Beginning the Transition to High School

With the academic year now over half over, many parents of eighth graders are beginning to think about their teen’s transition to high school, if they haven’t already begun to do so.

These are a few changes that typically occur in the transition from middle school to high school:

-        Friendships start to stabilize a bit more with existing friends and teens continue to make new friends as well

-        Bullying tends to decrease

-        Workload increases

-        Need good time management skills to be successful

-        Increased pressure to succeed academically

-        More autonomy (i.e., may have off campus lunch, can take public transit to and/or from school, have older friends who have a driver’s license)

-        Higher rates of alcohol and drug abuse

Since there is enough information about each of these changes to devote an entire blog post to, I am going to provide a few general suggestions now in helping your teen to begin to prepare for high school. As the start of the next academic year nears, I will provide additional blog posts that focus in more depth on some of these items.

1)     Make sure your teen has good time management/organization skills. If they don’t have them now, chances are they won’t suddenly develop them when they start high school. By the beginning of high school, teens ideally should be able to complete their homework nightly without parents having to monitor them to make sure it is getting done. Therefore, if you find that your teen routinely struggles to complete homework independently, offer them some basic strategies and work collaboratively to develop a homework completion system that works for them. Using apps to record homework assignments (and checking them off when complete), making a list of assignments and ranking the order in which they will be completed each night, and other similar basic strategies can work very well for teens that just need a bit of extra assistance to fine tune time management skills. If working with your teen yourself is not feasible or is not working, consider seeking professional assistance to help them. If overall time management/organization is an issue, therapists that specialize in ADHD/executive functioning deficits, ADHD coaches, or tutors may be very useful to seek out now to help your teen learn better time management/organizational skills.

2)     Make sure your teen is happy socially. If they are experiencing significant issues with friends/peers or bullying, consider having them see a therapist to gain assistance and emotional support in handling such issues. In addition, if school is not serving as a good environment for them to make and sustain friends, help your teen to get involved with activities outside of school that are fulfilling for them and involve interactions with other teens. Such activities may include: recreational sports team, karate, acting class, dance class, and other similar activities.

The transition to high school can be an exciting one for many teens, but also quite scary for teens and parents alike. Use your teen’s eighth grade year to help them prepare for the academic and social challenges that high school may bring. If they need assistance in specific areas, assist them and obtain professional assistance as needed to help ensure a smooth transition into high school.

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Dr. Carey Heller is a licensed psychologist with The Heller Psychology Group LLC in Bethesda, Maryland. He specializes in work with children, adolescents, and families, and is happy to answer questions and provide consultations for individuals who are considering pursuing treatment, an evaluation, or other services for their child, adolescent, or themselves. Dr. Heller can be reached at (301)-385-2610 or careyheller@thehellerpsychologygroup.com.

*Disclaimer: The previous information is intended as general guidance based on my professional opinion, does not constitute an established professional relationship,  and should not replace the recommendations of a psychologist or other licensed professional with whom you initiate or maintain a professional relationship*