by Rae Bryant

Created on: April 16, 2008

Helping your child maneuver from middle school to high school is very simple in theory. In practice, it requires consistency, restraint, and patience. Let's break this transition into three manageable parts of the greater whole.

SET REASONABLE AND CONSTRUCTIVE EXPECTATIONS
During middle school, you must have developed some idea of your child's strengths and needs, habits and routines. Take a closer look at these areas along with your child prior to beginning high school.

1. Subject Areas: Let your child voice his or her best, most interesting, and most hated areas. Make sure to listen.

2. Study Habits: At what time of the day does your child study best? Remember to encourage your child to keep an organizer/planner. Try to set up good habits early on, like packing up the school bag before bed-less chance of forgetting homework, etc.

3. Activities: Social and extra-curricular activities are just as important to overall development as academics. Do you want a brilliant shut in? Athletics and academics go hand in hand, good for the body and mind, and healthy friendships are necessary for self-esteem. Help your child plan social and activity concerns into the academic schedule. By including them as an important aspect of your child's development, you show your child that you respect his or her friends and social needs.

PREPARE YOUR CHILD TO COPE WITH SUCCESS AND FAILURE
Current policies, both educationally and parentally, focus on success and reward. Yes, success is a great encouragement to development. Keep in mind, though, that failures, big and small, are most often the path to success.

Children often grow more quickly in response to their mistakes than they do to their successes, but if mom and/or dad are not willing to let them make mistakes, children will not have the opportunity for learning from them or for learning how to cope with them. Discuss these three considerations with your child before high school.

1. Realistic goals: Think more year-end then the "I want to be an astronaut" kind. Shorter goals can be most helpful for a soon to be high school freshman. Keep the college plans and majors open until your child voices specific ideas on the subject. Instead, help your child see the skills and abilities apparent in their performance (i.e. instead of focusing on scientist or lawyer, discuss your child's specific strengths in math or writing. Let your child explore different paths for job application later in their high school career).

2. Coping mechanisms for failure:

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