Challenge Your Mind, Change The World

Transforming Teen Apathy: Boosting Engagement and Success in English Class

• The Classic High School Teacher • Season 1 • Episode 11

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Ever wondered why your teen seems uninterested in English class and what you can do about it? Join Francesca on this episode of "Challenge Your Mind, Change the World" as we uncover how to transform that apathy into engagement. Discover the significance of challenging your teen academically, specifically in English, and learn how this can pave the way for their overall personal development. Francesca introduces her upcoming free webinar, "Beyond Boredom," which promises to arm you with powerful strategies to keep your teen not just involved, but thriving in their studies. 

We'll delve into five compelling reasons why mastering English is crucial for teens, touching on its profound impact on communication skills, critical thinking, and self-confidence. Francesca will share practical techniques for parents to engage in meaningful conversations with teachers, ensuring that their teen gets the enrichment they need. Plus, hear about the upcoming webinar on July 17th or 18th that will guide you in fostering your teen's critical thinking skills and recognizing early signs of academic struggle. Tune in to empower your teenager and make their education a source of confidence and success.

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Speaker 1:

Hey everyone, welcome back to Challenge your Mind, change the World, your go-to source for tips and strategies to help your teen excel academically and beyond. I'm Francesca, and today I have something really exciting to share with you. I'm talking to all the parents out there who have been feeling frustrated because you might have a teen at home that seems so disengaged or bored in their English class. That seems so disengaged or bored in their English class Is that you? Do you have a teenager at home that last semester perhaps didn't engage as well as what you had hoped, or did they maybe not perform as well as they had the previous year with a different teacher? Because sometimes, when you move around classes or schools even, and things change, then suddenly a subject that you used to be so engaged in no longer has that same appeal, and so the grades begin to slip, the motivation begins to slip and as parents, we worry that our kids are starting to fall through the cracks. So if that's you, then this is a great episode for you, because maybe you've noticed that they're not putting in as much effort now, or perhaps they seem uninterested in their assignments. But if that sounds familiar, I have great news for you Next week I'm hosting a free webinar called Beyond Boredom ensuring your teen is actually being challenged in English class, and there's many different forms of being challenged.

Speaker 1:

It doesn't necessarily mean that they are being academically challenged, but it could also mean are they struggling in English and they're finding it too challenging. So this webinar is a fantastic opportunity for you to learn some really powerful strategies to help your teenagers thrive. But first I wanted to give you a little sneak peek of what we'll be covering during this jam-packed session. Let's talk about why it's so important to challenge your teen in their learning, especially in a core subject like English. There are reasons, believe it or not, that subjects like English are considered core subjects, and when students aren't challenged enough, they can quickly become bored and disengaged, which can lead to a lack of interest and motivation in their studies, as we know. So in my webinar, I'll be diving into the essential questions you should be asking teachers to ensure your teen is always motivated and excited to learn. For example, did you know that simply asking your teen's teacher what additional challenges or enrichment activities can my child engage in can open up a whole new world of opportunities for your child? So we'll discuss how to have these conversations effectively and ensure that your teen gets the most out of their education Sound good, because English class is crucial for teenagers for several reasons, which I want to go into.

Speaker 1:

I've got five key reasons for you why doing well in English class is really important, even if you don't have an academically inclined child, and by that I mean academics just isn't really for them. They're more practical learners. They might want to go on to do a trade when they leave school or travel or do something practical or even something entrepreneurial. Not everybody follows the path of college or university after they leave school, and that's fine. That is absolutely fine. There are so many different types of ways of learning and intelligence is out there. It's not always about the academics and it's about celebrating the unique talents and gifts that our children have, whatever they are, embracing them and supporting them in that. But this is why English is such a core subject and is so important because it goes beyond the academics, because it spills over into the realms of communication and expression and understanding people on a social level and communicating with people on many different levels social and professional and personal. So these are my five key reasons why having your child succeed in an English class. And when I say succeed, I mean not falling through the cracks, not getting forgotten about understanding their unique talents and gifts and encouraging those in English class.

