Parenting changes during the college years… College Students need parenting but a different kind of parenting. Actually, parenting college students is crucial. The maturing student must successfully negotiate these final years, their launching years from teen to adult.
During College, the student experiences doubts, insecurities, and other challenges that create anxiety, or the “leaving the nest” syndrome. The guidance that parents offer to their children during these college years will help them to cope with their anxieties. Home is still their anchor.
By effectively parenting college students, both the student and the parent will reap benefits now and in the future.
One of my recommendations is for Moms and Dads to encourage year-round school attendance. Parents should explore the advantages of summer school attendance with their student. The mere discussion keeps the child and parent connected. They decide together if this is something that will work for the family. This is a new idea. Sometimes the student has never even considered the benefits of remaining on campus and plugged in to the life they have established there.
When a college student knows that their parents are providing some over sight, they actually experience less anxiety. Just as in pre-school, they feel safe. Its a great benefit to take a difficult classes during the summer while they are not carrying a full course load. Then there i Continue reading »
Each summer, the Walnut Hill School, in Natick, MA, offers young artists from all over the world an extensive summer school for the arts. Students can study ballet opera theatre, visual arts, or writing & publishing. The programs in the summer school for the arts provide students with individualized instruction, group classes, and opportunities for performances and exhibitions. Students live in residence halls on Walnut Hill’s 30-acre campus. Proximity to Boston and Cambridge allows summer school participants many opportunities to attend concerts and performances at some of the most highly acclaimed cultural and educational institutions in the world.
There are three summer dance programs offered: a dance program for 7-10 year olds, the summer youth dance program for 10-13 year olds, and the summer dance program for 13-17 year olds. Serious, aspiring dancers are taught by world-renowned artists, in a demanding yet supportive atmosphere. Walnut Hill Alumni include famous dancers, including Gillian Murphy, principal dancer with the American Ballet Theater.
The opera programs involve a trip to Europe, where students expand their minds by exploring the culture of their art. Opera students participate in intensive study on campus, travel to La Scala opera house and the Verona Opera Festival in Italy, and return to perform at Walnut Hill. Writing & Publishing students study poetry, prose, and playw Continue reading »