During snack and lunch, many can be seen huddled together in small groups trying to seek the safety and security of their peers. Others appear to want to blend into the concrete and be invisible. And many do in fact lose their schedule of classes and are lost for hours trying to figure out how to get a new schedule and resume their new life in high school. It is a fact of life that most 9th graders have a very difficult time during the first ten weeks in high school. A students are shocked to find out that their ninth grader is failing one or more subjects at the end of the first quarter.
Parents become alarmed, upset, dismayed, and disturbed.
At times, parents needed more counseling that their children. Parents should keep faith that their children are smart, resilient, and will come to realize, some sooner than others, that success in school requires personal discipline, responsibility, good time management, serious study, home work, punctuality, and commitment to learning. And by the end of the first semester, most of them are back on track learning and succeeding. Parents can help their children adjust more quickly and with less pain by letting them know that you understand their concerns and are ready to listen and help them overcome their difficulties. Let them know that change requires time and patience.