Nine habits of good students
from Ft Worth Star-Telegram
February 09, 2009
... pay attention in
class.
... make an effort to know the teacher.
... get enough sleep.
... eat breakfast every day.
... have good nutrition habits all day.
... have an organization system that
works.
... have a regular time and place for
homework.
... are accountable to someone at home.
... set goals for achievement.
What we know: Good students, the ones who do Get It Right, have
something in common. They do things that work, that help them stay
on top.
So what are these habits that successful students share? And how
can you help your child develop them this year?
We talked to some experts who know the whys and the hows of success
at school. What we learned: All those things you thought you
already knew, about eating a good breakfast and keeping track of
homework ... it’s really that simple. And anyone can do it.
Our experts gave us tips for getting started this year, adopting
new routines and learning how to navigate successfully through a
school year full of early morning rehearsals, sleepy afternoon
science labs and quizzes on quadratic equations. If you want to Get
It Right this year, here’s how you and your child can get started
on the right foot. If you want the year to be successful, do what
successful students do.
Successful students ...
... pay attention in
class.
Being in class and learning something. That’s the purpose of
school, and that’s where successful students shine. Holly Martin,
center director at Sylvan Learning Center in Denton, offers tips
for making class time worthwhile.
Be interested. Talk to your child about what she’s learning in
class. If she has to explain a concept to you or think through the
lecture points again, it’ll help her remember and understand. And
you’ll learn something, too.
Does it matter if your child sits on the front row? Not
necessarily. If you’re a visual learner, then it’s "extremely
important," Martin says. That way you can see what’s happening
without distractions. But if you’re an auditory learner? The front
row isn’t crucial; sit where you feel comfortable. Hiding from the
teacher isn’t smart, but the front row isn’t the only effective
place to be.
Class participation has long been held up as the gold standard for
good students: If you’re successful, you’ll speak up in class and
engage with the teacher and your classmates. That’s not necessarily
so, Martin says. Class participation is based on personality. Some
students learn better by talking out the answer with the class.
Others learn better just by thinking and following along. Just
because they’re not raising their hands, it doesn’t mean they’re
not engaged.
... make an effort to
know the teacher.
Successful students tend not to be the anonymous ones who leave
class as soon as the bell rings, never saying a word to the
teacher.
Urge your child to get to know his teachers — and to let his
teachers get to know him. This is not a matter of kissing up. This
is a matter of understanding each other.
You’ll learn more and be happier in class if you and the teacher
know each other, Martin says. Anonymity takes away from your
investment in the class, and it takes away from the teacher’s
investment in you.
It takes courage to talk to a teacher, especially if you don’t
think you like her. Do it anyway. It’s a good way to overcome
shyness around adults. You may discover you like her more than you
thought you did. And working up the courage to do it is good
preparation for college, Martin says, when those teacher-student
relationships will be even more important — and even more difficult
to develop.
If you’re struggling in class, by all means, talk to the teacher,
Martin says. Ask for help. The teacher may offer tips, advice,
extra help or even extra credit. And don’t wait until report cards
go out. As soon as you start to struggle, find out what your
options are. If there are tutoring sessions, go to them. If there
are extra assignments, do them. This will help you learn the
material. But it also earns you the benefit of the doubt, Martin
says. And the benefit of the doubt is what might bump a 79.4 up to
an 80 at the end of the year.
"Plus, it shows that the student is really trying," Martin says.
"And that’s all teachers really ever want."
Successful students ...
... get enough
sleep.
You know that a regular bedtime is important.
If you don’t get enough sleep, it affects your mood, your
alertness, your creativity, your critical thinking, your athletic
skills, your reaction time, your ability to remember and process
information — just about every skill you need as a student.
So how much is enough? School-age kids often need 10 or 11 hours of
sleep each night — and that means setting a bedtime that may not be
popular.
Sleep deprivation is especially a problem for teenagers, says Dr.
James Maas, a Cornell University professor of psychology who has
devoted his career to the study of sleep.
The growth hormone secreted in the teenage brain delays the
secretion of melatonin at night, Maas says — and it’s melatonin
that puts you to sleep.
"They’re exhausted, but if you tell your teenager to go up and get
in bed at 9 or 10 at night," he says, "they can’t fall asleep. It’s
not their fault."
