The seventh chapter taken from the Academic Success Formula is written by Jon-Anthony Lui, who found his niche and passion when he joined the Tutor Doctor team. His vision is to help students, families, tutors, team members and fellow franchisees achieve their goals and see all the positive possibilities in life. Throughout the chapter, Jon-Anthony explores ways parents can help their children become exceptional students, standing out for all the right reasons.
Confidence is Key
Being a student that stands out for all the right reasons doesn’t necessarily mean they have to be the smartest or most athletic. In fact, outstanding students receive more positive reinforcement and a better academic experience in general, which not only gives them a healthy attitude towards learning, but provides other benefits too. Often students gravitate towards them, teachers want to invest more of their time in them, resulting in more opportunities than the rest of their classmates. All of these factors also help improve a student’s confidence, and when it comes to academic success, confidence is key.
Showing Appreciation for Learning
Teaching children to always think of others first, showing consideration towards classmates and expressing appreciation for their teachers is a fantastic way for them become exceptional. An easy way to instil this wonderful trait is to encourage your kids to do one kind thing each day. This can be as easy as saying thank you to a teacher or helping out a classmate with a task. Showing gratitude and appreciation is certainly something students will be remembered for!
Set Goals and Make them Known
When your child has goals, they have a clear direction and know where they’re heading, which sets them in a much more positive light in comparison to many other students. It’s also much easier for them academically as they know how much work they have to put in if they want to achieve success. Start by speaking with your child’s teachers and tutors so you can determine their strengths and weaknesses, then set a few realistic short and long-term goals. Including your child is crucial, as they will respond better and be more willing to put the work in than if they’re told what to do! Once goals are set, get your child to write them down in a prominent place – this can include posters for their rooms or a cover for their homework book. It’s a great idea for kids to share their goals with teachers and ask for help in achieving them. This shows they’re engaged, that they care, and their teacher is far more likely to give them the attention they need to reach success.
Using the Summer to Get Ahead
Research shows that kids lose about 30 percent of the reading and math gains they made in the previous year during the long summer break. Just a few hours a week of tutoring throughout the holidays can mean your child maintains the academic progress they made across the last school year and move ahead of the class. This additional summer learning can also help your child acquire the executive skills they need to be a successful, independent learner for life. With the ability to be orgainised, have better focus and excellent time management skills, their next academic year could help them gain the confidence they need to stand out from their peers.
Creating a Personal Brand
Standing out from the crowd can mean working hard on the way others perceive you. In today’s tech-centered world, public perceptions are often created by our social media posts. It’s imperative that students learn to develop their own ‘personal brand.’ This means they must always be working on being the best version of themselves and portraying that to the outside world. As children aren’t always the most forward-thinking, sometimes it’s easy to post things online that are meant for friends but can be considered inappropriate. It’s crucial for parents to manage their kids social media accounts to make sure they’re not posting things that may negatively affect their future or make them stand out from the crowd for the wrong reasons. One of the best ways to ensure your child portrays themselves appropriately on social media is to get them to ask themselves these 4 questions before they post anything:
- Is it kind?
- Is it respectful?
- Is it positive?
- Does it reflect who I am and what I want to be?
These questions not only help children regulate their own behaviour but also encourage them to think about who and what they want to be. Once they start to understand this, they can start to be more confident within themselves, which is a sure way for them to stand out.
Focus on Communication
Having good communication skills is pivotal in learning and in life. If your child is able to communicate their ideas effectively, they will definitely be a student that stands out. Encouraging reading at every age is an easy way to help your child be an effective communicator. Reading not only helps expand minds and vocabularies but helps build better sentence structure.
Enabling your child to become an outstanding student means always being proactive about his or her future. Setting goals, working on their confidence and encouraging traits such as kindness and consideration for others will mean your child is on the right path to being a wonderful addition to any class.
