Crystal Higgs's Blog

Step One: Be Aware

The first step toward building relationships lies within your ability to control yourself when interacting with students. The following activities will ensure that you do not hinder the classroom atmosphere when dealing with students.

Strategy
Implementation


Mental Safety Checks
Establish mental safety checks by consciously redirecting your words, actions, and thoughts about the student. Think about what positives you are observing in the present and even consider sharing those positives with the students.


Self-Questioning
If you find yourself responding abrasively, question would it be the same if it were a different student. If not, think of how you could respond without bias.


Journaling
When you feel disappointed about the happenings of the school day or interaction with a student, go home and reflect in your journal. Write down the contents without including your emotions during the recounting of the information. Wait until the next morning and then review the incident and list ways that you can make the present day better.


Pausing
Before answering without care or with too much emotion, say nothing. Take several moments to think about how you should objectively deal with the situation, and most importantly that you are not allowing for the student’s previous action to interfere with the action you are about to take.


Step-Away
Take a moment and ask the student to step outside, stay after, or come to your desk, and discuss the happenings of the previous day. Provide the student with the opportunity to offer a resolution or action plan for future steps.

 

Step Two: Facilitating Trust

 These are a few steps that can be taken in order to ensure that your intentions to assist students are clear:

Review your own personal biases. Analyze your teaching philosophy for any lurking biases regarding student ability.
Consciously monitor your thoughts regarding student abilities. When you find yourself making assumptions, mentally correct the thought and record the content of the thought. After school, take the time to journal on the thought that you had and analyze its origin. Ask yourself where did the thought come from? What happened to give you that interpretation of that student? What instances in your past has fueled such thoughts? What can you do as an educator to combat this belief and stop it from reoccurring?
Assist the student in restructuring their thoughts to accommodate the possibility for success. Students will voice fears or state that they cannot do something because they have seen failure or someone has told them that they cannot. Many students just need someone to believe and you can be that person. Tell them they can and show them how to get started on a path that they never believed that they would be traveling.
Start fresh each day. Consciously commit to giving student’s a chance each day. Do not hold past failures against students, but use those experiences to develop strategies and techniques that will aid in future successes.

Step Three: Allow students to be themselves

The following activities will allow you to get to know students, so that you may reach them on the academic playing field:

Activity
Example Tasks


Journaling
Reflection Prompts (i.e. What three elements of nature vs. nurture were the most intriguing to you?)


Projects
Focus Selection (i.e. Demonstrate your knowledge of quadratic equations by selecting and designing a product that would benefit from such an equation.)


Quick Writes
Content Connection (Compare and contrast your personal views with that of the protagonist)


Essays
Analysis (Reflect on your knowledge of the Vietnam War. If you were a leader during this war, what decisions would you have made in order to win the war?)


Presentations
Review (Create a multimedia presentation that explicitly demonstrates your knowledge through your choice of content, images, and sounds.)


Formative Assessments
Assessment (Select one of the three tasks presented and demonstrate your knowledge thoroughly)


Research
21st Century (Conduct research on a topic of your choice incorporating multiple sources, facts, and details.)


Literature
Dialogue Journals (Select a school appropriate text, read, and write about the characters, setting, and plot in your dialogue journal. You will receive a written response from me)

 

 

 

Step Four: Carve Out Time

 There are many methods for finding the time between meeting, conferences, planning, and teaching. The following are a few suggestions:

Establish office hours and state these hours in your syllabus.
Provide students with an email address that you can be reached and agree to respond during a certain period throughout the day.
Post appointment sheets somewhere in the classroom and isolate blocks of time throughout the week when students can sign up for individual conferences. For younger students, provide appointment sheets for parents to sign their child up for additional skill studies.
Establish a student walk-in policy during the nonteaching portion of the duty day.
Identify district resources that provide county approved social networking outlets for safe and secure student-teacher interactions. Create a class blog that students can post concerns and questions and agree to host live hours on the site at least once a week.
Create a conference area in the classroom to address immediate student needs during the class session.
Use classroom conference area to meet with each student at least once every two weeks, if weekly is not possible.

