Sue Scheff: Teen Truancy, Teens Dropping Out of School – Risk Losing their Driver’s License
by Sue Scheff on Apr 27, 2010
South Carolina is making headlines with their new proposed bill to revoke driving licenses of teens that drop out of high school or habitually skip their classes until they are 18 years old. At least 20 other states have passed this law, including Florida.
A Florida report shows that of the 8,400 teens whose licenses were suspended in 2007-08 for dropping out or accumulating 15 unexcused absences over 90 days, 96 percent of them re-enrolled.
“It confirms what we thought all along,” Betty Hyle, a team leader in the Florida Department of Education, said of the report. “Driving a car is a great incentive for teenagers.” Source: TandD.com
Years ago the challenge was choosing what college to attend, today many parents are struggling to get their teenager to finish high school.
According to Ad Council, approximately 7,000 high school students drop out every school day, which translates to one in three students. Once students make the decision to drop out, they lack the tools to compete in today’s society and diminish their chances for greater success in the future. But the decision to drop out of school does not happen overnight; it comes after years of frustration and failure. Often, those that drop out have run out of motivation and have no source of support or encouragement in school or at home.
For more information on Florida Teen Driving consequences related to truancy and dropping out of school, visit Florida High School Driver.
Ad Council Campaign, Boost Up helps motivate teens towards graduation!
Be an educated parent, you will have smarter teens! Watch PSA video here. Read more.
Tags: High School Dropouts, Parenting, parenting advice, Parenting Blogs, Parenting Teens, Parenting Tips, Sue Scheff, Teen Driving, Teen Help, Teen Truancy, Teens Skipping School
Sue Scheff: Parenting teens – Warning Signs
by Sue Scheff on Sep 20, 2009
Parenting teens today can be more complicated than generations before. Afterall, how many of us grew up with texting, computers, or X-Boxes? Not many. Now we have to compound it with the normal struggles of raising teens, such as peer pressure, drug abuse, truancy, and much more.
Take the time to be an educated parent, you will be prepared and also have a safer teen!
Source: Shoulder to Shoulder
Watch for Warning Signs
The teen years can be tough for both parent and child. Teens face numerous pressures: be popular, do well in school, get along with the family and make important life decisions. On top of this, teens are experiencing physical, sexual, social and emotional changes. (This explains all the “freaking out…”) Many of these pressures are unavoidable for teens, and worrying about them, as parents, is natural.
Most kids get through the teen years with success. Other teens may face obstacles that weaken their physical and emotional well being, discourage their motivation and ability to succeed in school, and damage personal relationships. With all this going on, teens can engage in risky behaviors – harming their physical and mental health and chances for future success.
SOME WARNING SIGNS ARE SUBTLE, WHILE OTHERS ARE VERY CLEAR.
If a teen is in trouble, there are warning signs to watch for that signal help is needed. You might notice a change in your teen’s behavior. You may learn that your teen has experimented with a risky behavior for the first time. It may simply be that
you “sense” that something isn’t quite right. Take these signs seriously.
TALK TO YOUR TEEN ABOUT YOUR CONCERNS.
Pay attention to what your teen is doing and how they are feeling. Talk to them about it – and not just when you notice something different. Talk to them on a regular basis. By doing so, you help your teen avoid more difficult problems down the road. For support, talk to parents whose advice you trust.
LEARN ABOUT ISSUES.
Take the time to read about issues by looking around this site or by consulting other sources of factual information related to teens and risky behaviors. Find information at your library, school counselor’s office, medical clinic or faith-based organization.
WHEN YOU NEED IT.
Professionals can help you get the right support you need, and determine whether your teen is in crisis. Discuss your concerns with your teen’s teacher, school counselor, doctor or other people you trust. They can refer you to more information or provide professional care to keep your teen safe.
KNOW THE WARNING SIGNS.
Defiance. Not just occasionally – this is normal. We’re talking about continued disregard for your authority and rules.
- Suspected substance use or abuse.
- Aggression – fighting with and hurting others.
- Extreme withdrawal – teens spending an inordinate amount of time in their room.
- Loss of interest in activities your teen normally likes to do.
- Change in appearance – neat kids become unkempt, rapid weight loss or gain, etc.
- Continued talk about death, depression and suicide.
PRINTABLE VERSION FOR DOWNLOAD
You’ll need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the following PDF version of this section. If you don’t already have the program, you can download it for free here.
Warning signs.pdf
Teens and depression.pdf
More information on teens:
Teen Depression, Teen Runaways, Teen Gangs, Teen Drug Prevention, Teen Suicide, Teen Self Injury
Tags: Parenting, parenting advice, Parenting Blogs, Parenting Resources, Parenting Teens, Sue Scheff, Teen Depression, Teen Drug Use, Teen Help, Teen Issues, Teen Self Esteem
Sue Scheff: Teen Truancy
by Sue Scheff on Sep 16, 2009
Truancy is a term used to describe any intentional unauthorized absence from compulsory schooling. Children in America today lose over five million days of their education each year through truancy. Often times they do this without the knowledge of their parents or school officials. In common usage the term typically refers to absences caused by students of their own free will, and usually does not refer to legitimate “excused” absences, such as ones related to a medical condition. It may also refer to students who attend school but do not go to classes. Because of this confusion many schools have their own definitions, and as such the exact meaning of the term itself will differ from school to school and district to district. In order to avoid or diminish confusion, many schools explicitly define the term and their particular usage thereof in the school’s handbook of policies and procedures. In many instances truancy is the term referring to an absence associated with the most brazen student irresponsibility and results in the greatest consequences.
Many educators view truancy as something much more far reaching than the immediate consequence that missed schooling has on a student’s education. Truancy may indicate more deeply embedded problems with the student, the education they are receiving, or both. Because of its traditional association with juvenile delinquency, truancy in some schools may result in an ineligibility to graduate or to receive credit for class attended, until the time lost to truancy is made up through a combination of detention, fines, or summer school. This can be especially troubling for a child, as failing school can lead to social impairment if the child is held back, economic impact if the child drops out or cannot continue his or her education, and emotional impact as the cycle of failure diminishes the adolescent’s self-esteem.
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Tags: Parenting, parenting advice, Parenting Blogs, Parenting Resources, Parenting Teens, Sue Scheff, Teen Help, Teen Truancy, Teens Skipping School
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