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| September 2009 Newsletter |
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| Parenting Strategies
SuccessfulCollegeParenting.com |
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| Greetings! |
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Even in Ireland......
 After ten days of touring in Ireland, I decided to pick-up the weekend edition of The Irish Times and read for a bit.
I was struck to find two articles, within moments of opening the paper, that focused on pre-college students and recent post-college graduates. Then, the front page of the Monday edition had yet another college-related article.
So what was in the Irish news?
"Survival skills for college-bound kids," promoted a crash course in cooking "simple, healthy meals on a budget." The course was 4-days and cost €590 including a daily lunch.
What Future for Generation Now? identified that recent graduates were bearing the brunt of unemployment. Some of the recent graduates remained optimistic while others were "applying for volunteering" to try and keep their skills fresh.
The front page headline stated that "Over 20% drop out of university science and technology courses." The article went on to explain that this is occurring after students' first year in college, and government and university officials agreed that this rate was unacceptably high.
It was interesting to see that the U.S and Ireland are experiencing similar trends, and that parents, the media, and univeristy and government officials in both countries are aware and concerned. |
| Back To School - Returning To The Unknown |
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Students frequently share with me that, as much as it feels familiar to head back to school, whether it is college or high school, they often experience feelings of uncertainty. Our children, even if we know them to be confident, will likely experience "Back to School" with varying degrees of stress, anxiety, confidence, excitement, anticipation, and sadness. We can also be certain that one or more of the feelings will be experienced with greater intensity when our children are entering totally new environments.
Read the complete article |
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| KAY'S NEWS |
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Presentation: Navigating Your Relationship With Your Child, Berklee College of Music, August 2009
Co-designing workshop proposal: Rehabilitation & Transition Conference, Wisconsin Rehabilitation Association & Rehabilitation for Wisconsin, Inc. | |
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| Communication Central |
Communicating during stressful times is particularly challenging for most families. There are individual viewpoints and different communication styles which often bump up against each other. Add a little worry to the mix and conversations can devolve pretty quickly. Yet during stressful times we actually need to communicate with heightened effectiveness.
How do your family's communication patterns impact the level of stress in your household?
Are there communication habits that you have that add to the stress and tension in your home? Are there communication habits that other family members have that make your head spin? Consider talking to each other, when not in the midst of a stressful situation, to learn more about how family members prefer to communicate.
When situations are particularly stressful, consider finding ways for family members to share their needs, express how they feel without placing blame, and truly listen to each other without offering comments or input. Together, ride out the stress, and when possible, uncover options that engage everyone in resolving some aspect of the stressor. Stress is inevitable, but how we choose to process it is often within our control. |
| Did you know... |
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The 2008 Open Doors Report, produced by the the Institute of International Education, states that "over the past decade the number of U.S. students studying abroad has increased by over 150 percent."
In November 2007, the Institute reported that "study abroad increased...to a total of 223,534 <students>."
NAFSA: Association of International Educators, advises that "today's global challenges demand international competence. Americans who study abroad in quality programs for academic credit;engage in service and experiential learning, internships, and research; and study foreign areas and languages are far better prepared for the demands of the twenty-first century."
Going abroad requires advance research, preparation and planning. Most colleges and universities offer study abroad programs in the junior year, with applications due in the sophomore year.
If you haven't done so already, consider talking to your child about options and opportunities to travel abroad to tour or study through school, summer programs, or community groups. |
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Enjoy this month's newsletter and please feel free to e-mail me with topics you'd like to learn more about. SuccessfulCollegeParenting.com is your resource for enhancing your child's college experience. Visit the website to read this month's article and access our archive.
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