 

 

Step Five: Reflect Often

  Try these Activities

 

Take a drive through the surrounding community of your school. Then take a drive around your neighborhood. Take the time to write down what you noticed about the community that your students live within. What types of stores and establishments did you notice? What are the differences between their community and the one you live in? Write about how these establishments illustrate the socio-economic status of the residents and qualify or reject the research about urban neighborhoods. Extension exercise: Have students write a paragraph to describe their community. After doing so, have students write an additional paragraph describing the community they envision themselves living in with their future family. Have students share out and collect these descriptions to understand individual student perspectives.
Why do you teach? Think about what motivated you to become an educator. Write about how this underlying motivator drives your interactions with students. How do you engage students by bringing in elements of your world into the classroom? What are opportunities for you to connect with students through presenting elements of your background? Extension Exercise: While planning your next lesson, incorporate a personal touch during the modeling/demonstration portion of the lesson. Take note of student reactions to your personal touch that you have shared in connection with the lesson. What differences did you notice? Reflect in your journal at the conclusion of the school day.

 

Step Six: Listen to Students

  What students say:

 “Last year I was a depressed mess…This year you built my self-esteem.”

“Thanks for telling most of my teachers I am not a menial”

“You are the only teacher that understands my creativity and imagination.”

“Thank you for understanding that I fear you. I like how at the end of the year I would talk to you.”

“You kept me slightly sane this year. I needed you this year. Thank you.”

“When I become a well-renowned actress, I will mention you in my speech.”

“When I didn’t understand something, you made sure I understood the concepts before I left your class.”

“Thank you for understanding when I have my rough days.”

“I appreciated how you trusted me enough to borrow a couple of books.”

“You have made a difference in my year both personally & educationally.”

“You are so real that I can relate to you in so many ways.”

“My teacher responds to my red alert emails.”

“You taught me how to be open-minded and care about others.”

“Thank you for teaching me to express my ideas and opinions.”

“You listen to the things I have to say and I know that’s time you’ll never get back.”

“We laughed with you and learned.”

“Anytime I needed help you were always there even if you had to stay after school.”

“Thank you for being there.”

“I am thankful to have a leader like you in my life.”

“Your commitment is what inspired me in particular to do great.”

“I would recommend you for upcoming students.”

““I appreciated how you trusted me enough to borrow a couple of books.”

“Your annoying and constant nagging made me become a better writer.”

“I thank you for all the annoying work you have gave us this year”

“You have set the bar pretty high this year”

“Thank you for treating us like adults and not babying us.”

“Although I fought you the entire year about work and stress, I am glad it was with you.”

“Your strict work flow, I believe, will help make me a better person.”

“Thank you for pushing me into doing my work and going outside the box.”

“You encourage me to believe in myself and to do my best.”

“Maybe someday you will teach my children.”

“Because of you I have the inspiration to write my own book.”

“Just like a mom you get on my nerves, but I love when you are hard on us and push us to our best abilities.”

 

 

Thinking about Common Core, merit pay, the achievement gap and the ever growing list of demands from administration, students, and parents, stress is bound to knock at your door. Many urban educators unknowingly take on much more than they realize and find themselves physically ill or on the verge of a burnout episode. In order to combat stress, you must take deliberate steps to do so.

1. Make a list of all of your responsibilities.

Highlight:

• Work the color yellow

• Family the color pink

• Self the color green.

If you notice that there is not enough green then you should create a go green attack as soon as possible. Think of activities (or non-activities) that will give you some green time. This should not be loosely scheduled, but planned with pen. Have you been meaning to make a spa appointment, read the new book from your favorite author, or hike up your nearest mountain? This is the time. Do it!

2. Make a trip to your place of peace, and if you happen to be walking around without one, then designate such a place. This could be your master bathroom with the lights dim and soft violins playing in the background. It could be the nearest dog park, ant farm, or lush greens at a botanical garden. No matter the place, make a trip. Spend a few hours relaxing in the environment. Take in the scenery; inhale the aromas, and most importantly give yourself permission to leave your worries tucked away.

3. Get physical. Moving is an excellent method for relieving stress, and one of my personal favorites. When the demands from administration, county and state come tumbling down, so does my running shoes. I lace up and hit the gym and run until I no longer feel tension. You may not be a runner, but joining a kickboxing, cycling, or Zumba class gets your body pumping all the same. If you are not a member of a gym then pick up a baseball, basketball, hula hoop, or a kick ball and head out to the park with your kids, friends, or local adult league. Strap up for a game of paintball, beat the old punching bag, play a round of golf, or bowl a few strikes. To help others while helping yourself, you may even think about signing up for local.5k races in your area. Race funds support many causes such as diabetes, cancer, and children, so while beating your stress you will be beating someone else’s as well. These stress outlets will get your blood flowing and increase your heart health so that you may keep making it to the white board every day.

