Episode 38 - Three things to think about before your student comes home for break

If your student was lucky enough to go to campus then they are likely to head home soon. This is the first of four episodes to help get ready.

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This one will cover your home.

*** DISCLAIMER***

I am NOT a healthcare professional. Seek professional advice from your doctor. 

1. First, it’s COVID and flu season. Even if you don’t have any high risk family members I’m going to recommend your student plan to isolate at school if possible prior to returning home. 
   • Ask your student if isolation is possible for them. If yes, find their return to home date and go back 14 days.  I realize they could be exposed on their travel home as well and there is so much flip flopping or contradictory information out there so these are only my suggestions. 
   ...

Check in. It should be at least monthly and a visual check in.

How are you emotionally/mentally?
How are you physically?

How are your grades?

Pretty good.

Don’t know.

Not good.

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My story...professional journey

Work history-

McDonalds- developed customer service

Mall clothing store- relationships with staff/subordinates

Bank teller

Marketing long term care

Indiana University

Purdue University

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My story of worrying about worst case scenario with Steph after losing Drew and Hannah’s murder.

Thinking error

This is worry that isn’t grounded in fact...it’s in your mind, you see today’s problems as a preview of things to come...you worry that your child will struggle as an adult.

In psychology, this is called futurizing, and it’s one of the most negative and destructive things we can do as parents.

Futurizing is having an unrealistic negative view of what the future holds. It’s a worst case scenario mindset.

Futurizing is what psychologists call a thinking error. A thinking error is a faulty pattern of thinking where what you think doesn’t match reality. Your thoughts are distorted are virtually always negative. In other words, your faulty thinking makes things out to be worse than they really are.

when we make things out to be worse than they really are, we start to cause more problems….make things worse. It makes you...

Am i getting old enough that some of you don’t get that reference? Yikes. I will share the who and the why to help provide a little clarity for you and your student.

• Your student should connect with the Registrar about…
• Registration processes
• add/drop calendars and deadlines
• Transcripts
• Documents to confirm enrollment for insurance, good student discounts and loan deferments

• Your student should connect with the Bursar about…
• Paying the bill
• Making payment plan
• Refunds
• Billing questions
• Due date for payment

• Your student should connect with Financial Aid about…
• FAFSA
• Scholarships
• Work study
• Minimum enrollment requirements
• Before dropping courses to determine if aid will be affected
• Help in updating a change in family status/income

• Your student should connect with the Disability office about…
• Chronic illness
• new/acute illness or injury
• COVID

• Your student should connect with Institutional Equity...

Am i getting old enough that some of you don’t get that reference? Yikes. I will share the who and the why to help provide a little clarity for you and your student.

• Your student should connect with their advisor about….
• Curriculum
• Course advice
• First point of contact for university ‘navigation’

• Your student should connect with their instructor about….
• Questions about the syllabus
• Missing class
• Questions about material/lessons
• Getting to know their research if it interests them
• Office hour meetings
• When they are struggling to learn material

• Your student should connect with the Dean of Students about…
• Sometimes for assistance in absences for bereavement, jury duty, military duty
• A possible connect to mental health help
• Help in figuring out where to go for help

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https://www.pinterest.com/bealslesa/episode-32-university-regulations/ 

• University bulletin or catalog- yes language is key again to find information.
• What are regulations
• Academic
• Conduct
• Grade appeals
• Who decides what they are
• Why should your student care about them
• GPA
• Repeating classes
• Withdraw limits
• Changing majors
• Dual majors, minors, certificates
• Deadlines
• Processes
• Accountability
• Who can make exceptions
• Advisor
• Department
• College
• provost

It’s Labor Day weekend. The first window to get to check in, lay eyes on them, hug them.
Except not this year cause #COVID.

You get the call or text that they are miserable. Alone. Don’t know how to connect.

You just want to go get them, hug them, call the RA or roommate to help.

• Perspective.
• All change is uncomfortable at best.
• Remember grade school to jr high, jr high to high school. 
• It is a pandemic so underlying stressors make it feel bigger.
• They made friends before, they will again.
• Reality
• It will be different...but that is why they chose college. To stretch themselves.
• The pandemic won’t last forever.
• There are connections to be made. The ball is in their court though.
• What can you do.
  • Instead of telling them what to do to fix it, ask them questions.
  • What are you doing to meet/connect with others?
  • Why or why not?
  • How are you feeling about your choices?
  • What else can you do?
• Be an ear. Sometimes they don’t want you to fix things....

Episode 30- 7 Important Deadlines you’ve got to know 

I’m sharing my top 7 important deadlines you’ve got to know and why.

If you’d like a pretty printable to add your dates to and hang it on the fridge, just head over here.

https://www.lesabeals.com/7Dates

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Episode 29- Hello, my name is Lesa and I’m a helicopter mom

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On this episode I’m sharing…

• the definition of a helicopter mom (different from a Karen)
• how I realized I was one
• My story
• How i am working on recovering and how you can to