What does it take for a student to be successful in school?

The first thing it takes, of course, is a commitment by the student to listen in class and to do the work necessary to keep up. Sadly, that’s where the formula increasingly comes apart in many schools. A culture of under-achievement in some middle and high schools encourages students there to blow off the hard work in favor of pursuing what turns out to be a life of laziness and delinquency.

But most kids need more than just their own desire to do well. A talent for academics surely counts for much when it comes to success at school. Put such a talent together with determination, and you will find a student with a strong chance of doing well in school.

Most students, however, have limited amounts of one or both of those traits and must fight to make up for what is lacking. Maybe they’re smart, but a little bit lazy; or maybe they’re driven to succeed, but have a hard time with academics. Or maybe, like most people, they have to work hard at both academics and initiative.

That’s where teachers and parents are especially important to the academic mix. Good teachers can inspire and explain, bringing educational success within the reach of just about any student. And engaged parents can help ensure that success by working to understand their children’s particular academic challenges and working at home with them to overcome those challenges.

One of the keys to the successful involvement of parents and teachers is good communication. Both need to understand their roles in a student’s education, and they need to talk frequently and openly about the challenges that present themselves so they can develop solutions with the best chance of success.

On Friday, parents and teachers around Suffolk will have a chance to get together for parent-teacher conferences. For many successful students, these will not be the only times when their parents and teachers confer. But these conferences provide a great opportunity to begin building an important relationship that can have a long-term effect on your child’s educational success.

Contact your child’s school today to set an appointment.