PRESENTATION FOR PARENTS OF 6TH GRADERS PATRICK HENRY SCHOOL

BY GEORGE DOOLEY COUNSELOR, SCHOOL OF CONTINUING EDUCATION NORTH ORANGE COUNTY COMMUNITY

COLLEGE DISTRICT

YOUR CHILD’S SCHOOL YEARS ARE

REALLY IMPORTANT. IN FACT, THEY

ARE SO IMPORTANT THAT THEY WILL

AFFECT WHAT CHOICES YOUR CHILD

MAY HAVE FOR THE REST OF HIS/HER

LIFE!

TODAY’S WORKSHOP WILL GIVE YOU

A BETTER UNDERSTANDING ON WHY

EDUCATION IS IMPORTANT AND HOW

YOU CAN HELP YOUR CHILD BE A

SUCCESS IN THE FUTURE.

YOUR CHILD MAY ALREADY HAVE AN

IDEA OF WHAT HE/SHE PLANS TO DO

AFTER HIGH SCHOOL. THIS IDEA MAY

BE REALISTIC, LIKE GOING ON TO

COLLEGE OR WORKING IN THE FAMILY

BUSINESS.

OR, IT MAY BE MORE OF A DREAM, LIKE

BECOMING A SOCCER PLAYER. OR

PERHAPS YOUR CHILD IS INTERESTED

IN MANY DIFFERENT THINGS AT THIS

POINT IN THEIR LIFE.

WHATEVER FUTURE YOUR CHILD

DREAMS ABOUT, DECISIONS THAT YOU

AND HE/SHE MAKE NOW AND DURING

HIGH SCHOOL CAN BE VERY

IMPORTANT!

REMEMBER: YOUNG PEOPLE CHANGE

THEIR MINDS OFTEN, SO THE BEST

PLAN IS TO KEEP OPTIONS OPEN.

LETS’ LOOK AT SOME THINGS YOUR

CHILD CAN DO TO PREPARE FOR

WHATEVER THE FUTURE HOLDS.

TAKE CONTROL—LEARN TO BE A GOOD STUDENT

MANY YOUNG PEOPLE DO NOT ENJOY

GOING TO SCHOOL. THEY FIND IT

BORING OR THEY FEEL TRAPPED IN

CLASSROOMS WHERE SOMETIMES

THEY DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT IS

BEING TAUGHT.

THEY MAY FEEL EMBARRASED TO ASK

FOR HELP. LET’S LOOK AT FEW WAYS

YOU CAN HELP YOUR CHILD IN SCHOOL.

1. SIT CLOSE TO THE FRONT OF THE

CLASSROOM WHEN POSSIBLE.

2. JOIN IN CLASS DISCUSSIONS.

YOU WILL LEARN MORE BY BEING

A PART OF THE CONVERSATION

INSTEAD OF JUST SITTING THERE.

3. ASK QUESTIONS! IF YOU DON’T

UNDERSTAND SOMETHING IT’S

OK, CHANCES ARE OTHERS IN THE

CLASS DON’T UNDERSTAND EITHER.

4. KEEP UP WITH CLASS WORK.

WHEN THE TEACHER GIVES THEM

HOMEWORK HAVE THEM DO IT

RIGHT AWAY. CHECK WITH YOUR

CHILD THAT THEY ARE DOING THE

WORK AND DOING IT RIGHT.

5. ASK FOR HELP IN ANY CLASS IN

WHICH YOU FIND THAT THEY ARE

FALLING BEHIND. REMEMBER THE

TEACHERS ARE THERE TO HELP

THEM!

6. ENCOURAGE YOUR CHILD TO TAKE

COMPUTER CLASSES. THIS WILL

HELP THEM WITH THEIR SCHOOL

WORK AND USE THE COMPUTER.

7. LEARN TO TAKE GOOD CLASS

NOTES. THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT

SKILL THAT YOUR CHILD WILL NEED

AS THEY GO ON IN SCHOOL.

