Why does it suddenly seem stressful in your household?
Often parents notice changes but at are a loss to explain why their child:
- is getting stressed and overwhelmed;
- not achieving the grades they were before; or
- is having arguments with them about grades and homework.
Does this sound like your home? Well rather than it mean your child has developed any emotional, social or academic problems it could just be a particular stage they have reached in their academic lives. Often when expectations for students change and they are not prepared for these changes. The various stages where this can be common are:
- Transition from primary to secondary school – Years 6 to 7
- Moving from junior secondary school to middle secondary school – Years 8 & 9
- Starting senior school – Year 10 to 12
- Starting university.
Each of these stages, for a student in terms of what they are expected to know, do and produce at school, can be significantly different. Unfortunately not all students are given support in their learning & development of the additional skills and resources they need to move through these various stages. This can naturally lead to overwhelm, stress and frustration for everyone involved.
Transition from primary to secondary school sees students needing more organisation and time management skills as they often now need to move classes, have different subjects and teachers. As they move through the years at secondary school they also need to continue to develop these skills but also learn new skills they don’t have yet like study skills including note taking, how to revise and prepare for tests, SAC’s and exams. Whilst when it comes to University if students haven’t developed the necessary skills, strategies and formed the right habits at school then it can become even harder when they are pretty much left to themselves.
With any new skills required, some schools like some teachers, are better at teaching these than others. In my experience I often see that it is assumed students will learn these skills as they go through school rather than be specifically taught – whilst some will learn these naturally some just don’t. It can be stressful for students as they feel that what they are doing already should be enough but often it is not as new expectations and tasks continue to increase around them. Most students generally have the inherent desire to learn and succeed so it can be frustrating.
Students usually feel safe at home and therefore this is often where anxiety, stress and overwhelm appear. This is where academic coaching can benefit students by equipping them with the necessary skills and strategies they need to learn and use through the various stages of their academic lives. Sometimes it can be a small adjustment that is needed or a new strategy or approach to tackle a particular subject or a practical change to studying that can make a big difference for students. As parents it can be frustrating as you can sometimes know what our child needs however for teens it can be hard to hear good advice from parents.
For more information about how to equip your children with the skills they need both now and in the future please do get in touch to have a chat about the specific challenges you believe your child is facing.
