Parenting Teens who are Failing in School

Do you have a teen who is failing in school? In many cases teens with develope poor grades as a result of something else heppening in their lives. Drug Abuse, a poor peer group, depression, low self-esteem, ADD/ADHD are just a few of the things that can lead to slipping grades.

Take Lisa for example. In elementary and junior high school, Lisa was quiet and cooperative but often seemed to be daydreaming. She was smart, yet couldn't improve her grades no matter how hard she tried. Several times, she failed exams. Even though she knew most of the answers, she couldn't keep her mind on the test. Her parents responded to her low grades by taking away privileges and scolding, "You're just lazy. You could get better grades if you only tried." One day, after Lisa had failed yet another exam, the teacher found her sobbing, "What's wrong with me?" Lisa has ADHD and has spent her life being compared to others that seemed to be able to handle school easily.

If your teen is failing in school, remember to be patient and loving. Try to look beyond the grades themselves and see what is causing the problem. Is your teen depressed? Does he/she have ADHD? Have you been through a divorce? Or is there a chance that several different things are affecting your teen at once. Try talking openly and honestly to your teen, perhaps they may be able to clue you in on different things affecting their life at the moment. Once you've identified the real problem, if appropriate your teen may be able to help come up with suggestions to solve the problem.

If the problem is severe enough that you cannot reach a solution. Seek professional assistance through a guidance counselor, a therapist, or from counselors at an alternative school, or a school for troubled teens.

Programs that Can Help Teens who are Failing in School

Programs that help treat teens who are failing in school include boarding schools, residential treatment centers, wilderness programs, and boot camps. Among the different options that can help teens failing in school, the most successful will be residential treatment centers or therapeutic boarding schools that have a staff which is very familiar with educating teens in a similar predicament as yours. Most of these programs will have an accredited school available and can assist your teen in catching up and getting ready to graduate from high school. Therapy combined with the experience of these educators offers benefits that are hard to find anywhere else.