by Bernadette Jasmin

Created on: August 28, 2009

High school is a world in itself. Educators are faced with the many tasks that come up throughout the four years of high school. From grade 9-12 students main focus are on making sure that they meet all the requirements that will make them a good candidate for graduation or college hereafter. Teachers try to prepare students to qualify, but very often the focal point is not to function in that future setting.

Well what would a high school student need to do to prepare for college? For one it is important that high school students be independent thinkers. Educators need to make sure that they give their students many opportunities to express their views and develop their thinking skills.

As an educator I have found that many students in high school expect to be spoon fed. They find it very difficult to think through and form opinions that are valid on complex issues. Their main concerns seem to be focused on their intimate lives and issues.

Attending college is a very different story from high school. There are many professors and educators in the college setting who do not care if a student gets a proper education. Some are there for research or to push their own agendas. While all educator are not there for nefarious reasons there are quite a few who catch new students off guard.

Many students find college difficult because they do not have study skills. They are often taken by surprise by the amount of reading and studying that is required to function in the college world. I have found that the students that are more successful in college are those who were use to a heavy course load in high school. They knew how to cope with the stresses and strains of college. It was not new to them.

Students are not exposed enough to literature or analysis of literature so therefore they find it difficult to comprehend or interpret books and works set before them. Grammar has also taken a back seat in high school all together, so teachers in college find it difficult to teach skills that should have been learned already.

Okay! So what is the parent's role in this? Well it is important to help your child be as well rounded as possible, but at the most they need help to be exposed to reading and writing for many years before coming to college.

So college is not just class work it is an overall experience in all areas of life. Social skills are very important to help students interact with others that they will be in close proximity with. So a good part of the preparation for college is learning to talk and interact with others which many high school students are reluctant to do.

Lastly, college is writing, writing, and more writing. For the most part every course that a student will take whether writing intensive or not will require a lot of writing. So it would be well for students to do as much writing as possible in high school and do it well.

It is possible to teach high school student thinking and writing skill before coming to college. It might be more of a burden on high school teachers to improve their students preparation skills, but it will beneficial to the students throughout their lives.

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