Is your high school student ready to tackle the new school year head-on? In this episode, we promise you'll learn all the essential strategies to ensure they're not just prepared but confident and thriving. Our guest, Lori Langston, founder of HP the Program, dives deep into the importance of getting a head start, especially in challenging subjects like math, science, and reading. Freshman parents will find her advice particularly invaluable as we discuss early quizzes that can significantly impact GPA and the necessity of summer skill brush-ups.
We also highlight the importance of maintaining healthy sleep habits and encouraging independence in high school students, empowering them to wake up and get ready on their own. Plus, we touch on the renewed significance of standardized tests like the ACT and SAT, stressing the importance of strong performance.
With a genuine commitment to supporting parents, Lori offers practical advice and encourages open communication. She shares her personal approach to easing parental stress, ensuring that you have a reliable source of information as you navigate the school year. Tune in and equip yourself with the insights and support needed to make this back-to-school transition as smooth as possible for both you and your student.
To learn more about Lori Langston and HP The Program visit https://www.thehpprogram.com Conveniently located at 3407 McFarlin across from Olivella’s.
Is your high school student ready to tackle the new school year head-on? In this episode, we promise you'll learn all the essential strategies to ensure they're not just prepared but confident and thriving. Our guest, Lori Langston, founder of HP the Program, dives deep into the importance of getting a head start, especially in challenging subjects like math, science, and reading. Freshman parents will find her advice particularly invaluable as we discuss early quizzes that can significantly impact GPA and the necessity of summer skill brush-ups.
We also highlight the importance of maintaining healthy sleep habits and encouraging independence in high school students, empowering them to wake up and get ready on their own. Plus, we touch on the renewed significance of standardized tests like the ACT and SAT, stressing the importance of strong performance.
With a genuine commitment to supporting parents, Lori offers practical advice and encourages open communication. She shares her personal approach to easing parental stress, ensuring that you have a reliable source of information as you navigate the school year. Tune in and equip yourself with the insights and support needed to make this back-to-school transition as smooth as possible for both you and your student.
To learn more about Lori Langston and HP The Program visit https://www.thehpprogram.com Conveniently located at 3407 McFarlin across from Olivella’s.
This episode sponsored by Stewart Arango Oral Surgery. Learn more at saoralsurgeonscom. And Kathy L Wall State Farm Agency. Learn more at kathylwallcom and hellonannycom. Say hello, nanny and goodbye to stress at hellonannycom. Welcome to the Bubble Lounge.
Speaker 1:
I'm Martha Jackson and it is still summer and still a lot of fun going on out there, but it is about four weeks until school starts, so that means it's time for us to start getting our kids ready and getting back into the mental mind frame of going back to school and more structure and things like that. So I invited Lori Langston of HP the program to join us. She's an expert in education and she has tutored hundreds of kids in the park cities. So today we're going to help parents of high schoolers get prepared for what's ahead. You are going to love this episode, so stay tuned.
Speaker 1:
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Speaker 2:
Well, I'm so excited to be here.
Speaker 1:
Well, before we get started, can you give us some background on how you got into education and how HP the program came about?
Speaker 2:
I will. It's a pretty organic situation, nothing really planned. My mom taught school and then I taught school and I taught for 12 years and then I was just going to quit and stay home with my daughter, who was three at the time, and someone said can you tutor? And I thought I think so. I teach math. I taught math, I know this pretty well. So we just started at my dining room table 18 years ago. Oh wow, well, that is a great story, pretty exciting, and then it really just evolved from there and, as anyone may know, I've taken a lot of information off the backs of my three children. That's the best way to learn. Yes, hands on learning.
Speaker 1:
Well, we're about four weeks out before school starts, so, although there's plenty of fun to still be had, it is kind of time to start thinking about getting ready for back to school. Which is why I invited you to join us today is because I knew you'd be the perfect person to let parents know what they need to be doing.
Speaker 2:
Yes, so I think back to school prep is really can be critical for a lot of kids, especially in math, science and reading. And I say that especially for my freshman parents. They may not realize that we probably have a quiz in the first four to five days. Oh wow, that is true. It really comes on fast. And a lot of freshman parents don't realize that if you do poorly on a quiz you cannot retake quiz grades. You can retest test grades up to 70, but not quizzes. So when that quiz happens four to five days, boom, that's your GPA. You have started. So when you do back to school things, especially for math, you haven't been doing anything for a couple of months. Hopefully you've been relaxing. So there are some critical things that you can either learn or memorize. That'll make that first few weeks a little more easy to swallow.