The teenage brain, he says, is set to go to sleep at 3 in the
morning and wake up at 11.
"These kids that are in the classroom at 7:30 — their bodies are in
the classroom, but their brains are back on their pillows."
So. What to do? Do the best you can, Maas says.
Make it clear that sleep is important. In your own behavior,
demonstrate that it’s a necessity, not a luxury.
Set a regular bedtime, and try not to vary it by more than an hour
on the weekends. It might not be as early as you’d like, but a
scheduled bedtime will help the body prepare for sleep.
Make the house a relaxing place to be when it’s close to bedtime.
Quiet, calm time is a good way to get kids moving toward sleep.
If your child is sleep-deprived, power naps might be the answer. Is
there a way he can curl up for a few minutes after school, before
football practice or work? "Napping on a regular basis can be very
helpful," Maas says.
... eat breakfast every
day.
Is breakfast really all that important?
Absolutely, says Marilyn Swanson. She’s a registered dietitian for
the USDA/ARS Children’s Nutrition Research Center at Baylor College
of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston.
Since the 1960s, Swanson says, studies have shown consistently that
breakfast makes a big difference — it improves classroom
performance, reduces hyperactivity and makes way for creative
thinking.
Kids who go to school hungry don’t do as well on classwork; they
don’t perform as well in PE or athletics; they aren’t able to focus
as well on the business of learning. And if they’re hungry enough
and have some spare change, they may end up buying junk food from
the vending machine by midmorning.
So. Breakfast is good. The problem: People aren’t eating it.
"In today’s society, breakfast is just a really easy meal to skip,"
Swanson says. In the International Food Information Council’s 2008
Food and Health survey, 92 percent of people said that breakfast is
the most important meal — but only 46 percent reported that they
eat it every day.
Here’s how to get your family in the breakfast habit this year:
Model good breakfast behavior for your kids. If you don’t value
breakfast, neither will they. "Black coffee and a doughnut is not a
good model," Swanson says. Instead, go for high-nutrient foods like
whole-wheat cereal, milk, eggs, orange juice or fruit. If your kids
see that you think it’s important, they will think it’s important,
too.
Don’t have time for breakfast? Try to get up a few minutes earlier
to make time; you’ll feel better in the long run, Swanson says.
A sit-down breakfast with the whole family is ideal. But if you
just can’t make that happen, a breakfast on the go is better than
no breakfast. Look for fruits, juices and portable foods that are
high in nutrients and low in sugar.
Your child hates breakfast foods. Not a problem. Breakfast doesn’t
have to be all about cereal and eggs, Swanson says, as long as you
try to focus on wholesome foods that’ll supply protein and give
energy. In fact, leftover pizza is better than nothing, if that’s
what your child will eat.
Your daughter insists that she simply cannot eat in the morning,
she isn’t hungry, and she doesn’t want to sit down for breakfast.
This, too, can be changed, Swanson says. It’s a matter of forming a
habit, because often our hunger is a response to a certain
stimulus. We get home in the evening and our bodies know it’s time
for dinner; we wake and our bodies expect breakfast. So try to help
your child develop this habit. If you offer breakfast anyway, with
the rest of the family sitting down to eat every morning, your
non-breakfast-eater might come around and give it a try. "It’s not
going to be easy," Swanson says — but keep working on it.
... have good
nutrition habits all day.
Once your kids leave for school, who knows what they eat? You can’t
control everything, but you can give them a fighting chance against
junk food and bad choices.
Vending machines at schools are getting healthier, Swanson says,
with more wholesome options available. Even so, there are plenty of
sugary ways to go wrong. Make sure your child has enough to eat
during the day so he isn’t tempted by the candy bars and soft
drinks in the band hall vending machine. Remember: Sometimes lunch
periods come at odd, inconvenient times. Especially if your child’s
lunch is at 10:30 in the morning, pack some smart snacks — fruit or
nuts, maybe — if they’re needed during the day.
Educate your child so she can make smart choices at the school
cafeteria. See if you can get a copy of the menu, then sit down
together and talk about the choices. Early on, teach your child
about balanced meals and nutritious foods.
Are you the one adding too much sugar to your child’s diet? Watch
out when you pack those portable lunch foods; they’re convenient
but they’re not always smart. And watch out for soft drinks, too,
when you pack your child’s lunch. "Please don’t send pop with your
kid to school," Swanson says. Instead, try water or a thermos of
juice.