4. Fall into sound. Sound therapy reduces stress and recharges your batteries. Many people erroneously believe that teaching is a cake walk, but dealing with a hundred different personalities can take a toll. At the end of the day, many of the conversations are still swirling around your head and you need some relief. You can’t always take a trip when you are obligated to teach six classes, but you can journey into a musical escapade. While students are working, consider playing soft instrumentals that can calm you and the students. During your planning period, take a few minutes turn on your favorite song, close your eyes, and sing. This will be an instant uplifting that can help you through the rest of the day. You can extend this exercise on your way home from work and right into your living room as you kick back and come down from the activities of the day. If work duties are keeping you awake at night, then try downloading spa music or sounds of nature to help you drift into deep relaxation. There are many sound options nowadays including iPods, mp3, and cell phones equipped with music players, slacker, Pandora, music unlimited, iTunes and several others. Access, download, or purchase those sounds that will take you away from it all.

5. Find the nearest closet, empty room, or retreat to the confines of your car and scream your stresses away. Many times, a good scream of nothing or choice words of your preference will instantly make you feel better. It will serve as a release so that you may carry on and keep calm as they say. After you have finished screaming, your frustrations have not totally dissipated and an actual solution may be in need. In order to develop a long term solution to lowering your stress levels, take out your journal and begin to free write on your sources of frustration. Do not worry about grammar, professionalism, or structure, just write. After getting it all down on paper, put it away. After a few hours or even the next day, review it and make an action plan for the future. Look for the true cause for your high stress levels. Do not focus on the surface causes, but instead go deeper. Remember to focus on the “what now” and do not get caught in the question of “why” said occurrences are present. The “why” is only important because it may house a solution, but you cannot afford to stall at that step with no further action.

Clearly, this list is not exhaustive, but it will surely be the beginning of what we all need to be conscious of, lowering our stress level before it causes us to be lowered six feet below the ground. Stress is a killer and leaving it to roam amuck is dangerous. Create a plan of attack and be sure to see it through. A happy teacher emits positivity into the classroom atmosphere and the students have no choice but to inhale.

Photo Credit: Bigevil600 via sxc.hu

There is a Swahili proverb that states, “A chick that will

grow into a cock can be spotted the very day it hatches.” This particular

proverb speaks volumes about personalities and how they affect life. Some

children are born with a natural desire to succeed. Their desires do not

typically come from external stimulators, but deep within themselves. These

particular children encourage themselves when no one else does and refuse to

accept failure without analyzing the causes and remedies necessary for future

success. Parents begin to notice these characteristics as the child grows into

their character and exhibits their individuality. Over the course of toddler

and adolescence years, parents begin to expect these positive behavior and

academic traits from the child. Attending award shows, receiving positive

reports from the teacher year after year, and admiring yet another honor roll

bumper sticker becomes the norm for students and parents within this arena.

This situation does not seem to have any negative ramifications on the surface,

but the possibility lurks in the mouth, mind, and hands of parents.

The

mouth, mind, and hands of parents are vital resources for sustaining a child’s

natural desire to flourish. These entities possess the ability to enhance or

dampen the spirits of talented youth. Holding high expectations for each child

will always be a priority for parents, but acknowledging the victory associated

with each goal is a must. Although not openly admitted, children long for

recognition from their parents. Unfortunately, many parents unconsciously overlook

achievements once they become a frequent occurrence. A child that receives

outstanding grades each quarter, creates the winning entry for the physics

fair, or delivers a mind blowing speech at an oratory contest needs to be acknowledged

regardless of his or her tendency to be triumphant.  At times, parents forget that children cannot

always tap into their souls and understand their inner feelings of pride. Maybe

communication is a weak point and affection feels uncomfortable to the parent,

but children do not equate silence and a lack of action as respect or love.

Thoughtlessly sidetracking a child’s moments

of success can result in catastrophic outcomes.

