Rhythm & Views

Malik Stevens

An outlook on young adult interests and concerns

By Malik Stevens

Family’s Role in Students’ Lives

Every year school becomes harder and harder for students as they move from one grade to the next. Students have to deal with peer pressure, puberty, growth spurts, significant others, teachers, school work, life at home, and the rest. Sometimes this can become extremely challenging and students might need a bit of support and guidance. What better place to look for this support and guidance than home?

Families play a major role in a student’s life. There are a number of things that parents can do to make school easier for kids. Siblings can make it easier for each other as well.

This is important for all parents to know because they play the biggest roles of all. When parents lack interest in their child’s life, their child will lack interest in their own life. Show kids that they are cared about. Ask about their day at school, talk with them, keep up to date with what is going on in the child’s school, join a P.T.A. Do something. Make school as easy as possible for kids, supplying them with all their necessities: computer, internet, printer, good working area for homework and studying, and the list goes on.  

It is never too late for parents to take initiative in their child’s life, but it is best to do this from young. Teach kids about life, the pros and cons, what they need to know and do, and how they can deal with school, especially high school. A good way to do this is for parents to tell their own stories about life and school — what they enjoyed, what they would do over, what to take advantage of, and certain things and people to stay away from. All these things make dealing with school much easier.

Parents should constantly check in with their child’s teachers. The worst thing to do is to wait until the end of the school year. That is just as bad as not checking in at all.

Last, but not least, reward kids when they do well and reprimand kids when they do not do well. When they do well, congratulate them, hug them, take them somewhere special, give them some money. Anything works. When they are not doing well, do not let them go out, or take away their phones. Do something that will make them realize what they are doing is not right. If parents do little things like these, kids become more driven; they become more aware of life situations, they know right from wrong, and overall it gets easier to deal with the punches life throws at them.

There are also a number of things siblings can do to make it easier for each other. The biggest thing they can is to talk with one another. Older siblings can help younger ones and vice versa. St. John is such a small place; more than likely the older sibling had to deal with the same problems or people that the younger one is probably having trouble with. The older sibling can educate the younger ones on how to deal with some teachers, assignments, and general issues pertaining to school. Younger siblings play major roles too. They can be there to listen; just doing this is a help. By taking some of these things into consideration, it will be a lot easier for kids to deal with school.