It’s that time of year when we’re pushing towards the summer. The northern half of the planet is all about the exams. In the UK – well, it’s just one big exam diet – January, March, June, November, hardly a day goes by without some poor soul thinking, damn, I’ve only got three months till the next lot!!
Students are often pulled this way and that and so today I’d
like to suggest a change in tactics.
Boys and girls, ladies and gentlemen, there are a group of people out
there. Intelligent, successful people who have managed to achieve one of the
greatest feats of patience and care: yes that’s right – they brought you up.
You have at your disposal people who have been there before you. Use them.
Parents are genetically disposed to be on your side. They
want to help; they want you to do well. And it’s simple to use them.
Communication:
To start this class, and there will be more advanced advice
on the use of parents as we progress with this blog, I would like you to engage
in the ancient art of conversation. With your parents. Take into the
conversation these three things:
1.
My parents want me to succeed.
2.
They want to help me.
3.
They will not know how.
Students everywhere. It is not your parents’ job to be mind-readers.
But you can tell them what it is you need. It could be as simple as quiet time
when you are working, it could be someone to lend an ear and test you on your
Latin vocab, it could simply be that occasionally you need some positive
feedback. Be absolutely specific – if you need spelling checked, ask, if you
want them to set you a problem, ask…
Make the point and be precise – what is it they can do –
believe me – most of the time, if they can, they will.
Every student has a team of people who want them to do as
well as they possibly can – parents are (to use an American metaphor) the line-backers
– they will literally run through walls if you point them in the right direction.
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