| Education is something that continues from the day we are
born until the day we die. In some cases, it's formal, with
definite starting and finishing times and a specific course of
study. After high school, some children go on to university,
college, community college, or a technical school. Oftentimes,
that's our children's first experience with true independence,
which is a completely different kind of education. And, in
addition to the formal subjects, schools of higher education
also offer learning in social skills and other life skills.
The freshman year offers the potential for pitfalls, and
students show their ability or lack of ability to handle
independence quickly.
Food, money, recreation and study habits are the four most
common problem areas in the freshman year. You can help your
child succeed by talking with them about this ahead of time and
helping them set specific goals in each of these areas.
Food: With the multiple choices in the school cafeteria, and
no one monitoring their intake, children may choose based on
taste rather than nutrition. The infamous 'freshman fifteen'
weight gain comes from this.
Money: Unprepared students are likely to run into disastrous
problems when they are suddenly expected to make payments for
books, housing and tuition.
Recreation: Without supervision and a curfew, freshmen can
get caught up in the excitement of seemingly unlimited time to
play. Sometimes their dorm mates are of legal drinking age,
leading to the temptation to party all the time when that seems
to be the only opportunity for fun and socializing.
Study habits: Regular studying rather than last minute
cramming is essential. Being a full time student is equivalent
to having a full time job, and freshmen are often surprised by
how much time they need to study in addition to the time spent
in class.
You can help your college-bound child prepare for school by
talking with her about these potential problem areas, and
helping her set realistic goals. During the senior year in high
school, you can help your teenager prepare for college by giving
her the chance to practice more independence while still living
at home.
You can give your teenager the opportunity to schedule his
own time, to choose his own food, to budget his money and time,
within some limits. It's important to be balanced, giving him
some freedom yet not too much.
The danger for teenagers who have had no choices at home is
that they tend to go out of control when they first get to
college and have complete freedom. Setting goals and achieving
them, making wise decisions, and learning self- discipline are
all habits that are learned over time, not overnight.
Of course, some students are better off taking some time
between high school and college, or attending a community
college and continuing to live at home. This gives your teenager
the opportunity to learn important life skills before going on
to formal education. As a parent, you can help your child to
evaluate and decide the best route. If your student needs more
time to develop maturity and life skills, you are wise to give
them the time rather than pushing them before they are ready.
Whether your teenager goes directly from high school to
college or takes a break, you can help them make choices and
develop skills that will serve them well throughout their lives.
Lila Norden is a career counselor with 14 years' experience
as an educator. Lila offers valuable information to help you
make decisions about your education and career. Visit her web
site Education
Times. Additional articles by Lila are also at
FP Employment
and FLS Job
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