Speaker 1:
What is kind of the normal percentage of things that we kind of forget over the summer and need to catch back up on?
Speaker 2:
Well, depending on the topic, and I would say math is really critical and I know math is my area of expertise, so sometimes I hit on that. But it seems like a lot of new information and if you're doing history they're telling you new. It's new to you, but the math is a pretty big loss if you're not keeping up with it, and I mean up to your multiplication facts. And people may not realize what a big play that has at the high school and we don't really use calculators in the high school for our basic information and we use it for graphing and stuff, but not just average multiplication facts. So there is a pretty great loss over the summer and people are focusing on other things.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, right. Well, what about with things like reading, for example? My son is telling me he does not have any summer reading that is required. Oh, not sure that I believe that he does. He does.
Speaker 2:
All of our freshmen are reading the Book Thief, which is a pretty long book I remember that.
Speaker 2:
Yes, I'm sure you have fond memories, but they all have summer reading and they should be starting that now. I never recommend that they start that in May because they won't have it memorized, they won't be fresh on it. But four weeks out is a pretty good time to start. And I say to like eat the elephant if you will, and see how many pages I have, if I read a chapter a day or just something manageable, because I think that kids think, oh, I'm going to, just they're trying to get through it and they're trying to maybe reading for enjoyment, but the reality is is they will be tested over that.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, and that comes up pretty quickly too, super fast.
Speaker 2:
Again. It really is like you get in there and I think in so many schools or what parents may remember is we're going to kind of ease into this, like we're going to just ease, walk into the shallow end, and it's not that way.
Speaker 1:
Well, that's how it was when we were younger right. And I think that's the mindset so many of us parents have, and that's just not the case anymore. It's not.
Speaker 2:
It's like you're in the ocean and those waves are just hitting and hitting and you're like wait, I just started, this isn't right, cut me some slack.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, exactly they just get straight to business. Well, what about any academic tips that you have just to help kids be more organized? I know that that's definitely a struggle in our home.
Speaker 2:
It is, I think, that what kids struggle with as far as organization and you know we get new teachers. I know we lost some great teachers, but I know we have some amazing ones coming in and each teacher can utilize the Google Classroom differently.
Speaker 2:
Yes, I really noticed that last year, so some people put their information in different places, and so I think you kind of need to know your teacher's personality. I have a lot of teachers that'll post it on the board, and so kids have to take pictures of that, putting it in their planner, noticing if there's any changes. Does your teacher put her assignments in the classwork section of Google Classroom? Do they put it in the stream section? Do they put it at the end of their notes? And so just knowing where your teacher puts critical information I think is a huge deal and it's hard. There's, it's, you know, it's like a fire hydrant of information. But utilizing a planner whatever one you want to use, and knowing your teacher and their style, and that takes a couple of weeks, you know they're not going to know automatically oh, my teacher keeps putting this information here. Or you may have a teacher that moves around. They may put it in stream one time, they may write it on the board another time. So you're just really getting to know the way that teacher operates.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, no, that is so true. I really noticed that last year Blake had, as a freshman, had one teacher that I would say was like the golden standard of how I would love to see everyone do it. Then he had the extreme opposite of one teacher that didn't post anything. So as a parent, I felt like I needed to kind of peek in on him to see what was going on. And it was just kind of hard because it was very inconsistent.
Speaker 2:
You know, we have a remind program at the program and it's just signing up for reminders and it's a free option. But what I find so interesting is sometimes I'll send out a reminder like hey, don't forget, you have a test on Friday, and parents will text me back my child doesn't have a test on Friday. And I'm like, hmm, and really what it is is, one teacher is super up to date posting all their information and one of them may have been up to date but posted it in another location. And so kids are like, oh, I didn't know that. And they'll say we don't have a test. And I'm like, oh, I'm pretty sure you do.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, I have to say that your text reminders really saved us a lot last year.
Speaker 2:
Those were so amazing to get and thank you so much for doing that, because there was so many times that I wasn't aware that he had anything and he didn't know, and so you were breaking the news, I'm like, hey, well, do you know, even with my three children, who all graduated from Holland Park, I would say to one of my kids hey, you don't forget, you have that project due. And they're like no, I don't. I'm like, oh, my goodness, yes, you do.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, you are very plugged in and you definitely have access to all the best dates, so thank you so much for doing that. I wanted to give a personal thank you to our good friend and show sponsor, kathy Elwall State Farm Agency. We have known Kathy for more than 15 years and there is no person we trust more when it comes to insurance than Kathy Elwall. Kathy is always available to help you find the right insurance for your family needs, whether it's covering your home auto or providing a life insurance policy tailored to the unique needs of families in Highland Park. My family trusts Kathy with our insurance and we hope you will too. Please visit kathylwallcom to learn more and let her know that Martha from the Bubble Lounge sent you. Well, as a parent, what kind of role can we play? Just getting them emotionally and structurally prepared to go back to school?