8. LEARN TO PROOFREAD, CORRECT

AND REWRITE THEIR WRITTEN

WORK. NEVER LET THEM TURN IN

ANYTHING THAT IS NOT THEIR

BEST EFFORT.

9. DEVELOP TEST-TAKING SKILLS.

IF YOU ARE UNSURE ON HOW TO

HELP THEM ASK THEIR TEACHER

OR COUNSELOR.

TALKING WITH YOUR CHILD ABOUT

THESE TIPS MAY HELP HIM/HER

UNDERSTAND THAT IT IS WITHIN HIS OR

HER POWER TO BE A BETTER STUDENT.

LIFE AFTER HIGH SCHOOL

NOW IS THE TIME FOR YOU CHILD TO

BEGIN TO EXPLORE WHAT TO DO WITH

THEIR LIFE AFTER HIGH SCHOOL. THEY

WILL BE ASKING QUESTIONS LIKE:

1) SHOULD I GO TO COLLEGE?

2) SHOULD I GO TO WORK?

3) SHOULD I JOIN THE MILITARY?

WHY ATTEND COLLEGE?

EVEN THOUGH JOINING THE MILITARY

OR GOING TO WORK ARE GOOD

CHOICES, A COLLEGE DEGREE CAN

PROVIDE YOUR CHILD WITH MANY

OPPORTUNITIES IN LIFE.

A COLLEGE EDUCATION CAN MEAN:

1) GREATER KNOWLEDGE A COLLEGE EDUCATION WILL INCREASE YOUR CHILD’S ABILITY TO THINK, EXPRESS THEMSELVES CLEARLY IN SPEECH AND WRITING, AND MAKE WISE DECISIONS.

2) MORE MONEY

A PERSON WHO ATTENDS COLLEGE

GENERALLY EARNS MORE THAN A

PERSON WHO DOES NOT.

3) GREATER POTENTIAL

A COLLEGE EDUCATION CAN HELP

INCREASE YOUR CHILD’S UNDER-

STANDING OF THE COMMUNITY,

THE NATION AND THE WORLD.

4) MORE JOB OPPORTUNITIES

THE WORLD IS CHANGING RAPIDLY.

MANY JOBS RELY ON TECHNOLOGY

AND ALREADY REQUIRE MORE BRAIN

POWER THAN MUSCLE POWER.

WHAT TYPE OF COLLEGES ARE THERE?

GOOD QUESTION. MOST PEOPLE ARENOT AWARE THAT THERE ARE MANYDIFFERENT TYPES OF COLLEGES.THIS SHOULD HELP. THERE ARE:1) COMMUNITY COLLEGES2) TECHNICAL/VOCATIONAL3) FOUR YEAR COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES.

LET’S TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT EACH.

1) COMMUNITY COLLEGES

THESE ARE PUBLIC, TWO-YEAR

COLLEGES. THEY MOSTLY SERVE

STUDENTS FROM NEARBY

COMMUNITIES.

THEY OFFER ACADEMIC COURSES,

TECHNICAL COURSES AND ADULT

EDUCATION. THE PROGRAMS THAT

ARE OFFERED OFTEN LEAD TO A

LICENSE, CERTIFICATE OR AN AA/AS

ASSOCIATE DEGREE.

COLLEGES LIKE CYPRESS COLLEGE,

FULLERTON COLLEGE, SANTA ANA

COLLEGE, GOLDENWEST,AND MANY

MORE IN THIS AREA FALL INTO THIS

CATEGORY.

2) TECHNICAL COLLEGES GENERALLY

HAVE A SPECIAL EMPHASIS ON

EDUCATION AND TRAINING IN

TECHNICAL FIELDS. THEY MAY BE

PUBLIC OR PRIVATE.

EXAMPLES OF THESE COLLEGES ARE:

BRYMAN SCHOOLS

ITT

CAREER ACADEMY OF BEAUTY

HORIZON LEARNING CENTERS

(COMPUTERS)

3) FOUR YEAR COLLEGES AND

UNIVERSITIES.

