Monthly Archives: July 2012
A WORD ABOUT APPLICATIONS
Any application to any school, college, university, graduate school, or place of potential employment is nothing more than an empty stage on which you are being invited to perform for your future. Although it has been designed to be warm, … Continue reading
WHO’S THE CLIENT HERE, ANYWAY?
On a recent afternoon in our office, near Wyomissing, PA, a client and family arrived for an introductory interview and assessment before beginning the application process for boarding school admission. (In our world, the client is always the student, whether … Continue reading
BIG SCHOOL? SMALL SCHOOL?
Whether considering public schools, private day or boarding schools, colleges or universities, the debate never ends. Some parents don’t even want to discuss sending their children to a large school or college. There won’t be enough structure. My child … Continue reading
LEARNING HOW TO LEARN
The main function of formal education – that systematized process of organizing masses of random data into something resembling knowledge – is teaching the skills of learning how to learn. Learning how to learn, of course, is very … Continue reading
Parents: Choose Your Battles Carefully!
Nearly every family that includes both parents and kids is also home to those endless skirmishes that seem never to end. Make your bed. Don’t be so messy. You should be more organized. Your grades need improvement. Nothing electronic until … Continue reading
Developing a Reading Program
We all know that reading – the sheer joy of drawing words from a page – is tonic for the soul, at every age. For children and young adults, though, a reading program beyond the requirements of school has many additional advantages. Sustained … Continue reading
THE PARENT AS COUNSELOR
When a student begins to consider making application to an independent school, college, or university, there are usually several adults available to assist with the process. Often, a guidance counselor assumes the primary role of school or college counselor for a certain … Continue reading
The Well Rounded Applicant
For years, applicants to competitive schools and colleges have been advised – by parents, teachers, guidance counselors, college placement officers, and well intentioned friends alike – to present themselves as “well rounded” individuals: involved in everything, good at most things, … Continue reading
Is Old Fashioned Reading Really Important Anymore?
“My kids aren’t readers. Today, there are so many ways to pick up information, is old fashioned reading really important anymore?” In a recent counseling session with the father of three sons, I came face to face with a … Continue reading
