Interesting Tips for Parents*:   ·       Encourage thoughtful questions without immediate critical evaluation.   ·       Cultivate your child's early identity as a 'good' student who may have minor difficulties from time to time.   ·       Rather than solving your child's problems and undermining their self-confidence, probe him/her to discover how to do it.   ·       Express praise and appreciation since it often leads to inspiration and competency.   ·       Intervene quickly before your child becomes overwhelmed with a class by asking the teacher, "What can we do to help?'   ·      Admire persistence and the process of learning, not just the bottom line--the grade.   ·       Speak to the behavior ("It's important to...") rather than personally criticize the child ("You are so...").   ·       Model and encourage organization and time management.   ·       If reinforcement is needed, permit socializing and TV only after homework has been completed.   ·       Let your child experience the natural consequences of a misbehavior, loss of an item, or carelessness by not rescuing.                *from Lives of Promise by Karen D. Arnold, Ph.D.,   Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1998.

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