Do you have a child who is about to join high school? Alternatively, are you a child who is on the verge of joining high school? Whatever the case, the transition to high school represents one of the most exciting moments in the life of any student or parent. In some ways, it is a bit of an achievement. Additionally, it is also a sort of the midway point between childhood and young adulthood. Nevertheless, it also comes with plenty of challenges, as you will see below.
Adjusting to a Fresh Learning Surrounding
For the most part, the student who has just joined high school will have to contend with the adjustments that come with joining a large institution of learning. In middle school, the students are not as many as what you see in high school. Other than that, the school is also much bigger. As if that’s not enough, the age group is also quite diverse. In middle school, students tend to be with agemates, which is definitely not the case in high school.
More Homework
You cannot join high school while expecting to continue with the same workload to what you had in middle school. A huge difference in this regard exists between the two levels of education. Consequently, students have to tune their minds to adjust to what is ahead. Otherwise, years of disinterest, frustration, disappointment, and non-stop complaints will follow the more students realize they can’t just keep up with the work.
Time Management
In many ways, high school is akin to college in that you’re expected to manage your time well. You are no longer a small child who needs reminding all the time on what to do at any given moment. Therefore, start training yourself today. Learn how to manage your time more effectively so that you are always in the right class at the right time. Apart from this, many high school students struggle developing the best study skills, which is essential for success.
An effective way of managing your schedule involves:
- Breaking down the assignments into smaller pieces that you can manage easily
- Learning to use day planners
- Downloading and using apps that keep you well organized and on top of your hours daily
Lack of Proper School-Life Balance
As the workload increases, high school students eventually start struggling with school-life balance. Sadly, many of them end up choosing other aspects of life while neglecting their studies completely. When this happens, the affected students then decide that school is not for them. For this reason, it is essential for all stakeholders to help high school learners to structure their lives properly to create a perfect school-life balance.
Finding the Motivation Needed for Studies
As most high school students have discovered, life comes at you fast! New friends suddenly surround you all fighting to introduce you to new, interesting stuff. There is always a party, event, or get-together to go to throughout the week. Without the right motivation, you would struggle convincing yourself to say “No” to all the demands and set aside time for studies. All the same, that is what you have to do if you expect to graduate from high school.
Unresolved Relationship Issues
In early childhood, kids get angry with their friends and make up with them easily without much prompting. However, this changes the older the children get. In high school, you will disagree with some of your friends. Therefore, be ready to resolve whatever issues you may have with them. Failure to do that could take you down the path of anger, resentment, and bitterness, which could then make high school appear unwelcoming and overly harsh to you.
As shown here, high school students face a multitude of challenges. Without a strong support network, especially from loved ones and close friends, the students could find high school an unforgiving place. That would be bad, as it could lead to dropouts. Consequently, it is critical for all stakeholders to appreciate the challenges students in high school go through. This way, everybody is then able to offer the much-needed encouragement that keeps students in school.