what is going on. I promise, it will make a world of difference to all involved.

Just as you would not miss the end of the year play, the championship football game, or an end-of-the-year awards assembly, you should not miss the day-to-day operations that will ultimately lead to your child’s success.