Speaker 2:
You know, I think that the kids are under already a lot of stress, yes, yes, and there is no doubt about it. But I think, and parents will often say, oh, we have such high anxiety? You know, my child's really anxious, but the antidote for that is action, it's not inaction. And so I think sometimes people just sit too long and just sit in that dread instead of taking steps. Instead of taking steps, yeah, like if you've been struggling with reading, you need to do a reading review, which I always recommend for everybody, just because you are not, a lot of kids aren't reading.
Speaker 2:
With that in mind Like, oh, I'm about to be tested on this yeah, so if your student is struggling with again we've had, you know, math has not been our favorite Then it takes action to kind of reduce that anxiety. It's not inaction, and I think prep is probably that's what takes. It takes away that feeling, because I think sometimes kids go in, they get there and they already feel like they're underwater, it's like they're dog paddling in the first few days, and that's a miserable feeling.
Speaker 1:
Yes.
Speaker 2:
I think that and I know this is so cliche they're not getting enough sleep. Right, I agree, they're not getting enough sleep, and you can really tell it in so many things that they do. And you know, I don't need to give you a bazillion studies on how critical sleep is, but it I don't need to give you a bazillion studies on how critical sleep is, but I would think if you can get your child sleeping, I also think that your children should be waking themselves up in high school and getting themselves out the door, and it shouldn't be mom or dad's job like five more minutes, five more minutes. If you're not doing that, I think that should be a big goal for next year.
Speaker 1:
Yes, thank you for saying that, because I started out the year saying, okay, I'm just, if he's up, he's up, if he's not, it's his problem. And then I caved in and started helping with the wake-up process 100%.
Speaker 2:
That's why we're here.
Speaker 1:
We started helping with the wake-up process of 100. That's why we're here, we're parents, we're not going to go well.
Speaker 2:
We gave it our best shot, you're 15 and now you're on your own. So yes, if they're not, but I just think it's a goal we're working towards, like let's try to get ourselves up one day. Okay, today, just I do think it's critical. I have I'm not going to mention any names, but I have friends that are still calling their kids in college oh, my goodness. So we would like to be past that when our kids go to college.
Speaker 1:
We need to start weaning off now, guys.
Speaker 2:
Try it, start it now.
Speaker 1:
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Speaker 2:
Wow, what a change is coming our way. As you know, it used to be super important and then COVID came along, right, and it kind of dropped off the wayside, like the year my daughter she was a junior when that came. There were no places to even test, and what a change it has been. And I cannot tell you that it is coming back with a vengeance. Oh my gosh, what do you mean? It is going to be critical for these kids to do well on that, and you know when I've been reading and keeping up with this. Obviously it's something I would pay attention to.
Speaker 2:
But the colleges know, hey, this is not an ideal situation. We know it has its flaws. However, we need to start with something, and it's the one thing that they take a test by themselves. It's the one thing. So, for essays, kids are writing. Many children have a lot of support and help doing that. We now have chat, gpt, ai, different things like that.
Speaker 2:
But these tests are you're going into a room and you are taking it by itself. Is it flawed? Of course, but they've determined it's pretty darn important. And so, as sophomores always say, like the second semester, you should be taking a diagnostic test Like where am I fitting in, what's kind of best for me? And we do that. We have a diagnostic test that kind of just gives them a little bit direction, because I know you're like I don't know what I should be preparing for.
Speaker 2:
And then their junior year. This year you should really start getting started. Everyone will be taking the PSAT in October, every single person starting freshman year. Well, junior years when it's going to count, that's where you're a national merit scholar, that type of stuff. They will take it their freshman and sophomore year, but it's the junior years when it counts. And what we're doing a little bit different this year is we're prepping. We're just doing a foundations course where it's ACT, sat content with test taking skills for the PSAT. So I, we haven't been doing that. We you know our and our kids have not been preparing for this and it's for our juniors this year. It's really going to be critical and I think sometimes it's misleading when you have a college that says, oh, they're optional, test optional.
Speaker 1:
Test optional.
