Helping Marginal Teens and Families

What can Help?

• Full year schooling with a few week breaks
• Daily required gym period
• Music: required learning to play instrument or singing in chorus beginning in elementary school
• Family dinner - parents pledging to the school that the family will eat together x number of days per week
• Homework adult involvement - another parental pledge
• Programs for parents at the schools
• Consistency of parental rewards - expectations, consequences and helping parents understand this need. For example, when one hour of homework is done, then one hour to go out.
• No use or limited use of cell phones. (This was HER idea.)
• Ethics – having the kids think about, talk about, and write about their own personal values and their family values (could be part of school program to delve into this subject and discuss). (This was her idea, too.)
• Limited TV, including parents' watching of TV
• Curfew time every day the same time
• Expection to go to sleep no later than a specied time regardless of age (keeping a routine)
• Community afterschool programs
• Chores at home (at least one expectation)
• In school, shift away from grading to see how much was not learned and moving towards model in which each student learns until mastery of the subject, and then moves on.
• Regardless of level of anger, parents should never threaten to kick kids out of house which is particularly destructive
• Afterschool programs which are attractive and could provide school help
• Afterschool work opportunities (school listing of afterschool jobs)
• Drama program - could be student led
• Community service projects as part of required curriculum