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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Thursday, July 21, 2005

Chart right course at start of high school

By Treena Shapiro
Advertiser Education Writer


TIPS FOR PARENTS AND STUDENTS

  • Focus on just a few extracurricular activities. Two is fine. The idea is to take them to their logical extreme. So if your child writes poetry, help her get it published in a local journal. If he bakes pies, make sure he enters the county fair.
  • Save time for fun. The demands of high school can drive both parents and students crazy. Have a regular weekly family movie, miniature golf game or fast food night out.
  • Focus on improvement, not grade-point average. The idea is to show them that if they keep working on something, they will get better.
  • Take the most difficult courses. Colleges prefer to see average grades in hard courses, rather than top grades in easy ones.
  • Don't worry about whether the teacher likes your child. Some of the best teachers come on strong and appear to be ogres. Those are the ones you'll probably bless later when your child learns how to handle a college workload.
  • More information: www.partner shipforlearning.org. Source: Partnership for Learning
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    To a teen, entering high school can be both exhilarating and terrifying. There are people to meet, electives to choose and clubs to join.

    Parents can help ease the transition into high school by making sure to keep the lines of communication open and taking advantage of opportunities to become involved at school.

    "If the parents are involved, the children are successful," said Department of Education specialist Dennis Kajikawa.

    One area where parents can help is discussing their teen's plans for the future and helping them map out a path for achieving their goals. For example, college-bound teens might want to take certain courses to maximize their chances of getting into the school of their choice.

    Students who do not plan to continue schooling after graduation should be encouraged to look into what courses would help prepare them for a job right out of high school.

    A guidance counselor can help you help your child plan. Kajikawa recommends approaching a counselor to find out what services are available. He said, "They should have a meeting with the counselor and ask, 'What can you do for my child?' "