I am always amazed at how the summer disappears into winter while I am left wondering, what happened to fall? As parents, we all get so busy (overscheduled) that it is easy to miss!
Westfield recently hosted a workshop that was geared towards high school counseling and college advising. I learned that while we have been creating the most academically gifted students that have ever been seen in higher education in the U.S., college dropouts rates are higher than ever. Today’s college students are lacking soft skills like coping with setbacks, self-discipline, insufficient social skills, and a lack of perseverance. Too often the students have not learned to manage setbacks and have not learned to manage free time (we all overschedule the children). How can we as a school and we as parents help our children with the soft skills?
Raising children is the most challenging, frustrating, rewarding, and meaningful experience in all of humanity. Really, nothing compares to parenting children. Westfield aspires to be a partner and a voice of reason in your parenting journey. Many of our faculty members are parents, and many of us have spent years working with children and youth. We are available to hear your concerns and offer suggestions. We also hope to facilitate thoughtful dialogue grounded in our mission to provide a college prep education within a Christian environment. As such, I encourage you to attend one of the parenting programs that we are hosting next week with John Rosemond. I first heard John Rosemond about 15 years ago and found his ideas to be accessible, concrete, and consistent with a Christian worldview.
My personal goal is to facilitate a parent program in each of the following two years as well. My early thought, subject to change, is that next year’s program will be focused on technology and screen time. I hope to facilitate a dialogue regarding current research on screen time, healthy use of social media, and the effects of 24/7 cell phones. Then, the following year, I would like to facilitate a dialogue on student wellness including sleep, stress, emotional health, and nutrition. I would love to get some feedback on these topics and want to know how we can help you through the parenting journey.
W. Carroll
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