COUNSELOR’S CORNER
By: Ms Sherlynn Perrow, RMS Counselor
“To succeed, we must first believe that we can.”
Michael Korda
The Texas Education
Code describes the primary responsibility of a school counselor is to
counsel students to fully develop each student’s academic, career,
personal and social abilities. I have an open door policy and I
welcome not only students, but their parents and all faculty and staff.
I offer you the
following resources and contact information:
United Way Service
Center – 281-822-4200 or 1-800-366-3025
American Red Cross –
281-822-4220 or 1-800-326-7602
Career & Recovery
Resources – 281-822-4210 or 1-800-326-7601
Family Services of
Greater Houston – 281-822-4219
Fort Bend Regional
Council on Substance Abuse – 281-207-2432
DelPelchin –
281-261-1341
Christ Clinic (charity
clinic for those who don’t have medical insurance – 281-391-0190
STAR Service to At Risk
– 1-800-256-7321
TIPS FOR PARENTS
Your children
need you to be interested and involved in their academic progress. Your
children must, however, be responsible for their own grades, attendance
and behavior.
Be Interested. Make
sure that your child knows that his/her academic progress is important
to you. Attend all open houses and parent conferences. Know when each
grading period ends, and make sure that you see all progress reports and
report cards as soon as they come out. If you do not see a progress
report or report card, immediately call the school and request a copy.
Do not just assume that someone will call you if there’s a problem.
Discuss Classes and Set
Goals. Sit down with your son or daughter at the beginning of each
grading period and help him/her set realistic academic goals for the
term. Your child will better understand what your expectations are, and
having goals will give your child something to work towards. For
example, at the beginning of the grading period, Katy and her parents
decided that she should be able to earn A’s in math, social studies,
English, PE, and art. Since Kathy finds Spanish and biology more
difficult, they decided that they’d be happy with B’s in these two
subjects.
Throughout
the term, recognize effort and improvement. Acknowledge each academic
success, even if it’s only a good grade on a quiz or homework
assignment. At the end of a term, you can officer “rewards” if goals
are met and/or “consequences” if they’re not.
Rewards are
particularly good when you want to encourage a change in attendance,
effort, or behavior. Eventually, doing well will be its own reward.
Consequences should be logical whenever possible. For example, a
logical consequence for routinely being late to school is an earlier
bedtime. Never take away a positive activity (sports, school plays,
music lessons, scouting, etc) as a consequence.
Be Available to Help.
Be available to help with homework, but don’t give more help than is
wanted. Your son or daughter may not ask again. Keep in mind that it
is your child’s responsibility to be organized, to get homework done,
and to prepare for tests.
Listen. Talk to your
child about what’s happening in school and be a good listener.
Encourage School
Involvement. Students who are involved in school-related activities
enjoy school more and they have greater academic success. Encourage
your child to be involved in one or more activities at school.
Monitor Activities and
Jobs. Make sure that your child is not spending too much time watching
TV, playing computer games, or talking on the phone. Also, make sure
that your child is not working too many hours or working too late at a
job.
Work with Your School.
Know that teachers, counselors, and principals are there to help your
child get the best education possible. A health problem, death in the
family, or divorce can affect your child’s attitude and/or performance
in school. If such a circumstance should arise, contact the principal
or counselor and explain the situation.
If you have a
concern that relates to a specific teacher or class, call the teacher.
For other concerns, call your child’s counselor. Be sure to express any
concerns that you have in a constructive, respectful manner.
Taken from HOW TO GET
GOOD GRADES, By Linda O’Brien, Woodburn Press, 2nd Edition, 1999.
More to Come!
Thank you for reading
my Web Page, and please feel free to call me concerning
your child’s educational program at any time – 281-934-2241.