... have an
organization system that works.
The first of the year is the perfect time to get organized. And —
no matter what your child claims — organization is crucial, says
Martin, of the Sylvan Learning Center in Denton.
Martin gives a lot of advice to students. And this is the basic
skill that often causes kids to struggle. As a parent, you can
help.
Make sure your child starts school with all the school supplies he
needs, Martin says. From Day One, he should have the materials he
needs to be able to work and participate in class.
You don’t necessarily want to leave your child to his own devices
when it comes to organization. He may not know what will help him
keep his English handouts separate from his math homework. So help
him figure out a system that works. Use separate notebooks for each
class, maybe, or a big binder with clear dividers. Label things.
Color code. Make sure there’s a logical place for homework and
class notes and other materials to go. If the system makes sense to
him, maybe he’ll use it. At least sometimes.
This one is most important of all: There must be a place to keep
track of assignments and activities. Maybe it’s a fancy planner;
maybe it’s just a plain spiral notebook. Whatever it is, your child
really needs a place to write things down. Choose something that
works for her, then help her get in the habit of using it. It’s the
best weapon against the coming barrage of deadlines and
assignments. And you’ll need one.
... have a
regular time and place for homework.
Routine is the key to success at school, Martin says. And that’s
what you need to tackle the piles of homework every night. Forming
good habits now will make homework easier for the rest of the
year.
Set up a regular schedule for starting homework after school. Can
your son have an hour after school to take it easy? Sure. But then
the homework starts, no excuses. Set that rule at the beginning of
the year and you won’t find yourself nagging every afternoon.
Designate a place for homework. It doesn’t matter where it is — a
fancy desk or the kitchen table — it just has to exist. And once
the location is established, stock it well: make sure it has
everything your child will need while she’s working: pencils,
calculator, dictionary, scissors, extra paper. Stopping to search
for a pencil sharpener can easily turn into a half-hour homework
derailment, so don’t let it happen.
Don’t let your child convince you she needs the TV on to work. TV
uses both the visual and auditory senses, distracting the brain in
two ways, Martin says. Not recommended.
Music, on the other hand, can really help some kids. "A lot of
students do need some type of background music for the brain to
turn on," Martin says. But maybe try some classical music instead
of whatever’s on the radio. If it’s something you can’t sing along
to, she says, the brain’s attention won’t be as divided.
... are accountable to
someone at home.
Routine is important to success at school. So is
accountability.
It’s important that kids have someone at home to check in with
every day. Someone who will ask to see their homework, will make
sure they’ve read and understood the assignment, will urge them to
start a project before the day it’s due.
So how do you play that role without going too far?
Set up a system that works for you and your child. Maybe you want
to look at her assignment list and help her figure out how to
tackle the work. Maybe she’ll do it on her own, as long as you’re
nearby to answer questions. Figure out what works and stick with
it, creating that healthy routine of work and accountability.
It’s good to be involved. But parents, how you approach homework
duty is going to set the tone.
"Be a homework manager," Martin says — not doing the work for your
child, but offering structure and tools and a little bit of help if
it’s needed. And only if it’s needed.
Don’t micromanage. Maybe your child is finding the value of X the
hard way. Or using the most inefficient method possible to outline
her history chapter. Your hands are itching to take the pencil away
and show her how to do it faster, better, easier, the way you
learned how to do it. Please don’t, Martin says. Let your child
figure it out on her own. Back off if no one asks for your
advice.
...set goals for
achievement.
No student is perfect. There’s always room for improvement. The
key, Martin says, is to set goals — and to do it in a positive
way.
This is something that parents and kids can do together.
Set a short time frame. Don’t set a lofty, indefinite goal like "I
will improve my grades." Instead, name a specific grade and turn it
into a six-week goal, with monitoring points along the way.
Parents can offer encouragement, Martin says. But try to help your
child by offering support or rewards for meeting goals, not
punishment and negativity for failure to meet them.
Remember that you may not see things the same way. "The kids have
expectations and the parents have expectations," Martin says. Maybe
you want to see an A in chemistry and your daughter wants to make
the starting team in volleyball. Those are different priorities.
Talk about it now, work out a plan, and then you’ll eliminate some
friction later on.