Speaker 2:
I think that is not true, because the reality is if you have a great score, you're turning it in Sure, and if you don't, you're not. So it kind of weeds itself out on who has good scores or not. And I would say that was probably one of the biggest regrets I had with my own kids is not starting early enough, because sometimes you'll start later and you're cramming it all in, versus kind of riding out this marathon taking that information in, and I do think that that was probably a mistake. Did my children still go to college? They did Do. Two of them have jobs they do. So it's not like it's life ending, but I think we could have made life a little bit easier. And I would say generally I think that's where my point of even starting this business of the program is just how can I make life a little bit easier for everyone? It's like if I had a fourth child.
Speaker 1:
What would I do different? That's so funny. Yeah, there's so many times that I wish I could have a do-over too. So, yeah, that's a good way to put it. Well, we were talking earlier about parents kind of weaning off as far as waking up the kids and letting the kids be more accountable for things and I know that, starting in high school, you hear this word constantly. They need to self-advocate.
Speaker 1:
That's such a key word. How do we get our kids to do that? Because some are shy and don't really want to draw attention to the fact that they're not understanding something or they're getting behind. But it's so crucial.
Speaker 2:
It really is. I think that you do have to prod them a little bit on that and I would even say, give them the words and the structure to go in there, because you know they're 15, a lot of them, 16. They don't know how to always articulate what the problem is and you know, a lot of times parents will say, okay, go to tutorials, go to tutorials. And kids do, and that teacher says, so what's your question? And they're like I don't know. My mom made me come. So you know it's kind of as a teacher, it's kind of hard to start with. So I think you should give your children and your students kind of the platform, like let's kind of role play a little bit, like your teacher is going to say this and help them write it down.
Speaker 2:
I've always been a big advocate when you are communicating with teachers I mean coaches, counselors, adults. I've always wanted to be CC'd my husband, both of us CC'd on those emails because it helps the kids, like it helps the teachers know, wow, this family is all in on this, like everyone is waiting for an answer. And I know even and it's so important, even through the collegiate level, that they do that and it's so important, even through the collegiate level, that they do that. My daughter was taking an online course, math course, and she got a poor grade and she immediately, you know, emailed her professor back and said listen, I know math, I need you to regrade this, because she was pretty confident in her knowledge. And he did, and sure enough, there were mistakes made. Oh wow, absolutely Good for her.
Speaker 1:
Well, I was she Good for her, well, she is my child, she's only heard this a few times.
Speaker 2:
But it's not just a skill set you're learning for this year, it goes all the way through college. But I do think kids need a little bit of prompting, like given some words to say or some phrases that will help them advocate. Words to say or some phrases that will help them advocate, and it is. I have one child that, would you know, go right in there and raise their hand and say I don't get this. And then my others like need a little more prodding, and it is amazing kind of giving them that guidance, kind of where it puts them for the collegiate level.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, I think that's really good what you said about role playing, because that just gets them mentally prepared of what the teacher may say and just how the conversation might go.
Speaker 2:
It really does, and I think they just don't know where to start. Like I'm having trouble and or and I also think that you know, for kids that are in honors classes, being able to negotiate that and knowing when this is not a fit for me and not because of academics they may be playing football, volleyball, bells, cheerleading, and so their schedule really isn't allowing for them to devote that much time. So should I level down? So that's a conversation you have with your teacher. Like I'm struggling, Should I level down to an on-level class? And I think probably one of the saddest things I see is when I have kids that have come to. They didn't start advocating, they didn't tell their parents, and now we're sitting at a pretty low grade and it's kind of hard to remedy. But no matter what, your child is going to college.
Speaker 1:
Well, given that information, you know they could change it this year.
Speaker 2:
They could say we're going to do six weeks and nine weeks. So you know, it's just important to stay up to date. The teachers, the counselors, will usually put out that information like okay, if you're planning to level down. I know this year is probably one of the biggest changes in leveling down. So for some of my kids that are in APES, which is the AP Environmental Science, once you're in, you're in, there is no leveling down because there's no place to level down to Okay and so same thing with, like, human geography. Apparently, there were so many changes last year, like so many changes that they really just kind of put a little kibosh on that and like you need to. Once you're in, you're in. Now for these freshmen, if they're in honors biology and they're doing poorly, they can level down. But, as you may not know, there's always some consequences when you level down, and that is, your schedule can change.
Speaker 1:
Yes, it can. Yeah, you'll have to rework your whole schedule in some cases.
