School

It’s back-to-school time. And this year is certainly shaping up to be different than any other. Planning is challenging and the news we receive continues to change. Just when you think you are ready to go, you learn you have to pivot to another option. Below are some tips to build success during this year, not just for your student but for parents, too.

Imagine you need to do research to meet an important deadline. You sit down to work on it, but the TV is on in the background, your phone is buzzing with new updates on social media, and you haven’t eaten dinner yet. It’s difficult for even the most competent adult to manage these external factors and still meet their goal.
The link between academic struggles and depression can start as early as elementary school. A new study suggests that children who are doing well in classrooms are more popular and emotionally secure than their peers who are having trouble academically. But not for the reasons we typically expect.
The school year is back in full swing and many students we work with are feeling overwhelmed. Parents want nothing more than to help their children, but often, this isn’t the message their kids hear. What you say and how you say it can make all the difference in how your child feels and acts, so how do you communicate your concerns to them without it turning into an argument?
Labor Day: A long weekend of barbeques, trips to the beach, retail sales and vacation. Also, the last weekend of summer and the last hoorah before school and fall schedules begin–YIKES! Labor Day tends to evoke two very different emotions in people–excitement over the former and dread over the latter. For many, summer consists of 2 months of relaxation, lighter workloads, no school and traveling. Transitioning from this lifestyle back to reality (5 day workweeks, school/homework, and a heavier workload) can send anyone into a frenzy!
Test anxiety and the pressure to perform academically or professionally can be detrimental to one's self-esteem. Even some of the most brilliant people can struggle with managing their emotions when it comes to high-pressured situations like presentations, taking tests or speaking in front of others. If your child is showing signs of anxiety around school or if you are feeling overwhelmed about work, the tools in this post will be helpful.
As any high school senior knows, the start of spring does not necessarily call to mind flowers and warmer weather. It means a plethora of emotions such as excitement, anxiety and fear; followed by emails, envelopes from colleges, and then more emotions. Spring is “college admissions decision time” and the focus of high school seniors is on determining which college or university is best for them and how they will spend the next four years.
With many of my clients transitioning from middle school to high school this past year, there has been a common theme with parents scrambling to put rules and guidelines in place. As a result, their teenagers are protesting: "I’m in high school! Why do I have MORE rules? That doesn’t make sense!"
Sound familiar? Your child with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) fidgets and squirms his way through school and homework, but seems laser-focused and motionless sitting in front of the TV watching an action thriller. When a parent or a teacher sees a child who can sit perfectly still in one condition and yet in another they're all over the place, the first thing they say is, “well, they could sit still if they wanted to.”
Research published in the journal Psychological Medicine found that the onset of a new mental disorder may be a consequence of exclusion from school. Excluded children can develop a range of mental disorders, such as depression and anxiety as well as behavioral problems. There can be a long-term impact on education and progress by excluding a child from school. This study suggests that their mental health may also deteriorate.
It’s important to be understanding – even when you don’t get where you child is coming from. As parents, we have all been in the situation where we don’t understand why our child is losing it over something that seems so minor. The same could be said for sometimes not getting it when it comes to what our family or friends are going through.