Looks Success
BY JENNIFER SULLIVAN
Different for Every Student
The 2020–21 school year has asked all of us, students and families alike, to take on new challenges and find peace and self-care amidst the chaos. As we move into a new season (and it is new, even if we’re still dealing with many of the same challenges), we are stronger, more creative and maybe more present and grateful for life’s little moments.
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Here are six lessons we’ve learned and thoughts on how to continue to support your student’s growth. Success looks different for every student. In a typical year, student success is measured by grades on a report card or transcript. This year is anything but typical, and success for many students has looked (and will continue to look) very different. Success for your student in 2020–21 may have looked like waking up every day and attending class on their computer in their bedroom. Success may have been your student finding a place in your house or apartment where they could listen to a professor’s lecture without the dog barking or a parent’s work conference call in the background.
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Success might have meant that your student followed campus rules to quarantine for two weeks in their dorm room, only seeing friends via FaceTime. Success might have meant resisting pressure to attend a party because your teen knew the health risks. Some days success (for both students and their supporters) meant just going to sleep and waking up the next day to try again. Making it through this year together is reason enough to celebrate. Surviving college during the pandemic is proof that your student is resilient and capable — and they will bring these newly honed skills with them in whatever they attempt next.
Spring 2021