Speaker 2:
And sometimes, because it is a popular class, you know you can just transition, right, they'll have another class right, you know on an on level at the same period. But sometimes they can't Right. And more than messing up your schedule, do you know what? It messes up your lunch.
Speaker 1:
Yes, the most important day of the time of the day.
Speaker 2:
And so sometimes kids aren't prepared for that. Okay, but you don't want to see on your report card. If possible, right, right, if possible.
Speaker 1:
Well, we love telling stories on the Bubble Lounge and I wanted to see if you have any success stories of maybe a kid that got a slow start their freshman year. They weren't quite in the right headspace and didn't start off with the best of grades, but then ended up strong and went to an amazing college and has had a wonderful future.
Speaker 2:
Well, I will give you a little slow start, and I don't know if it's a slow start, but I can give you an example of my own children. So my oldest son, all three of my children, went to A&M and my first one just got into A&M outright. My second son did not get into A&M outright. My second son did not get into A&M outright. He got offered the blend team, oh yes. And so you know, at first we're like, oh gosh, you know you're a little disappointed in that, but he took it and so he went off and he did fine and we left because my older son did the business school at A&M and my second son said I'm going to do the business school too, and I knew it was going to be difficult for him to go from Blinn to the business school. It's a very small number that get to do that. But he developed such strong study skills doing Blinn team that he ended up graduating magna cum laude. Oh wow. And my older one did not.
Speaker 2:
So I think sometimes you're thinking, oh, I didn't get this or we didn't get that, and it really can be amazing differences in just that level of maturity. Right, and I think there's room for that and that's why, when people you know get upset, I'm like you're going to college and I think, through tutoring, what I always want to emphasize is I just want to give you options. You're going to college. I just want, when you to finish, for you to have options. Options are fun, right, you don't want to go to the restaurant and just have a hamburger choice. So when you kind of open up that, it's nice to have options. But no matter where they go, they can do amazing. But it was a kind of a cute thing that my second one ended up surpassing his older brother.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, that's a really good story. I love it. Lori, we've covered a lot today and I appreciate everything that you have shared with us. I think you're doing a great job of helping us get ready to get back in the swing of things. Do you have a checklist that you can go through with us?
Speaker 2:
So if I were a new parent or just a parent in the secondary level, these were the. These are things that I would kind of be thinking about. Am I doing a summer prep for some of my weakest links? You know, if it's the honors, chemistry, bio, math, of course I recommend reading for everybody because sometimes we don't read like we should Do we have. Is there any area that we were like, oh, I need a a weekly group for something like just my weakest link, and I don't think you need it for every subject, by the way. Um, am I on my reminds? I know like, okay, I'm getting remind information and, as you said, you use that as well. It's, it's super beneficial for parents. One thing we do are supply bags for the year and if you're a parent and you haven't been to Office Depot, the first week of school you really start to appreciate the supply bags.
Speaker 2:
I do a really limited number, but I do try to do it for my clients, just so they're not inundated.
Speaker 1:
I have taken advantage of that many times and it is a lifesaver. I want no part of that crazy first day of school shopping.
Speaker 2:
I know it can make you cry, and I mean the mother, and just being ready for that. So you've got your summer reading. At least you've made a plan. If you haven't started, look and see how many pages you have. Kind of narrow that down how I'm going to work that out. I'm preparing for my weakest area. I'm ordering my supplies and that's a year's worth of supplies, by the way. Just I don't want anyone to ever go to Office Depot because I cried there one time. And just getting ready for the ACT SAT and the PSAT that's in October and our reviews start for that August 17th. Oh, wow, that is coming up so fast, so fast, but it's all manageable. It's all manageable and just being proactive and not sitting while the ship is going down. Sometimes it's movement, it's action to remedy any of that alright.
Speaker 1:
Well, I think we're ready for back to school. I'm ready. Well, how can people find you?
Speaker 2:
I have Instagram, but for my website it's laurie at thehpprogramcom and there's a ton of information on there and and I am a huge sucker If you call me I'll answer, and I really answer any questions all day long. I just my feeling of having a parent go through and just feeling anxiety. I don't want that, I felt it and I just really try to be a source of information. So if you're anxious about something, call me, I will answer your questions. Good to know.
Speaker 1:
You're going to get a lot of phone calls. Give it to me. Well, thank you so much for being here today. I can't thank you enough for everything that you've shared with us.
Speaker 2:
I was so excited and I hope it makes a difference for a lot of kids and parents.
Speaker 1:
Absolutely Well, that's been another episode of the Bubble Lounge. I'm Martha Jackson and I'll catch you next time.
