Dear Wiscasset High School Parents and Guardians,

As most of you know, we have reached the end of our first semester. At this time, I encourage parents to encourage their children to begin the new semester with intensity. Often, students do not get the grades of which they are capable. They make a slow start and then spend the rest of the semester or quarter by making up for poor choices. Sometimes, they end a marking period by calculating just how a low a grade they can get and still pass. This saddens me since such behavior is not a reflection of what they can do, but how little they choose to do and still "get by." Just as in good parenting, the key word for success is consistency.

I check every student's grade every 3 weeks on Powerschool. Our Student Assistance Team discusses each student who is achieving below his/her potential. We do this to try to intervene with students before their poor choices make their success impossible. I hope that each of you, as parents or guardians, do the same. We find that when parents check grades and do not accept excuses from their students, then a real partnership for academic success happens.

When excuses come up that try to mitigate responsibility, I have to ask, "How will accepting these rationales serve the student?" In my mind, requiring accountability is the greatest gift we can give our young adults.

I invite parents to respond to this post, and leave you with a link to a video that really speaks to how ill-served young adults are when they accept less from themselves and stop trying to be their best selves. I am not promoting this website nor the religious affiliation attached to it, but I would ask you to view with your student, and respond to the video that has less to do with those affiliations and much more to do with eliminating tendencies to short-sell the power of trying. http://www.4marks.com/videos/details.html?video_id=723

I hope you feel free to comment, and if you have concerns to contact me directly, as well.