Speaker 1:

And here's the five key reasons why Number one communication skills. So with reading and writing, for example, english class can help our teenagers develop strong reading and writing skills, which are essential for effective communication. Right, these skills are necessary for virtually all subjects and are crucial in both academic and professional settings, and personal settings and family settings. We all must have the basic ability to read and write. That is how we communicate with the outside world, obviously, and I'm not just talking about primary school level of learning to read a book, but being able to read emails and to understand world events, being able to read between the lines, with what people are saying and writing, because there are always subliminal messages. You've got your surface level messages and then you've got the underlying meaning, and we do this subconsciously on a social level anyway. Students that can develop really strong skills with reading and writing in English class are that much better equipped to handle society, to live within society, and it's the same with their speaking and listening. English class enhances speaking and listening skills, enabling students to articulate their thoughts clearly and understand others better. It's that form of communication. It's being able to express your opinion or your point. An example could be in the professional world, going to your boss and asking him for a pay rise, or sitting down for a job interview and convincing your future employer why you are the best person for the job. It's the most basic form of expression and English class will help strengthen our teenagers with their expression, with their speaking and listening. So it's really important that our teenagers don't fall through the cracks in English class.

Speaker 1:

The second key reason is critical thinking. English class teaches students to analyse texts, interpret meanings and evaluate arguments. That's on an academic level, we would think, but this fosters critical thinking skills, which are those wider skills that we use within society. They're vital for problem solving and decision making in various aspects of life. Constructing and defending arguments in essays and discussion helps students learn to think logically and persuasively. Can you see how these can spill over into real life, for example with social media and the news? So we know how much our teenagers love to scroll through their phones, and they're.

Speaker 1:

When they're scrolling through social media or watching the news, teenagers encounter various pieces of information, some of which may be biased or false, and critical thinking enables them to evaluate the credibility of the sources. It helps them to identify potential biases and differentiate between facts and opinions. This helps them form well-informed perspectives and avoid the pitfalls of misinformation. Informed, well-informed perspectives and avoid the pitfalls of misinformation. It also allows them to start weighing up the pros and cons of decision-making in life, for example, if they are choosing which courses to take in school and if they're weighing up the pros and cons of different classes, considering their interests and their future goals, and seek advice from teachers and counsellors. This thoughtful approach ensures that they make choices that align with their aspirations and their strengths. That's critical thinking. That's the skill that they learn in English class is to help them with these decision-making abilities.

Speaker 1:

Teens often face conflicts with friends, families or peers, and critical thinking helps them analyse the situation, understand different viewpoints and consider possible solutions, for example, if they have a disagreement with a friend. Friendships are so important and they can use critical thinking to identify the root cause of the conflict and find a mutually beneficial resolution. It helps them with time management. Balancing school, extracurricular activities and social life can be challenging, and critical thinking aids in prioritising tasks, setting realistic goals and creating effective schedules, which helps our teenagers manage their time efficiently, and it helps them reduce stress as well. I mean, the benefits of critical thinking are so long.

Speaker 1:

I could do a whole episode on it. I'll give you one more, and this one looks at peer pressure Teens that frequently encounter peer pressure to engage in activities that might not align with their values or best interests, such as skipping school or experimenting with substances. But critical thinking enables teenagers to evaluate the potential consequences of their actions, consider their long-term goals and make ethical choices that reflect their values. And that's what I am instilling with my children is really strong critical thinking skills, so that they can weigh up those pros and cons and make better decisions as a result. And you know, we live in an age where there's a lot of environmental responsibility that we may not have been so aware of when we were growing up and when we were kids, but for this next generation coming through, understanding the impact of their actions on the environment is another area where critical thinking is really essential. Teenagers can analyse how their habits, such as using plastic or conserving energy, affect the planet and make more sustainable choices. So critical thinking, which is one of the core, key competencies of English, of teaching English to our teenagers, is so important. You can see how English class is a very important subject that teenagers of all abilities need to be able to ensure that they can have some level of understanding of, and it's so important for them not to fall through the cracks in English class.

Speaker 1:

My third key reason for doing well in English class is cultural awareness and empathy. This is so important. We do this through literature exposure in English. So through literature, students are exposed to diverse cultures, perspectives and historical contexts, and this helps them to develop empathy and a broader understanding of the world, and they also understand moral and ethical tips. The literature choices that we have in English often explore complex moral and ethical issues, prompting students to reflect on their own values and their own beliefs. There's a lot of self-reflection that we do, a lot of writing, a lot of journaling in English and a lot of our own responses to literature and our own opinions to literature, and how do we form these opinions and what range of perspectives do we take into account. All of this is what is taught in English class, and so you can see how our teenagers, coming through, get a much more broader understanding of the world that they can then operate and function within when they leave school.