THESE SCHOOLS USUALLY OFFER A

BACHELOR OF ARTS(BA) OR

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE(BS) DEGREE.

SOME ALSO OFFER GRADUATE AND

PROFESSIONAL DEGREES.

EXAMPLES OF THESE COLLEGES ARE:CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY ATFULLERTON, LONG BEACH, RIVERSIDEAND ALMOST EVERY MAJOR CITY.

UNIVERSITIES INCLUDE: UCLA, USCAND OTHER MAJOR CITIES AROUNDTHE UNITED STATES AND WORLD.

IS IT EXPENSIVE FOR MY CHILD TO GO TO COLLEGE?

ANOTHER GOOD QUESTION.

MANY ADULTS BELIEVE THAT COLLEGE

IS REALLY EXPENSIVE AND THAT THEY

WILL NOT BE ABLE TO SEND THEIR

CHILD TO COLLEGE. THIS IS FAR FROM

THE TRUTH.

ALTHOUGH SOME COLLEGES ARE

EXPENSIVE, COSTS VARY FROM

COLLEGE TO COLLEGE. AT THE

COMMUNITY COLLEGE (2YEAR)

SCHOOL TUITION IS AROUND $26.00

PER UNIT. OK WHAT DOES THIS

MEAN?

LET’S LOOK AT THIS EXAMPLE:

YOUR CHILD HAS DECIDED THAT THEY

WOULD LIKE TO GO TO CYPRESS OR

FULLERTON COLLEGE. HERE IS THE

BREAKDOWN OF THEIR EXPENSES.

TUITION IS THE AMOUNT OF MONEY

THAT A STUDENT IS CHARGED FOR

INSTRUCTION, AND FOR THE USE OF

THE COLLEGE FACILITIES, SUCH AS

LIBRARIES. BOOKS AND OTHER FEES

ARE NOT INCLUDED IN THE TUITION.

IF THEY WISH TO GO TO SCHOOL FULL

TIME THAT WOULD BE 12 OR MORE

UNITS. AT THE CURRENT TUITION THAT

MEANS THIS

12 UNITS @ $26.00 PER UNIT= $312.00

THAT WOULD BE (4) 3 CREDIT CLASSES.

US HISTORY 3 UNITS

ENGLISH 3 UNITS

SPEECH 3 UNITS

MATH 3 UNITS

12 UNITS

BOOKS WILL VARY FROM CLASS TO

CLASS BUT ON AN AVERAGE AROUND

$50.00-$100.00 PER CLASS.

OTHER FEES COULD BE STUDENT

HEALTH CENTER OR ACTIVITIES FEES.

IS THERE HELP AVAILABLE?

YOU BET THERE IS!

IF COLLEGE IS A GOAL, DON’T WORRY

ABOUT COSTS AT THIS POINT.

IF YOU CHILD DECIDES TO GO ON FOR

MORE EDUCATION AFTER HIGH

SCHOOL, THE CHANCES ARE VERY

GOOD THAT THERE WILL BE

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO HELP MAKE

IT POSSIBLE. THE GOVERNMENT AND

THE SCHOOLS THEMSELVES OFFER

MANY TYPES OF FINANCIAL HELP FOR

FAMILIES WHO CANNOT AFFORD THE

FULL COST.

FINANCIAL AID CAN HELP MANY

FAMILIES SEND THEIR CHILDREN TO

COLLEGE. THERE ARE THREE TYPES

OF AID AVAILABLE.

1) GRANTS AND SCHOLARHIPS.

THIS TYPE OF AID NORMALLY DOES

NOT HAVE TO BE REPAID.

HOWEVER, YOUR CHILD MAY HAVE TO

TAKE A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF CLASSES

AND MAINTAIN A CERTAIN GRADE

AVERAGE.

