Back-to-School Guide for Athletics and Coursework

Getting in the back-to-school swing of things is challenging for many teens. When you are working part of full time, keeping up with their extracurricular activities can seem like a part-time job. Many times it is easy to focus solely on their athletic desires, and not their school work. Here are some tips to help your child stay ahead academically.

Academics

Many schools have very strict no pass no play rule. A great strategy is to set up your home schedule to allow enough time in your child's day for studying. This may mean being in control of TV, video games, and the internet. If the practice times run late, dinner must still be eaten, homework done, chores must still be done. There may be some activities that need to be reserved for weekends or days when there is more time available.

Be sure that your teen gets enough sleep. Staying up talking on the phone is an easy way for grades to slip. Not being alert in classes can lead to missing easy questions on quizzes, tests, and not being prepared.

If your schedule is running too thin, wake up earlier. Break up the homework and study times. A quick 15 minutes to go over notes for an upcoming quiz can make a difference in their grades. Even listening to an educational mp3 on their computer, or burned onto a dvd to listen to while they get dressed in the morning can truly help their memory. This may work for classes where dates are required to be memorized, foreign language, and the sciences.

Homework

Homework easily gets pushed to the wayside, when your child is tired from practice. The pressures of adjusting to a new school and activity schedule may take a few weeks to start running smoothly. Stick with your homework schedule. Have a set time available for homework. Use all of your available resources when you as a parent do not know the answer to a problem.

Application

Taking the time with your child to make sure that they understand the coursework is invaluable. If you can not spend enough time with them to help them make sure that they pass their classes, seek out help. This help could be a trusted family member, or paid tutor. Have your child read out loud, and ask them questions about the course work. Have them solve real life problems that relate to their classes. Always ask questions and try new things to keep them on their toes, to make sure that they understand what they are learning.