{"id":7921,"date":"2017-01-03t09:32:44","date_gmt":"2017-01-03t17:32:44","guid":{"rendered":"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/act\/?p=7921"},"modified":"2016-12-29t19:48:34","modified_gmt":"2016-12-30t03:48:34","slug":"parents-can-help-act-prep","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/act\/parents-can-help-act-prep\/","title":{"rendered":"how parents can help with act prep"},"content":{"rendered":"

do me a favor, magooshers. go get your folks. this article is for them.<\/p>\n

\u201cbut what should i do after that?\u201d<\/p>\n

get back to studying for the act, of course. or at least do some chores for your poor parents. this article is about how they can help you. you might want to get crackin\u2019 on returning the favor.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"how<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

okay, so now that it\u2019s just us adults, let\u2019s talk about how you can get your child motivated, psyched up, and just all-around prepared for the act!<\/p>\n

discover just how much you can \u2018help\u2019<\/h2>\n

it is common knowledge that every parent will tell their high school-aged child that \u201ci was great at insert name of academic subject here<\/u> <\/strong>in school. i can help you study!\u201d<\/p>\n

though not a parent myself, i applaud the enthusiasm of every parent who tries to help their child with homework or test prep. that being said, even if you made 30+ on the act, it\u2019s possible that that was 30+ years ago. see what i’m getting at here?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"how<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

here\u2019s what i recommend before<\/u> you start trying to work through problems with your child. by yourself, sit down with your child\u2019s study book and do some practice problems from all four parts of the act. not only will you gain a better appreciation of what test day will be like, you\u2019ll quickly discover how much you\u2019ve forgotten (and retained) since high school.<\/p>\n

even if you\u2019ve forgotten a lot, i\u2019m sure that you\u2019ll discover that you have a few academic strengths. only then go to your child with an offer of help. if you tell him or her that you took the time to try some of the problems, your child should be more willing to accept your help.<\/p>\n

time for a tutor?<\/h2>\n

okay, so you\u2019ve realized that you\u2019re not the right person to help your child with act prep. that\u2019s okay! even for parents who teach high school, getting their child ready for the act can seem like a sisyphean task.<\/p>\n

first of all, take a minute to read my article on choosing an act\/sat tutor.<\/a> in there is a lot of good advice that will help you and your child find the right person.<\/p>\n

one thing to remember is that no matter how good your child\u2019s tutor is, your child\u2019s success on the act ultimately boils down to his or her effort. tutors can only show their students the door to act success. the students have to decide to go through it.<\/p>\n

another thing to keep in mind is that once you\u2019ve vetted your tutor, it\u2019s time to let the tutor do his or her job. what do i mean? i\u2019m not accusing anyone of being a helicopter parent, but when the tutor is working with your child, leave them alone. it\u2019s okay to listen from the next room, but please refrain from interrupting. the tutor has a job to do. your child has a job to do. and you\u2026you probably have something you need to do, too.<\/p>\n

moral support<\/h2>\n

american teens are under more pressure today than at any point in our nation\u2019s history. competition to get into a good college is at a hunger games level of competition. you think i\u2019m joking. yet for many teens, getting into their first choice college can feel like a life or death struggle.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
\"how
of course, there is still plenty of stress after your child gets into his or her dream college.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

as you can imagine, this isn\u2019t the healthiest mindset for our young men and women to have. to reduce the chances of your teen having a mental meltdown, here a few things you can do to help your child reduce his or her stress level.<\/p>\n

    \n
  • let them vent to you. in some situations, there is no better solution for temporary relief than venting. it doesn\u2019t solve the underlying problems, but will help your child find a better state of mind. then you two can talk about the particular problem and the best way to solve it.<\/li>\n
  • after the test is over, treat your child to his or her favorite meal that afternoon or evening. make sure to tell them before they take the act. knowing that they will soon be chowing down on their favorite food will put them in a more positive frame of mind.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    promote your child\u2019s health<\/h2>\n

    as i\u2019ve discussed in other articles, getting ready for the act is just as much preparing one\u2019s body as preparing one\u2019s mind. nutritious food, sufficient sleep, and just all around staying healthy are three pillars of act test day success.<\/p>\n

    as far as food goes, the best thing you can do is provide a family dinner each night in the week leading up to test day. you don\u2019t have to spend hours slaving over a hot stove, but the less processed, the better. also, some family time at the dinner table should act as a release valve for your child\u2019s academic stress. if family dinners aren\u2019t possible, make sure that there are plenty of healthy snacks in the house when your child studies.<\/p>\n

    even though your child is a teenager, a sleep schedule is still an important part of act success. i\u2019d recommend promoting an early bedtime for the week leading up to the act. that way your child will be at his or her most energetic while taking the test.<\/p>\n

    finally, it\u2019s never a good idea to be sick on act day. as you know, high schools are germ factories. i know from my teaching days. every year some sneezing student would give me a whopper of a cold. to keep your family healthy during this important time, i\u2019d recommend giving your child a little bottle of hand sanitizer to use at school. you\u2019d be surprised how few high school students actually wash their hands (ewwwwww). around your home, use disinfecting wipes on doorknobs and other regularly touched surfaces to kill germs.<\/p>\n

    bribing helps<\/h2>\n

    now before you go saying that bribing is counterproductive (it can be if you overuse it), let me tell you a story. in my teaching career i taught at a public high school in tennessee. tennessee has the hope scholarship, which awards students $24,000 over four years of college if they make above a 21 on the act. yeah, the money goes towards college tuition, but it\u2019s still a bribe. another thing that happened was that my school district gave seniors free chromebooks if they could raise their act score by three points.<\/p>\n

    and you know what? it worked. act scores went up!<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    \"how<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    you probably can\u2019t afford to give your child thousands of dollars or a laptop if he or she does well on the act (if you can, more power to you). but there are many other, smaller incentives that can have a similar positive impact. here are some ideas:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • is your child responsible for mowing the lawn (or doings some other boring\/tedious chore) on the weekends? if so, taking on your child\u2019s chores is one way to get your child motivated to study. yes, he or she will have to stay inside hitting the books, but it will be you mowing the grass under that hot sun. you can wave to each other. \ud83d\ude42<\/li>\n
    • if your child is struggling to improve his or her score, reward small successes. even one point\u2019s improvement on a practice test is a victory. reward it. how you do that i\u2019ll leave up to you.\n
        \n
      • even if your child’s act score leaves something to be desired, be sure to reward the hard work they put into preparing.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
      • if your child is shooting for the moon, also known as attempting a perfect 36 on the act, it might be time to bring out the big guns. it all boils down to your family\u2019s budget, of course, but here\u2019s something to remember. if you promise your child a car\/vacation\/pony\/whatever for earning a 36, you better deliver if he or she makes a perfect score. even if you have to shell out big bucks, don\u2019t forget what you gain from this scenario: bragging rights<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
      • i\u2019d stay away from giving your child cash as an incentive to do well on the act. it\u2019s not that giving cash is a \u2018lazy\u2019 idea, but it closes the door to a very important conversation you can have with your child. by asking your child what thing or experience he or she would like as a reward, you can discuss expectations, and more importantly, the concerns he or she has going into the act.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        final thoughts<\/h2>\n

        as we\u2019ve seen, there are plenty of ways that you can help your child with act prep. from teaching academic concepts to cooking delicious (and nutritious) meals, every parent in america can play a positive role. are there other ideas out there? of course! i challenge you to continue searching for the best ways to support your child academically, mentally, and physically as they climb the mountain known as the act.<\/p>\n

        till next time, parents.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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