When our kids reach high school we have to learn to ask new questions to engage them in talking about school. The old “what did you do in school today?”, will likely get you the standard “nothing” response.
Try some of these suggestions:
- Where in the school do you hang out the most? (for instance, a particular hall, classroom, parking lot) Where in the school do you not like to hang out?
- What would your school be better with? What would your school be better without?
- If you were a teacher, which class would you teach? What class would be the worst to teach? Why?
- What was the coolest (saddest, funniest, scariest) thing that you saw today?
- Tell me one thing that you learned today.
- If your day at school were an emoticon, which one would it be?
- If you had only one class every day which class would it be?
- If you could be invisible for one day at school what would you do?
- Who did you help today, who helped you?
- If you could read minds what teachers mind would you read? What classmates mind would you read? Whose mind would you NOT want to read?
- What are the top 3 things that you hear people say in the halls?
- What is your easiest class? What is the hardest class?
- What class do you learn the most in? What class do you learn the least in?
- Have you decided what you want to do for a career? If yes, what courses are you taking that will help you achieve your goals?
- What do you think you should do more of at school? Less?
- What do you think the most important part of school is?
- Which classmate is most likely to be made a Prime Minister, become a millionaire, be in movies, etc.
