FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJuly 18, 2001
Contact: Sarah R. Smith or Kevin P. Cox336-758-5237http://www.wfu.edu/wfunews/tips
BACK-TO-SCHOOL STORY IDEAS FROM WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY
SAY 'SI' TO EARLY FOREIGN LANGUAGE EDUCATIONIt can improve your brainpower, listening ability and your competitive edge in the workplace. Foreign language education has long been required in high school, but Wake Forest Associate Professor of Education Mary Lynn Redmond says it should start much earlier. "The work force has an increased demand for people who can speak foreign languages at a sophisticated level," she says.
"School administrators have to think out of the box and look at foreign language study as a regular part of the curriculum." Redmond is a past president of the National Network for Early Language Learning and edited the book "Teacher to Teacher: Model Lessons for K-8 Foreign Language." She directs foreign language education and supervises student teachers at Wake Forest, and has advised local school districts in developing foreign language curriculum.
UNDERSTANDING THE CHALLENGES OF MIDDLE SCHOOLElevated expectations from teachers, parents and peers make the transition to middle school a tough time for 11-year-olds. But parents can help ease that transition, says Christy Buchanan, associate professor of psychology at Wake Forest and an expert on adolescence. "It is important for parents to be aware of the stresses entering middle school can cause," she says.
"Adolescents are going through a lot of changes, both physically and cognitively." Talking with students is crucial, adds counseling expert Samuel T. Gladding, professor of counselor education at Wake Forest. "Regularly give the child time to talk about difficulties and to brag about achievements," he suggests. Sharing stories of their own memories from middle school is another way parents can connect with their child.
GETTING IN GOOD WITH THE TEACHERMuch of a student's success in school depends on parental involvement, says Donna Henderson, associate professor of counselor education at Wake Forest University. A former teacher and school counselor for 12 years, she suggests several ways to open the lines of communication between parent and teacher. "Don't wait for a problem to talk to the teacher," she says. "Parents should communicate with the teacher to discuss the student's needs and the teacher's expectations before there is a chance for misunderstanding."
FROM A 'ROOM OF ONE'S OWN' TO A ROOM WITH TWOToday's children are accustomed to sleeping in their own room and using their own bathroom. When they head to college, adjusting to living with a roommate in close quarters can be stressful. Connie Carson, Wake Forest's director of residence life and housing, says parents can help prepare their children before they start packing. "For first-year students today, who haven't ever had to hash out with another person how much quiet time they need or what items are off-limits for borrowing, it can be tough feeling comfortable setting boundaries," says Carson.
"Parents can help ease this transition by simply discussing these things with their child before the student comes to school." Like many schools, Wake Forest matches freshmen with similar lifestyle preferences in housing assignments. Freshmen also sign a "Roommate Agreement" that outlines particulars like music level, cleanliness and sleeping patterns.
THE KIDS ARE GONE--NOW WHAT?The transition to college can often be harder for the parents than the student, but helping parents understand the changes their freshman will experience at college while encouraging them to focus on their own relationship can help, says Johnne Armentrout, assistant director of Wake Forest's counseling center. She leads a "College Transition" program for parents of Wake Forest freshmen each fall.
Like many university orientation programs, it helps prepare parents for their child's first year of college; but unlike most other programs, the Wake Forest workshop dedicates an entire day to nurturing the parents' relationship. Armentrout calls it a mini marriage retreat. "We ask the parents to think back to when they were dating and remember what they used to do together before they were parents," she says. "Anything that makes the parents' lives happier and more stable will help the student."
###
RSS