2) LOANSLOANS ARE ANOTHER TYPE OF AIDAVAILABLE TO BOTH STUDENTS ANDPARENTS. LIKE A CAR OR HOUSELOAN IT MUST BE PAID BACK WITHINTEREST. MOST TIMES IT DOES NOTHAVE TO BE REPAID UNTIL AFTERGRADUATION.

3) WORK STUDY

MANY COLLEGES OFFER SUMMER

OR PART TIME EMPLOYMENT TO

STUDENTS. THESE JOBS ARE USUALLY

ON CAMPUS AND THE MONEY EARNED

IS USED TO PAY FOR TUITION OR

OTHER COLLEGE COSTS.

THERE WILL BE TIME TO LOOK INTO

FINANCIAL HELP FOR COLLEGE DURING

THE LAST TWO YEARS OF HIGH

SCHOOL. IF IT IS POSSIBLE FOR YOUR

FAMILY TO BEGIN SAVE EVEN A SMALL

AMOUNT OF MONEY EACH MONTH, THIS

WILL HELP YOUR CHILD IN THE FUTURE

WHAT KINDS OF JOBS ARE AVAILABLE TO COLLEGE

GRADUTES?CERTIFICATES AND DEGREES EARNED

BY GRADUATES TO TWO-FOUR YEAR

COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES LEAD

TO DIFFERENT KINDS OF JOBS.

LET’S TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT THE

TYPES OF JOBS IN WHICH A COLLEGE

DEGREE MAY BE REQUIRED.

TWO YEAR DEGREES

CERTIFICATE OR DEGREE PROGRAMS

MAY LEAD TO EMPLOYMENT IN:

AUTOMOTIVE MECHANIC

COMPUTER TECHNICIAN

DENTAL HYGENIST

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

HEATING, AC AND REFRIGERATION

TECHNICIAN

HOTEL OR RESTAURANT CHEF OR

MANAGER

MEDICAL RECORD TECHNICIAN

X-RAY TECHNICIAN

FOUR YEAR DEGREES

ACCOUNTANTEDITIORENGINEERBANKERPHARMACISTSOCIAL WORKERTEACHER AND MANY MORE

MORE THAN 4 YEARS OF COLLEGE

ARCHITECT

BIOLOGIST

DENTIST

DOCTOR

COLLEGE TEACHER

LAWYER

DIPLOMAT

FINAL THOUGHTS FOR SUCCESS IN SCHOOL

1) HAVE YOUR CHILD EAT A GOOD

BREAKFAST EACH MORNING.

2) WAKE THEM UP EARLY TO GET UP

ON TIME AND NOT BE TARDY.

3) BE SURE THEY GET A GOOD NIGHT’S

SLEEP.

4) CREATE A STUDY ROUTINE AND

STUDY AREA. HAVE THEM DO THEIR

HOMEWORK RIGHT WHEN THEY GET

HOME (NO TV OR VIDEO GAMES)

5) GO OVER THEIR HOMEWORK WITH

THEM.

6) ENCOURAGE YOU CHILD TO ASK

QUESTIONS, THAT’S HOW WE LEARN.

7) HAVE YOUR CHILD READ TO YOU

ON A REGULAR BASIS.

8) FEED THEM HEALTHY SNACKS

9) BE A ROLE MODEL TO YOUR CHILDREN. BE POSITIVE AND SUPPORT THE SCHOOL.

10) ATTEND PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES OR TALK TO YOUR CHILD’S TEACHER OR COUNSELOR ABOUT YOU CHILD’S PROGRESS, PROBLEMS OR DREAMS.REMEMBER:TAKE AN ACTIVE ROLE IN YOUR CHILD’SEDUCATION.

OK, THIS WAS A LOT OF INFORMATION

IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. DO YOU

HAVE ANY QUESTIONS AT THIS TIME?

REMEMBER:

TEACHERS AND COUNSELORS LOVE

TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT YOUR CHILD!

GOOD LUCK TO YOU AND YOUR CHILD

AS YOU MOVE FROM ELEMENTARY

SCHOOL TO JUNIOR HIGH.