Let Your High Schooler Shine
Older kids can make their own meals, can be left at home without an adult, and can even drive themselves to the store if they really need something. However, in some ways high school students are the most challenging of the bunch during this whole school-at-home situation. In other ways, they can be the easiest. Before the quarantine, I spent three days with a class of high school seniors and I found them respectful, thoughtful, kind, interesting, and fun. But I also have lived with homeschool teenagers and I realize there are challenges in getting them to get out of bed in the morning, stay focused on their work, stay off of the group chats and social media, and get the volume of work they’re assigned done and turned in without parental oversight. Herein lies the challenge.
Despite how your gut may tell you otherwise, this is a chance to let them shine. Tell them up front what your parameters are and what the consequences will be if they don’t meet them. Just like the younger kids, don’t expect that they will necessarily spend 7 hours a day working on homework. They may. But they also may get it done in less time. Ask them how you can be helpful. Do they want help making a calendar or to-do list? Can you make sure there are easy lunch options available for them to grab on a quick break? They probably will not ask you to nag them about getting their work done, although this may feel imperative to you.
Hopefully they know how to use their school’s online portal. If they don’t, that is lesson number one. Make sure they have time to access the internet and a printer so they can capture all their assignments. They will need time each morning to connect with teachers and/or classmates to ask questions and get help on their assignments. I know it is tempting to have your teenager babysit younger siblings (trust me, I really do know because I have five children and the three oldest are girls), but they really need some time by themselves to focus and work on these assignments, especially if their teachers are available during specific times.