Lisa Endlich's Blog, page 442

How to Create the Perfect High School Schedule

Very rarely do I come across a quote that so deeply resonates with me and touches every part of my life. Recently, I found myself completely absorbed in the book How to Raise an Adult by Julie Lythcott-Haims. Throughout the book, she so clearly and eloquently states what I think and feel about my profession and role as a mom, with one part in particular leaving a lasting impression:

I believe in humans. I believe that all of us should have the right and chance to make our way in the world. I...

Battling Self Harm, My Parents Saved My Life

I stood in front of the bathroom mirror blow-drying my hair. I was floating around inside my brain, reliving the numerous painful moments that had occurred in the last few weeks.

It had all started with the incredibly adorable and immature Aaron. I had never had a real boyfriend before him and quickly became addicted to his attention. Like any normal young teenagers, we were both hormonal and over-dramatic. I should have known how unstable that cocktail of emotions would become. But I was des...

Dear Penn Freshmen: New Hit Site Offers Honesty and Advice

Call home more often: You will be really busy at Penn; you will see the sun rise over Huntsman far too many nights. However, still call home to your parents and grandparents. They really do want to hear from you and how you are doing. You will be at Penn for four years, but you will have your family more often.

one Penn student writes on Dear Penn Freshmen.

Parents like to give their kids advice as they go off to college. We had four long years at university and since then decades to reflect....

Packing Instructions: Last Night at Home

From our son’s room, the deep rumbling bass of techno music mixes with their laughter. It’s the night before he will move out of our house and into his dorm. Of course he’s left all his packing until now, but what else is new? Actually, what’s new is that his 16-year-old sister has come to his assistance this time, not me or his father. All I’ve done is print out a handy college packing list from the Internet, what to bring, and what to leave home. I hand it to our daughter, then step back.

...

Why I Don’t Want My College Son to Move Home this Summer

At the end of last summer when my college son, Jake, pulled out of our driveway to go back to school, I thought I would be fine. After all, he had a year of college behind him. The hard part was over. But as he waved a causal goodbye, I was suddenly and unexpectedly overwhelmed with a heavy sadness, a renewed sense of loss.

Had we just spent our last summer together? Would he ever spend that much time with us again? Was that the last time he would ever live with us and be a day-to-day part o...

Accepted Students Day: What You Need to Know

If your teen has been accepted into college it’s time to celebrate. But now comes the hard part if they have a choice of schools. Attending an Accepted Students Day is a smart way to help seniors make their final college decision.

Most colleges have an Accepted Students Day which is an optimal time to revisit schools where your teen has been accepted. Although schools sometimes offer programs for parents, this might be a good opportunity for your student to visit by themselves. After all, the...

When a Mother and Daughter Get a Second Chance

On a recent trip to Melbourne, Florida where my daughter is a graduate student at the Florida Institute of Technology, I received an unexpected gift. That of having been right about something. Two things, actually. With my daughter.

My relationship with my now adult daughter was a fairly typical one. As an infant and a little girl, I was her world. Then middle school happened. Slammed doors, tears and anger dominated the years before she went to college. There were a few rare moments of love...

Here’s What’s Wrong With Calling Your College Kid

To phone or not to phone? Here’s why one college student thinks parents should think twice before calling their college kid.

I may be a tech-savvy college student with a smart phone that never leaves my side but I don’t talk to my parents all that often. Thanks to technology, it’s fairly easy for parents and their college kids to keep in touch via texting, FaceTime, phone calls, Skype, Facebook, or any combination. However, I’d be willing to bet every cent in my bank account (which is not a l...

Learning to Love the Garden in an Empty Nest

Years ago, when my husband Howard and I were first dating, he looked around my Manhattan apartment where I’d wedged assorted shriveled plants and flaccid palms into a corner behind my bicycle. He was quiet. “Do you think you’d be better with kids than a garden?” he asked.

I laughed, but wasn’t so sure. “Of course, I love kids!” If only plants would cry for attention, I’d have a better shot at caring for them.

“In my next life,” I told him, “I’ll be a gardener.”

I did feed and water our two c...

The Day I Stopped Talking and Started Listening to My Students

Today my AP Lit seniors entered my classroom exhausted, sick, or both. We stared at each other for a few minutes. As the mother of two teens and a high school teacher, I witness firsthand the effects on students of our testing culture, our early start times, our competitive roads to higher education.

Mariah entered class with bags under her eyes, and slumped shoulders. She was exhausted from having worked until 11 pm the night before. Erick, our student body president, was still recovering f...