This blog post summarizes some great insights from “The Power of Standing Out” chapter in our Academic Success Formula book.
Students that stand out get more positive reinforcement and a better overall academic experience. It makes sense when you think about it – these students are more noticed, teachers spend more time with them, and they interact more with the class. Ultimately, this provides a healthier attitude towards learning. As we always say at Tutor Doctor, confidence is key! Here are five important factors to consider when helping your child to stand out.
1) Showing Appreciation for Learning.
Teaching children to think of others first enables them to stand out in a crowd. Showing appreciation for their teachers and classmates is a wonderful way to be exceptional. At the end of the day, these actions foster a invaluable personality trait – consideration. Ask them to do one kind thing each day. Showing gratitude and appreciation to their teachers will go a long way!
2) Set Goals and Make them Known
It’s important for your kids to have tangible academic goals for them to work towards. This doesn’t necessarily have to be something like “get straight A’s” (although that is an admirable goal)! It’s important to know your child’s strengths and weaknesses. We want to encourage them to set their own goals, both short-term and long-term – but these goals need to be realistic. Your child’s goals should compliment their strengths and interests! We also recommend students share these goals with their teachers and ask for help in achieving them.
3) Using the Summer to Get Ahead
Although it might not be the most popular option for July activities, we always recommend summer learning! Research shows that kids lose about 20-30% of the reading and math gains they made over the previous year during summer vacation. With just a couple of hours a week, a tutor can make sure that this knowledge is practiced and maintained. This will make sure they aren’t behind next year, and may even help them get ahead in class because the material is still fresh!
4) Creating a Personal Brand
In today’s world, our public personas are often created by our presence on social media. In a way, kids must learn to develop their own “personal brand.” This should not only be the best version of themselves, but also how they are portrayed to the outside world. The reason we mention this is because it has become increasingly common for students to post content on social media that later results in consequences. If your child posts something inappropriate, this might be seen by their teachers or the parents of other students, negatively affecting people’s perception of them. This goes for teens as well – irresponsible behavior on social media may end up hurting a college application or job interview. As parents, we have to manage the social media accounts of our children to ensure that they aren’t posting anything that might negatively affect their future. For more info, see our blog post on this topic: How to Protect Your Child on Social Media
5) Focus on Communication
Good communication skills are essential for learning – and for life. If your child is able to communicate their ideas effectively, they will definitely stand out from the crowd. We always encourage reading to help with communication skills. Reading helps expand minds and vocabularies and helps build sentence structures. More importantly, encouraging your kids to express their ideas instills self-confidence. You want your child to be proactive in expressing themselves! As we always say at Tutor Doctor, make sure to reward large leaps of confidence and effort with positive praise and encouragement.
