Alice Rush is the owner and founder of CareerU® Counseling Center in Folsom. She has observed that one of our biggest problems and aggravators to modern teen stress is the perception that our kids are only as secure as where they are accepted into college.
“I have strong passions and devoted knowledge about education and teen stress, having worked in the education counseling field for the past 18 years.” Rush said.
In the network culture, peer pressure is intensified.
Our sense of worth and purpose can easily be defined on terms that are not in our best interest. As a result the emotional backpacks our children carry can weigh a lot more than the one’s we carried as children.
“As a parent of two college bound children as well, I get this one. We feel if our kids are accepted into the best college right out of high school, their future will be golden, right? This may be good for some, but not for all,” Rush said.
Based upon real experience with her clients, Rush offers some truth to counter this relentless pressure, aimed at our families like a fire hose.
- Parents need to assure their children if they don’t get into the college of their dreams upon graduation of high school, there is still time and opportunity.
- There is no need to rush to achieve everything in the high school years. AP classes and extra curricular activities in high school are great for challenging one’s brain and capabilities, and there is additional time to work on their academic, and diversified social value (community service, studying or working abroad) over the next few years.
- Earning a degree can be half the price. Attending a junior college right out of high school will allow you to expand your resume, work towards a degree, and eventually transfer to a university.
To read more go to: How parents help students tame academic anxiety
Parent Resources
- Banana Moments
- Smart Money for Smart Schools
- CareerU (Folsom)
- Race to Nowhere - Placer youth in the Network Culture seek a conversation about our education culture
(Ref:458-e)
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