Emotional and mental damage can take place after continuous episodes of

unconscious disregard of the child. Children process events much differently

than adults and although parents may not think they are causing any harm, the

possibility of emotional pain is great. Children will begin to have a spiral of

thoughts that hinge upon the belief that their loved ones fail to believe in

their goals, dreams, and success. These feeling will eventually evolve into

feelings of loneliness, anger, resentment, and possibly depression. Many

children will be able to break this mentality and inwardly motivate themselves

to continue on their paths despite the emotional pain; however there are

children who respond entirely different and give up trying. Their inward desire

to achieve looses a bit of its fire during each occasion of disregard. Each

moment of disappointment allows the child to build a defensive wall of

nonchalance. The problem with indifference is that there is no passion. The

fire to achieve regardless of their ability to do so is no longer kindled and

their determination is destroyed bit by bit.

A chick will never grow into the

cock it is expected to become if it does not receive the proper nurturing from

its parents. Parents are responsible for providing a favorable environment for

development, and recognition plays a substantial role in this task. Verbal

affirmations, love, affection, rewards, and time are much needed resources for

fanning the flames that are longing to roar deep within the heart of a child.

Most parents begin worrying about their children from the time their little heartbeat steadies. This worrying does not diminish as time grows, but it spans a lifetime. One of the most turbulent stages for parents and children alike is adolescence. It is during adolescence that dormant hormones awaken and

teenagers take note of their bodies and those which belong to others. Teenagers wallow in newly acquired emotions, swirling possibilities, and thoughtless tactics—all of which horrify.

Certainly, parents are apprehensive because they too remember these same feelings, thoughts, and actions. So, why is it that many parents refuse to address such a pertinent time in their child’s life? Granted, conversations about boyfriends, girlfriends, and especially sex may be challenging and uncomfortable, but they are essential to the well-being of the child. Simply, telling a child that they are not allowed to date and that sex is frowned upon, will not instantly eradicate festering emotions and questions consuming their every thought—much more must be done.

Talking to children about relationships can aid in healthy development.  During adolescence, children typically encounter an identity dilemma. Identity formation will emerge through clothing choices, dialects, hobbies, friendship choices and much more. Due to massive amounts of uncertainty, senseless relationships may be formed and children will consider behaviors that are frowned upon. At this juncture, parental communication is vital. Parental communication must go beyond that of black and white television. No longer are the days that parents can assume children are not verbally and intimately involved with other children their age. Addressing such adult activities need to occur undeviating and straightforward. Yelling, screaming, and ranting will not work—children may be scared into temporary obedience but these actions cannot compete with this age related dilemma. Instead, parents should be a guiding force throughout adolescence. Children need to know which relationships are worthy of their time and commitment.

As an educator, I am surrounded by teenage relationship catastrophes. Many topics are surely inappropriate and teenagers are confiding in other teens about topics that should be discussed with parents. Furthermore, physical interactions supersede barriers that parents are expecting to remain in place at all times. Just the other morning, I came across one of my students kissing and groping his freshman girlfriend’s Dairy aire in the midst of hundreds of others. My initial instinct was to cause a scene and yell at the both of them.  My second thought—seemingly the best thought—was to immediately address him when he entered. Upon telling him that I better not see that again, he states, “but that’s my girlfriend.” My initial instinct arose yet again and I clearly informed this young man what type of message he sends to everyone in the halls and how she should be treated with dignity and esteem. This is a message that he should not have learned from his teacher and most significantly this young lady should have never allowed it. These two students are two of many.

Undoubtedly, teenagers have raging hormones that will beg for control on a daily basis, but through guidance they can make the right decisions. A parent’s job is not done when the child nears legal adulthood, but should continue throughout a stage that is considered more tempestuous than a midlife crises. If teenagers are equipped with the knowledge and know-how to select friendships that are complementary versus damaging, then there will be fewer broken hearts, identities and greater emotionally intelligent young people walking around. Who better to provide such tools than a parent?

Each year, I learn valuable lessons from my students. This particular lesson came in the form of a free write. There are no great restrictions for these types of assignments, so it is quite common to see an array of stories and random reflections. I was enjoying my reads until I came across something that gripped my heart. One of the young men decided that he would write about a conversation he had with his mom nearly a decade ago. According to his recollection, it began by his mother asking, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”

This is quite a common question, so I was not yet alarmed. The conversation continued and he replied, “I would love to be a professional athlete.”

His mother smiled and responded, “I always wanted your brother to be a professional athlete.”

