College Planning and Decision Making

Private schools thrive on the active involvement of parents in various aspects of their children's educational experience. These institutions greatly value the contributions of parents in creating a vibrant and supportive community. Volunteering at your child's private school not only fosters a stronger connection with the institution but also sets an excellent example for your child. In this article, we'll explore various ways you can get involved and make a meaningful impact on your children's educational journey.

Parent-Teacher Associations (PTA)

Most private schools have a Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) that plays a crucial role in building a strong school community. Joining the PTA provides parents with opportunities to participate in school-wide initiatives, fundraisers, and events. These organizations often serve as a bridge between parents, teachers, and school administrators. A well-organized, well-run PTA can also become one of your school's most effective marketing tools. Satisfied parents talk and spread the word about the school which means so much to them.

This video explains why it is important to be involved in your school's parent-teacher organization.

Classroom Assistance

Offering to assist in your child's classroom is an excellent way to get directly involved in their education. Teachers often appreciate having volunteers to help with various tasks, such as reading with students, organizing materials, or supervising field trips. By doing so, you can gain insights into your child's daily school life and build a closer relationship

Traveling in uncertain times is a challenge for most of us adults. So, imagine how many dangers, real and imagined, a young person will face. Recently I flew to Aguascalientes, Mexico. Although I have been flying for many years, I became acutely aware of how challenging flying has become in this pandemic era. Masking and social distancing aside, I encountered many new obstacles that were not part of my travel experience even a few years ago. I'll point some of these out.

The young traveler

Whether you send your child off to visit her grandparents or send her back to school, you know she has to travel safely. After all, you have experienced just about every situation and glitch you can imagine during your travels. But remember that you were traveling as an adult. You had the financial resources to book a hotel room the minute the airline canceled your flight, and your flight out was early the following morning. You knew what to do to comply with TSA requirements as you made your way through airport security.

Most importantly, you were streetsmart and aware of your surroundings and had an exit path ready in case of some crisis. These are just a few of the things that you need to teach your children before they travel alone. David P. writing on Passportinfo.com, offers sound advice in his article Teens Traveling Alone – What You Need To Know.

This video offers some airport tips

We have written these articles to help you and your children navigate the high school years in private school. We hope that you will find them helpful.

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Snowplow, velcro, and helicopter really are synonyms describing parents who try very hard to manage their children's lives. While I have written about velcro parents, I was amused and, at the same time, disheartened to discover this new, pejorative term for parents who won't let their kids be stand-alone adults, namely, snowplow parents.

Helicopter parents are real. They exist. You probably even know a couple of them. I encountered a helicopter parent years ago when I was managing a call center in Raleigh, North Carolina. We were interviewing candidates for account manager positions. The candidate in question made it through the screening interview but failed the interview with the sales managers. The next day the candidate's mother showed up in our lobby demanding to know why we would not employ her son. He was 24 years old! Needless to say, she was not successful in getting her son a job with us. I was appalled that a parent would act that way.

As a school teacher, I also encountered my share of what I would describe charitably as concerned parents. At least they kept their distance. My late wife and I acted in the same way with our children's teachers and other adults they dealt with in their daily lives. Yes, we heard tales of woe about Miss So-and-So or heard how mean Mr. S. the soccer coach was. But we kept our distance. We gave advice and guidance. But our kids had to sort things out on

As a young person, I can remember being told that I had to go to college. My mother had finished high school. Dad flunked out of first-year engineering. World War II was raging. They signed up in the Royal Canadian Air Force. That experience shaped their adult lives in profound ways. That's really what a college education should be about. It can shape lives in profound ways. To make sure that happens you must consider five metrics when choosing a college. Yes, there are more than five metrics involved in selecting the right college, however, let's keep it simple for the moment. Choosing a college can be an overwhelming process.

I am assuming that your child is in a private school with grades 9-12 or 13. That being the case, you will have the advantage of a professional guidance counselor to help you choose the best college for your child. Instead of dealing with hundreds of seniors as a public school guidance counselor does, your school's guidance counselor will be able to allocate enough time to help you with the process of choosing the right college. You can enhance the process further by hiring an education consultant. We did that for one of our daughters and it was worth every dollar we spent.

These are the metrics that I recommend that you discuss and explore thoroughly as you search for the right college for your child. Please include your child in the discussions. She will not appreciate