When Your Teen Gives Up on Learning

Causes

Many teenagers today have not learned how to set and accomplish goals. This is a crucial part of learning. Often teenagers complain that school has become boring to them. They feel as if they are not learning anything of importance and therefore “tune-out” from the information that could benefit them. If this is the case with your teenager, consider the following suggestions.

Don’t

• Don’t keep yourself from getting involved in your teen’s education: Teenagers might act as if they do not want you to be involved with their schooling, but when you do show a sincere interest, they become aware of its importance to you. It might not be appropriate to volunteer for every school event, but participating in things like parent-teacher conferences should be automatic for you. 
  
  
• Don’t take grades as a literal indicator of your child’s success: Grades reflect only an aspect of a student’s intellectual development, and an even smaller portion of his development as a person. Kids should be in school for the sake of learning—not simply for getting grades.
  
  
• Don’t nag teenagers to learn something that does not interest them at the time: Make learning exciting and fun, but do not force subjects upon your children. If learning is important to you, it will more than likely become important to your teenagers, unless they are forced into a style of learning that is not their own.

Do 

• Teach your teenager the value of being a well-rounded person: Encourage your teens to not only do well in their academic work but also to be involved in extracurricular activities.
  
  
• Have meaningful conversations with your teenager: There is a lot more to inquiring about your child’s education than just simply asking, “How was your day?” Ask her what she was required to do, what happened during lunch, or maybe even what questions she asked the teacher. Allow her to express her feelings freely, and wait until she is completely finished before you speak.
  
  
• Help your teenager learn how to solve problems: Avoid answering your teenager’s questions until he has fully thought over all of the solutions possible. You will quickly find that teenagers will begin to answer their own questions, and they will also begin to have more confidence in their ability to succeed.
  
  
• Provide your teenager with enjoyable reading material: In order to establish in your teenager an excitement for reading, she must first have the opportunity to read about something that truly interests her. Take her to a book store and allow her to pick out several books that look appealing to her. Getting teens excited to learn about themselves and their interests will eventually help them develop a love for learning.