Teaching Students To Pilot Their Own Helicopters

Have you experienced the helicopter parent yet? 

President Marvin Krislov of Oberlin College gives advice on how to encourage college students to 'pilot their own helicopters', in other words to take responsibility for their own success or failure.

As he notes:

Balance is the key. Parents should support their child, but not serve as their gofer or administrative assistant. They can do this by urging their son or daughter to learn how to navigate the college bureaucracy and campus life on their own. This is a vital part of the educational process. It includes allowing the student to handle issues relating to classes, housing, dining, roommates, and extracurricular activities such as athletics, clubs, and student organizations.

A good body of research indicates that college students have a better chance of succeeding academically and socially when they themselves discover and initiate contact with the campus offices and departments that offer services and resources for students.

We also know that the problem-solving skills students develop during the formative years at college are an important part of their education. Parents should encourage students to take responsibility for their own financial planning, for managing their time, and for setting limits on their personal behavior.

Good advice for parents sending their child off to college. You can read the entire article here.

Comments

[Geoffrey Knauth]

I had a great helicopter lesson. The first thing Scott Welch (at pct.edu) taught me was to lift up one skid carefully, then the other, then put them back down in reverse order. He had me do that over and over before we went into hovering or did anything else. He'd seen too many hot shot helicopter pilots pop the copter off the ground, get unstable and crash. There's a lesson in that beyond helicopters.