My guest today is Steve Beals, Principal of Alvirne High School in Hudson, NH. Steve is in his 24th year as a principal and 35th year in education. In this episode, we talk about how to help your teen navigate the waters of school and the importance of partnering with their principal.
Key Takeaways
- There are more challenges today for students than ever before. There’s no question that social media and technology plays a key role in that. Many students are still facing learning issues post pandemic and their social emotional needs have changed.
- Academics is still playing catch up to what was missed in the previous years.
- Schools have transitioned from the main focus of learning needs to helping students academically, along with society and social needs.
- Parents can feel overwhelmed by all the issues facing their teens today, stay ever present in your kids lives, even when they’re pushing you away. Attend their events, be as much a part of their activities and community as you can be. Teens need parents to be supportive of them.
- It’s perfectly normal for teens to push boundaries and make mistakes, and partnering with their school principal can help them feel supported and understood.
- When a parent is called to meet with their teen’s principal regarding a disciplinary concern, they need to deprogram any experiences they had as a teen.
- Introduce yourself to your teen’s principal and administration at the first of the year to begin building a relationship with them so if there are concerns, you have a connection to work together to support your teen.
- Teens are resilient!
