There are many reasons why your student may struggle in a class.  It may be something that your student is, or isn’t doing.  It may be the professor and/or teaching style.  It may be the subject matter. It may be the transition to college, or to sophomore year, or to upper level classes.

But ultimately, it doesn’t matter what the reason is.  If your student is struggling, or doing poorly in a class, you worry.  You want to help.  Perhaps they should come home more often so you can check progress and their academic planner.  Perhaps you should call them every evening to make sure they are doing homework.  Perhaps you should speak to the professor.  Perhaps you should buy a duplicate set of textbooks so you can consult on the assignments to make sure they understand the material. (True story, it has happened!)  Perhaps you should just pull them out of school.

Wait! It’s time to take a breath.

None of these options is the answer.  You’ll still worry.  There’s really no way to get around that, but your student needs to find their own solutions.  This doesn’t mean that you can’t consult and help your student think through the options.  That’s part of your coaching role.  So here are some options to discuss with your student.

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