High School Education Week Begins [Tips for Parents to Prepare Their Child for High School]

Through out the month of August we have gone through "What Parents should tell their child's teacher" and "What teachers should know if their student is a pediatric cancer patient". We have done so for Elementary School and Middle School.

We feel as though you can easily apply those posts to our high school edition as well. That is why today we are going to change it up a bit and just share a few ways that you, as parents, can prepare your child for a positive start to their high school journey, even with cancer!

This topic hits close to home for us at Teen with a Dream due to the fact that our founder, Spencer, was diagnosed only weeks before he was supposed to begin high school.

Tips to Prepare your child for high school....

1. Maintain a positive attitude towards your child. By showcasing a positive outlook will have residual impacts on your child. When they are able to see how positive you are about it, hopefully they will begin to get excited as well.
2. Make sure to make orientation events a priority. Much like the middle school transition, going to high school also means a change in location. Make sure that your child is extremely comfortable with the layout of their new surroundings.
3. Establish a plan for missed days. [You can read about this more in detail in our Middle School Edition]
4. Sign up for an extracurricular activity that is right for your child. This would be something that you will definitely want to consult with your child's doctor. Due to the physical demands of sports discuss with your child's school alternative options such as clubs or even modified options for sports. By joining in on extracurricular will create a sense of belonging for your child and make them feel more involved and comfortable. This is profoundly important for pediatric cancer patients due to the likely high number of absences they will experience. If your child cannot make a meeting, ask one of their fellow club members to video chat your child!
5. Communicate, communicate, communicate! By maintaining continuous conversations with your child will allow you the opportunity to spot if their is a problem.