Speaker 1:

My fourth key reason why doing well in English class is important is the academic and the career success that comes from attending English class and doing really well in English class. Obviously, if you have got a teenager that would like to go to college, then strong English skills are essential because for college admission tests, essays and coursework, mastery of English can significantly impact a student's ability to succeed in higher education, even if that's science, even if they're not even looking at doing an arts degree, but the sciences, the engineering, the maths, the accounting all of these still require a very strong level of communication skills and written skills, reading skills it's just so important. And even if you've got a teenager that's not going to college, career opportunities are very abundant when you have a teenager that has strong English skills. Communication skills come to the forefront with this. If you've got a teenager who has mastered really good, clear communication skills in English, this is the future workforce which is highly valued in almost every profession. Being able to write clearly, speak persuasively and think critically can open doors to numerous career paths. It's the ability to use your initiative to problem solve without constantly having to ask for help to find solutions. All of those initiative building skills come from English class, come from critical thinking.

Speaker 1:

And my fifth reason why English class is really important is personal development. And my fifth reason why English class is really important is personal development. So English class provides students with the tools to express themselves creatively and articulately, whether through writing, speaking or other forms of communication. We expose our students to all sorts of expression and communication verbal, written, spoken, verbal, oral, visual, you name it. We analyze within an inch of its life every part of communication in our society.

Speaker 1:

And it also helps to build confidence with our teenagers, because when a child or when a teenager really engages with a challenging text and are able to express their thoughts, this can boost their confidence in their own abilities, not just in English, but in other subjects as well. Because when students tackle and understand complex literature, they gain a sense of accomplishment. By successfully interpreting themes or analysing characters and grasping intricate plots, it can make our students feel capable and intelligent, giving them a real confidence boost. And as students develop their reading and analytical skills, they become more adept at handling challenging materials across all subjects, and this mastery fosters self-assurance in their academic abilities overall. Also, expressing thoughts clearly in essays, presentations and discussions can help our students convey their ideas confidently. Being able to articulate their opinions and arguments specifically boosts their self-esteem and encourages active participation in class. It's awesome. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy of being confident.

Speaker 1:

Finding your confidence in English has this domino knock-on effect. Has this domino knock-on effect? You can see how English class is really important for the overall development and the holistic well-being of teenagers in these vital years, these vital developmental years for them. And so this is why I wanted to create a webinar to ensure that parents knew the right questions to ask their teachers. Ask their children's teachers at school so that they know that their child is not falling through the cracks, and also knowing the signs to look out for with your children, because sometimes they won't tell us, as parents, what's really going on with their learning and how they feel and their confidence levels with subjects like English. So, as parents, we need to be looking at other areas to look for what the warning signs are.

Speaker 1:

But that's not all in the webinar that I will be sharing with you on July 17th or 18th you can choose which day suits better. I'm running two different days of webinars, but that's not all I'll be sharing in the webinar. We'll also be touching on fostering critical thinking skills in everyday situations and in this podcast I've just covered a whole range of examples why critical thinking skills that we teach in English is important in everyday situations. And this is crucial because critical thinking isn't just about academics, it's a vital life skill. We'll explore techniques and discussion-based learning methods to help your teen deepen their understanding and their engagement with their course material in English class. It's such a valuable webinar to a teen as parents if you've got teenagers at high school, because English is a course subject, but unfortunately it can be a subject where our teenagers fall through the cracks.

Speaker 1:

But here's the best part with the webinar this webinar I am hosting on July 17th or 18th is completely free. That's right. It's a masterclass session that I would normally price at $197, but I am running this webinar at no cost for you and I'll be answering any burning questions that you have for me at the end of the webinar if you want to email them to me beforehand. I will go into detail about that during the webinar and I truly believe that this webinar can make a huge difference in your family's academic journey if you've got children at junior, high or high school. So if you're ready to take the next step in ensuring your teen's success in English class, then don't miss out on this webinar. It's happening on July the 17th or July the 18th.

Speaker 1:

I'm running two separate days to give you the best opportunity to attend, and I'll put the link in the show notes that you can check. I've got three different times on each day, so there should be a good time for you there To register. Just click the link in the show notes. I can't wait to see you there and help you unlock your teen's full potential. It is my passion in life. My mission in life is to make sure that our future generation, coming through schools, can think for themselves and are not going to become overly reliant on AI. The power of critical thinking, the power of communication and expression, which is what we teach in English class, is so important for this next generation. So thanks for tuning in today and, as always, keep striving for excellence. This has been Francesca on Challenge your Mind to Change the World. If you found this episode helpful, don't forget to subscribe and share it with other parents who might benefit. Until next time, my friends, take care and keep empowering your teen to reach for the stars.

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