My reading was immediately halted because I knew what had just happened; after bracing myself for devastation I continued to read the words, “From that day forward, I gave up on my dream to be an athlete and hoped that I could find something to please her with.”My heart went out to him because he had been dealt a blow so massive that he could have decided to make no further plans for his future. This mother was absolutely correct in initiating a conversation about his future goals; however she unconsciously destroyed what he felt to be achievable. As parents, influential actions can be intentional or unintentional. These actions, responses, and behaviors that surround children possess the ability to uplift or destroy.

Setting goals with your child should not be as casual as the above situation; conversations pertaining to life goals need to be conducted in a mindful manner to ensure that they are not damaging to the child. Taking the time to plan for the future with your child will give you the opportunity to anticipate possible responses and approximate your responses beforehand. Choosing your words carefully are of the utmost importance because they have the capability to decrease motivation, stimulate action plans, or begin the thinking process about what is best for their future. Regardless of what adolescence attitudes may admit, parents are very powerful motivators and should never be guilty of dampening dreams.

Many people are searching for the solution to the literacy gap amongst urban students. In order to provide a resolution that will endure throughout generations, parents must establish a sturdy foundation. The foundational ages are vital to student development and should be nurtured throughout early childhood. There are several successful methods to creating a solid academic foundation which includes limiting electronics, purchasing picture and chapter books, and spending time reading together.

                Presently, students spend over 6 hours a day engrossed in technology such as the internet, text and instant messaging, downloading songs, listening to mp3 players, watching televisions, and playing video games. Constant exposure to such outlets is alarming to education professionals because student thought processes are being altered and they fear student development may be at risk. Developmental hiccups are even more severe during the early stages of learning. Toddlers use their environment as a learning ground. They develop behavioral patterns, speech capabilities, vocabulary, and personal interest based upon their surroundings. As a means of furthering development, exposure to electronic devices should be limited. More specifically, television, non-educational video games, and lyrics that are not conducive to learning should be limited. This is not to say that SpongeBob and Grand Theft Auto are evil, but during the learning stages digital outlets need to possess meaning to ensure that development is not halted. Consider educational programs featured on the old faithful PBS, educational board, card, recognition, and sound games, and songs that teach essential elements of vocabulary, rhetoric, and concepts that are the foundation for growth.

            As an urban educator, I frequently inquire about student reading practices as a teenager and previously as a child. Majority of these students gripe, mumble, and verbally complain about the need to read, and this occurrence always leads me to the same question; did you have a reading relationship as a child? Many students quickly admit that they did not and still do not read at home. These students are typically two years from adulthood and possess significant reading deficiencies that have the potential to limit their opportunities. Working towards remediation is great, but preventing this reality should be the goal of each parent.  Children need to develop a relationship with reading from the time they can walk. Picture books that feature colors, shapes, common objects, alphabets, and etcetera are Lego blocks for success. Children soak up the information presented within the books through simple perusal, but even more so when reading takes place as a team. Going through the books with your child can be considered their first academic lessons and you are the teacher. As time progresses and longer stories are introduced, reading to your child will stimulate their interest, teach them how to pronounce words, recognize objects, settings, and plot before they enter school. Continuing “reading dates” throughout elementary and middle school will provide meaningful information about your child’s literacy needs and progress.

            Developing a reading relationship during the early stages of childhood will aid in decreasing the literacy gap in the long run. Children who read often are strong students in all of their classes and are more likely to perform successfully on each classroom activity. Educators should be a child’s secondary teacher because parents are the first line of defense for literacy success.

Zora Neale Hurston said it best by stating, “I am not tragically colored.” Playing a pivotal role in the Harlem Renaissance, Zora clearly structured her writings upon the very belief that possessing an ethnic lineage does not guarantee a catastrophic outcome. Urban school systems are primarily populated with great numbers of minority students and regardless of the circumstances they too must adopt this mentality. In order to overcome the realities of their diverse backgrounds, minority students must believe that the power to aspire and achieve rests within their being.  

It is understandable for doubt to arise and for possibility to be questioned. Many of these children are facing unfortunate circumstances; these children witness their peers and close relatives struggling to provide basic needs; seeking survival is not always attempted through legal means which ultimately destroys families and forces the children to take on adult roles; they acquire jobs that strip away their childhood but provide funds for electricity and food for their younger siblings; and those children who have parents fighting for them at all times encounter discrimination because of their neighborhood, family backgrounds, and socioeconomic status. These scenarios are just the tip of the iceberg, and accordingly it may be awfully complicated for these children to imagine visions surrounded by clouds.

