JenOni

Teen Sons

Senior Year for Teen and the Challenges

SAT Prep Course

Senior year is the finale of high school and it is not without challenges. In preparation for the SAT, I thought it was a good idea for my senior to take a prep course. Last spring, he registered for a 6-week course and half-way through he lost motivation. The course has required homework and practice tests. All of this additional work is in addition to regular school work. My teen skipped taking all of the proctored practice exams offered, did not complete all of the homework and missed taking the practice exams. His score did not improve significantly. The company used was extremely helpful in driving success on the SAT. Make-up practice exams were offered but my teen did not take advantage of the scheduling. The group course was $695 and included twelve hours of group instruction and four proctored practice exams. The company offers different courses dependent on the student’s needs.

Tips for selecting prep course:

  • Improving SAT score is a priority
  • time management is critical to complete the additional work assigned
  • make sure the instruction time for classes does not conflict with other activities
  • teen needs to commit to finishing the coursework in its entirety
  • take all practice exams and schedule make-up exams if necessary

SAT

My teen paid for his initial SAT which was scheduled on a Saturday at his high school in the Spring. I paid for him to re-take the test but it was actually a re-schedule from the first test. He decided to pay to take it again to improve his score. For his first SAT, he was unable to take the test because he forgot his school ID. On the third date, he forgot to print out the admission ticket and was unable to find his school ID. There are no refunds for these circumstances.

Tips for SAT morning:

  • print out admission ticket the night before, put school ID or driver’s license in the car the night before or near the door
  • eat brekfast
  • arrive 20-30 minutes before the test is scheduled to begin

FAFSA

The Fall semester also means FAFSA form, which is submitted to the universities/colleges of choice for financial aid award packages.

Tips:

  • Submit FAFSA on or after October 1st
  • Make sure you are completing the FAFSA form for the correct upcoming school year for senior For example, our form is for the school year 2019-2020
  • Write down the parent’s username/password and student’s username and password and store in a folder
  • Organize the necessary forms specifically W2, Income Tax Return, and other financial forms
  • Read the directions thoroughly and complete the fields correctly
  • eview the form at the end before submitting

If there are mistakes on the form, it allows you to edit and resubmit to all of the schools on the list. I realized after receiving the financial package from one school my form had a significant error. Luckily, the financial aid office was able to identify the error quickly.

Parenting a Teen is a Daily Challenge and a Few Lessons Learned

 Teen

Parenting a Teen

This is the challenge of raising a teen son who has literally written the book on everything called life.   There are days when parenting is no bowl of cherries.   What happens between infancy and the age of thirteen?  I swear I am living with an unpleasant clone.  It is bad enough the communication skills go out the window with a teen.   Most of our conversations are filled with short one word answers, yes or no.   I really believe my parenting is based on the moon, because on certain days of any given month he will actually sit and have a real conversation.  I have look around like who is he talking to because there is no way this is happening.

Summer Jobs

In the past two years, I have drilled into him about getting a summer job.   I was trying to encourage him to get some experience under his belt to build a resume.  Mostly, it was a way for him to stop eating me out of a house and home.   Secondly, to get off the sofa and find something productive to do during the summer.   I was fed every excuse in the book, online applications are too much, I applied and never heard anything back, etc.  Then I had to ask well did you follow-up? The first interview did not go well.   Although, I was not present it was a hunch in light of the fact is was over in twelve minutes.   My follow-up was probably more in depth than his interview.  I asked him how it went and of course the invasive person he is just glazed over it.   My next questions were whether he did research, did you ask questions, etc, etc.   I guess I can say one down and more to come.

Money, Independence, and Experience

After more discussions on getting a job, he walks into a local business and gets a job on the spot.   I wish I could take credit but it a discussion with one of his friends who suggested he get a job.  Let me point out she’s been working since May.  No better way to get experience than to get hired on the spot and start working three days later.   His summary of working is his job is far more difficult than what I do every day.  I am loving every moment of his week as he sees how working with the public is not for the faint at heart.   The one silver lining is he is actually looking forward to going in each day.   We must hear about how messy customers are, how rude some can get if their orders are not right, all the cleaning he is expected to do.  I must preface all of this with the fact he is only working part-time 20-22 hours a  week.

Teen Lessons Learned

He is actually excited about earning his own money and is motivated to get to work.   A summer job has provided a sense of purpose and way for him to set goals for next year.    He is already planning where to apply for next summer.  I guess as much as my teen balks he does hear some things I preach.