Newswise — Whether it's the anxiety of leaving home for college, dealing with an elementary school bully or fighting the "Freshman 15," families are priming themselves for the back-to-school issues that arise as students return to classrooms and campuses across the country.
Temple University experts are available to discuss any back-to-school butterflies--from the uncertainty of a new grade to learning to live with a roommate.
Going off to college
Making the leap from high school to college--with all its attendant freedoms--can be a complicated transition for many teenagers. Two Temple experts offer advice to ensure that the adjustment is as smooth as possible:
-Jodi Levine, assistant vice provost for university studies Whether it is choosing a major or strengthening one's study habits, Levine will ease the college freshman experience for the 4,000 new students entering Temple this fall. The University provides learning communities and freshman seminars to help first-time college students manage the social and academic dimensions of college.
"One trap students fall into is assuming college is just like high school and relying on the same academic and social habits. College-level learning is very different from high school academics--students are expected to read more and to manage their workloads independently. With more freedom comes more responsibility. Students should be prepared to cut back in other areas or change work hours if they find themselves falling behind with schoolwork."
-John DiMino, director of Tuttleman Counseling Services DiMino supervises programs for both students and parents to learn to cope with the emotions of the college experience.
"The key is to have open communication about a range of topics--dating, sex, drugs and alcohol and studying, for example. I encourage parents to let students know what they believe. At the same time, I tell students to have a conversation on an adult level if they want their parents to see them as adults. The main issue is negotiating the separation that arises as children grow up, which is often highlighted when they go off to college. Students should become independent and competent, but parents are always a solid foundation to which they can come back."
Housing/roommates
-Rose Romett, assistant director of resident life Romett advises students and parents through the thorny issues--from dividing the chores to respecting each other's study habits--that can arise when sharing a space with a new face.
"What's important is that students define respect and learn how to compromise. A lot of roommates come in thinking they'll be best friends, but sometimes it's better not to be. Most problems can be resolved by communicating each other's needs and being willing to listen to others. Our residence halls are full of different cultures, and most students embrace that. When there is a conflict and students work through it and get to the other side, it's awesome. They come away a better person."
Career development
-Chet Rispoli, director of Career Development Services Preparing to land a job after graduation may not be a top priority for many freshmen who are just feeling their way around campus, but Rispoli urges students to take steps toward employment early in their college careers.
"I tell students two things when they arrive on campus: Perform a self-assessment to get to know yourself better, and explore your career options through the various channels on campus, whether it is peer mentoring, co-ops or internships. That way, they get a better sense of where they might fit into the workplace. Choosing a career path is a matter of self-discovery. Students should be careful not to make that judgment too quickly, but gather information about themselves and research what options are available. I encourage them to make wide use of their electives and participate in the various campus groups and clubs to find out what they like."
Summer Reading Project
Temple will welcome freshmen from locales as far as Minnesota and Puerto Rico and as near as its own zip code this year. But, regardless of their hometown, all first-time students are tackling the same homework assignment. By designating James Loewen's Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong as the summer reading selection for the Class of 2007, Temple is asking freshmen to rethink the many myths of U.S. history. Loewen's award-winning work contends that folklore passes for American history in many high schools, which produce graduates ignorant of their collective past. The author will jump-start the academic year on Sept. 23 when he squares off against history and social studies professors and area educators in a University-wide debate during a campus visit. Philadelphia's cradle of history will also come under scrutiny when Loewen leads a group of freshmen on a tour of Independence National Historical Park to point out misrepresentations of history at the site.
Buying a computer for school
-Peter Cook, dean's appointment in Computer and Information Science Along with the "standard" school supplies, you might be looking to buy your student a new computer--or upgrading your old one--for their use in school or college this fall.
"First, see what type of computer your child's school or university might have," advises Cook. "If they have Macintosh, which is especially prevalent in education, then that's what you want to consider getting. If not, then I would recommend a standard PC." With today's networked world, Cook advises checking to see if that college-bound computer will need a network card inside. "Give a call to the university's computer services office or check the university's web site to see what the student will need to connect to the university network."
Student fitness
-Anne Wilkinson, assistant director of recreation services From yoga to spinning to aquaboxing (martial arts in a swimming pool), Wilkinson coordinates student fitness activities in Temple's mammoth Independence Blue Cross Student Recreation Center.
"Because the phrase has become so prevalent, the dreaded 'Freshman 15' doesn't seem to be occurring as much anymore. A lot of students are gaining that weight in their sophomore, junior and senior years, because--like many failed workout programs--they are unable to stick with it or sacrifice fitness for other needs. Students must achieve a balance between caloric intake and output by eating nutritiously and maintaining activity levels. The hardest part about starting a workout is walking through the gym doors. Once you're in, it's easy."
Back-to-school anxieties
-Philip Kendall, psychology professor and director of the Child & Adolescent Anxiety Disorders Clinic
It's normal for children to have some nervousness when they move into a new class or grade. But children whose anxiety levels go beyond first-day butterflies will need counseling help if their anxieties interfere with schoolwork, friendships or family life, says Kendall.
"Some kids have an eagerness, a positive glow, about heading back to school," says Kendall. "But there will be a chunk whose anxiety will overshadow eagerness. Kids with anxiety disorders will often find a way to avoid a situation or activity that is typical for their age. They will have physical symptoms like headaches, stomach aches or muscle tension. Or they will have excessive worry about a situation that's not age appropriate, bringing adult probabilities into a situation inaccurately."
School violence/bullying -Irwin Hyman, school psychology professor and author of Dangerous Schools: What We Can Do About the Physical and Emotional Abuse of Our Children Classroom safety is a concern for any parent whose child goes off to school. But Hyman notes that parents should be aware that it's not only kids who bully kids. "Be aware that kids can be bullied by teachers, coaches and administrators, as well as peers," says Hyman, director of the National Center for the Study of Corporal Punishment and Alternatives at Temple. Parents, says Hyman, should be aware of the social climate of their child's school and should know what kinds of programs are in place to combat bullying, teasing and student alienation. "The chance of a child getting killed by violence in a school is actually minute. Parents should be more concerned about maltreatment of students."
Juggling career and your kid's school work
-Annette Lareau, sociology professor and author of the new book Unequal Childhoods: Class, Race and Family Life With both parents working and kids spending more time then ever in organized and supervised after school activities, many parents dread the busy pace of the school year as much as their children. But the amount of time and interest parents devote to many of their children's activities varies greatly according to social class, says Lareau. "Class does make a difference in the lives and futures of American children," says Lareau, who groups parents into two groups that fall largely along class lines. "Middle-class parents, whether black or white, engage in a process of 'concerted cultivation' designed to draw out children's talents and skills," she says.
"Working-class and poor families rely on 'the accomplishment of natural growth' in which a child's development unfolds spontaneously--as long as basic comfort, food, and shelter are provided." While both parenting styles have benefits, Lareau warns that many institutions, particularly schools, have come to equate "concerted cultivation" with good parenting and "accomplishment of natural growth" with bad parenting. "Instead of making judgments, we need to understand these class differences and figure out how to provide appropriate support for all parents," says Lareau. Unequal Childhoods: Class, Race and Family Life will be published in September.
An online version of this release is available through the Office of News and Media Relations website at: http://www.temple.edu/news_media/nmr0308_154.html.
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