It is necessary to plant seeds of encouragement for these youth. Their older brothers, sisters, cousins, and sometimes parents may be incarcerated or never graduated from high school, but this should not be seen as the extent of their abilities. They may witness their aunts and uncles living from paycheck to paycheck, but they can experience a different life. These individual situations can be discouraging and limit dreams if urban students do not come across influential individuals. As parents, uncles, aunts, teachers, and older relatives, we should be cultivators of opportunity. Planting mental seeds of encouragement will begin the growth process in young people who may be struggling with their circumstances. Maybe no one in their family has attended college simply because the thought was not present. You can be responsible for starting a new generation of achievement through simple questioning, suggestions, and advice. Taking the time to talk about goals will open opportunities for planning. Planning is the foundation for perpetuating dreams and actions. The betterment of the urban community rests in the capacity to dream and achieve despite challenging circumstances. Placing limits on urban youth should be avoided at all cost and even if they do not realize their potential to succeed, be the one who plants the first seed so that they will be able to say, “I have been in Sorrow’s kitchen and licked out all the pots. Then I have stood on the peaky mountain wrapped in rainbows, with a harp and a sword in my hands.”

Children and adults alike are dependent upon electronics of various sorts. Among the many electronics are cell phones, iPods, and portable video game systems such as the PSP and the Nintendo DS. These digital creations have positive and negative impacts on society. The positives are obviously entertainment and convenience; however these fun devices are responsible for hindering classroom learning and communication. Walk around a school, shopping complex, or restaurant and you will see children texting under the desk, ear buds accompanying almost every ear, and the use of video games taking the place of family conversations. A decade ago, these behaviors were unheard of and would not be tolerated inside of the classroom or family. Classrooms and families are headed towards a digital doom if the negatives of technology overshadow the need for education and family relations.

Students of all ages are carrying cell phones that they use to send text messages, surf the internet, listen to music and place and receive phone calls. Although these devices are permitted on school grounds, they should be placed away for emergencies. Instead of students relying on these devices for emergencies, they are actively seeking ways to send text messages, surf the internet, and at times place phone calls. Students are losing out on valuable information because they are more focused on entertainment and socializing with their peers discreetly rather than listening to instruction, reviewing their classroom task, or participating in classroom activities. This behavior has become a negative factor in the learning environment because teachers are fighting against technology. Technology should be a friendly ally inside of the classroom and not a hindrance.

            Cell phones, iPods, and video games are not only intruding upon learning time, but family time as well. In order for students to recognize how damaging this behavior may be in school, they must be held to the same expectations while at home. There is an appropriate time for entertainment and it can be shared with each member of the family, but it should not replace intimate time used to grow as a family. Dinners should be dedicated to reconnecting with each other’s lives without the interference of iPods, television, video games, or cell phones. Family outings should involve meaningful experiences where children and parents actually speak to one another in great lengths versus segmented nothings over the sound of the latest music hits. Starting in the home is certainly the solution for children’s ability to identify which times are appropriate for digital immersion. Creating and sustaining healthy household behaviors regarding overrated electronics will ultimately guarantee that students can identify satisfactory moments for indulging in their favorite past-times.

 

Majority of parents have high expectations for their children and many of times attending college seems to top them all. Although thousands of children will attend college and graduate, there are some children who do not have a desire to walk across the stage on a second occasion.  Natural reactions surrounding a situation such as this could be anxiety, anger, fear, and possibly disappointment. All of these emotions are understandable but parents must focus on the needs of their children even during times of frustration.

                Before bursting an artery, evaluate the situation. Sit down and speak to your child about their goals and their personal plan of action. If the decision seems to be based upon sluggishness then providing the opportunity to reflect and plan for the future may be a much needed reality check. During this sit down, your child may not be sure of his or her future goals and action plan. You cannot use this moment as an opportunity to force your vision of what you feel is appropriate, but to assist with their self explorations.  Purchasing career books, locating career placement test, or encouraging a meeting with his or her guidance counselor will provide direction for their next steps. After discussing the possibilities, continue to follow up with their progress and offer your mind, shoulder, and resources for use.

