Donna Secor Pennington, LMSW, has been a school social worker at the high school level for twenty years and has been an advocate for programs and services for teens and parents.
John Blaber, MA, teaches Advanced Placement English Literature & Composition, Honors, and College Preparatory Language Arts at Alameda High School in northern California. Prior to becoming an educator, John managed communications for the national headquarters of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America.
Chris Valdez is the Assistant Principal for Curriculum and Instruction at Marin Catholic High School in Northern California. He has worked in high schools for fifteen years in a variety of capacities including Dean of Students, English teacher, and baseball coach.
Q: My 14-year-old son is going to start school an hour earlier than he is accustomed to. For all of his elementary and junior high years, school started at 8:45 am. Now high school will require him to be in his school seat by 7:45 am. Even with the late start during the early years, he was problematic in getting up and out on time. I am concerned that it will continue to be a complete uphill battle for the upcoming summer school term. Any suggestions?
Donna Secor answers: As you have learned by now, some of us are “slow starters” in the morning by our basic temperaments. In addition, the natural “circadian rhythms” (or body clocks) of teenagers are set to stay up later and wake up later than the rest of us. High schools should actually start their days later than elementary schools based on this research! You are wise to try to take some steps to avoid four years of aggravation. You might start by considering if he needs to get to bed earlier, or if he could be better organized, such as by setting out the clothes he will wear the next day and having his backpack by the door. Does he need to allow more time to get ready?
You may need to use some daily consequences to help motivate him to improve. For example, pending on his interests, he could earn one 99 cent music download for each day that he was ready on time and he might lose video game privileges for any day that he isn’t.
Once your son has established a routine you may be able to gradually phase out the consequences. On the other hand, you might need to continue them and change them from time to time to keep them meaningful. Many teenagers have to make this transition to an earlier start time in high school and almost all of them do so successfully!
Q: How do you get your kids’ reading level on track? I have a 16- year-old who reads on an 8th grade level. I have just been made aware of this and would like to know what I can do to help advance my child’s reading skills. Is there any FREE help out there for my high school student who is behind in reading?
John Blaber, MA answers: Who it was that gauged the student's reading level at 8th grade? Was it a school learning specialist or some private company certified to do this kind of testing? Be sure the student is being given appropriate tests by individuals qualified to administer them. The best way to do this is to formally request, in writing, that the student be evaluated for learning differences by the school's/school district's designated staff member. Once the parent requests this in writing, the school/district has to respond within the time period specified by law. This testing may help you to understand what might be causing your child to be challenged with reading comprehension. It is possible that your son may have a learning disability that may qualify him for special education services that are paid for by the school district. This could include extra support with building reading skills. These tests may also show that your son does not have a learning disability and therefore simply needs additional support with building reading skills. Many schools offer reading enrichment classes or programs after school at no cost to the student. If the school does not offer it directly, check with the school's guidance department to see if they can refer you to a community-based organization that provides reading tutors. There are many of these, some of which offer 1-1 help at no cost.