Help Your Daughter Succeed in School
We asked engineers from various fields to share their best advice
for girls’ parents/guardians. Here are their tips:
How To Help Outside the Classroom
- Tell your daughter that you believe in her and that it’s possible for her to become an engineer. Your message is more important than any other message she will hear.
- Learn about educational opportunities available for your daughter.
- Seek out opportunities in which your daughter can interact with professionals.
- Rest assured that your daughter can become an engineer and still be close to her family and community.
- Watch TV shows together that encourage learning about math and science, like SciGirls and Design Squad
on PBS. - Create opportunities to do science and math at home, such as encouraging your daughter to take things apart to see how they work. Ask questions to get her thinking about how things work, such as, “How do you get a song to play on an MP3 player?”
- Tour colleges with well-regarded engineering programs.
How to Get Involved with Your Daughter’s School
- You can communicate with your daughter’s teachers and school counselors whenever necessary. Teachers
usually are available before and after school for phone calls and meetings and tend to be good about
answering e-mails. If possible, introduce yourself to teachers at the beginning of the year. - If your daughter is placed in a class that was not requested or is below her level, speak up right away.
Don’t wait—changes to schedules must be made early in the semester, usually the first week of school. - Get involved in the school and community by attending events such as open houses and family nights.
- Set up a meeting with your daughter’s school counselor before her senior year. Counselors have information on financial aid, scholarships, and how to apply to college.
- Encourage your daughter to take math and science classes in high school.
- Encourage your daughter to get involved in after-school activities to learn new things.
- Visit www.schoolcounselor.org for more information.