                Throughout this process, remember that there are additional options besides a college or university. The military, technical schools, apprenticeships, and entering the workforce are all viable options. The military provides several branches of service which challenges both the mind and body. Training for a career in the military comes with a free education, a stronger body, and wide world travel opportunities. Although this may not be a traditional classroom setting, every day is guaranteed to be a learning experience.

                In addition to the military, technical schools and apprenticeships allow young adults to receive career specific training. Technical schools offer courses in welding, construction, architecture, information technology, cosmetology, business, law, public safety, and etcetera. In addition to providing training for industry specific careers, apprenticeships provide on the job training for electricians, masons, plumbing, painting, heavy equipment operations and several other respectable careers. Acknowledging the skill level of technical careers will lessen any apprehension associated with forgoing a college or university.

                At the end of the day, just relax and remember that there are options beyond college. Forcing your long term dreams on your child will only backfire and cause resentment, misdirection, and in some causes failure. Remain encouraging and assist with guidance and action planning to ensure that they are making decisions that suit their personal needs. Trust in the values and work ethic that you have instilled deep within their consciousness, and allow their steps to dictate their future success.

During this commencement season, I find it only fitting to address the fundamentals of arriving at an earth-shattering occasion such as graduation. Each year as I proudly lead my students into the graduation ceremony, I am filled with immense emotion. These emotions are positively overwhelming, and I can only imagine that parents are feeling an even greater form of bliss. While celebrating their successes, I cannot forget those students who are no longer a member of their graduating class. There are many circumstances that may prevent a child from graduating, but parents can intervene before their child misses out on this major milestone in life. A few small steps that will make a gigantic difference in receiving a diploma are:

1) Start preparing for graduation on the first day of high school.  Many urban students do not realize that their actions in the 9th grade could have the potential to affect their graduation four years down the line. High School is unlike middle school because each class counts towards their grade point average, credits required, and graduation requirements set in to place by the school district and the Department of Education. As a parent, meet with your child and their academic counselor during the first semester of high school. During this meeting, discuss test scores, set goals, and thoroughly study graduation requirements including grade point average. Grade point averages are calculated using each class over the four year high school term and this fact seems to elude many incoming freshman. Following up on goals and academic components alleviates any future surprises about missing requirements.

2) Make Contact. Reach out to each of your child’s teacher for periodical checkups on your child’s progress. Teachers love to hear from devoted parents, and creating an open line of communication will guarantee that you will be able to intervene and assist your child with trouble areas. Contact can be made through email or phone calls. During these semester chats, inquire about classroom activities, concerning behaviors, and academic needs of your child.

3) Review Grades & Credit Updates.  Your child’s grade point average and class credits are essential to graduating high school. Each state has created a threshold for student achievement and reviewing these elements during each term is important. Grades can be reviewed through progress reports, report cards, and guidance counselors. If for some reason your child never brings home a progress report or report card, contact the guidance office for a copy of this document.

Report cards will also feature credits obtained. If your child does not successfully complete a high school course, contact the teacher immediately, so that the three of you can create an action plan. Many schools offer free tutoring and dedicated teachers create time for extra help if requested. Attending tutoring or spending a little extra time on problem areas will increase student grades.

4) Mandate Attendance. Attending class should not be optional. Each student needs to be in class to learn. While contacting the teacher each term, request detailed information about attendance. Although you may be sending your child to class, they may not be arriving as you had planned. If you find that your child is not attending school, discuss the situation immediately and if necessary invest in spending a day or two sitting in their classes to ensure that they are in attendance.

5) Praise & Reward. Children need to be recognized for their accomplishments. These accomplishments can be large or small, but should not go without mention. Improving test scores, receiving an excellent score on a class project, or finishing up their first MLA essay are all worthy of praise. Let your child know that you appreciate all of their hard work. This can be done with simple statements such as, “Awesome project,” or, “I am so proud of you for pulling up your grades in science.”

In addition to verbal praise, rewards also show recognition. Paying for a new video game, cooking their favorite meal, or spending time completing an activity they enjoy, are memorable rewards for success. Remembering to praise and reward will motivate continued improvement throughout high school.

Each student and parent deserves to participate in graduation. Taking a proactive approach to attending high school will aid in successfully completing all of the requirements set into place. Be knowledgeable, follow up, and encourage your child from day one and he or she will be walking across that stage with no worries.