Message to incoming frosh and parents: Get involved
By Bill Tamburrino
I have some suggestions for the incoming frosh (covers both genders) and their parents (also covers both genders).
Get involved! People who are successful in college and in life are not always those who got the best grades in high school. Don’t get me wrong. Grades are important. They are an indicator and they are necessary to get into college.
Research shows (I hate that phrase because research deals mostly with statistics, and Mark Twain wisely popularized the quote, “There are three kinds of lies: Lies, damned lies and statistics.”) that those who are most successful in college are those who were the busiest in high school. Students who play sports, are involved in extracurricular activities and/or work do better in college than those who just study.
It makes sense. They learn how to budget their time and prioritize. Many colleges actually require extracurricular activities and community service as a requirement or prerequisite.
Almost every cadet at every academy was involved in extracurricular activities in high school. Ditto, the Ivies, Stanford, Notre Dame and Harvey Mudd. I am not sure about Slippery Rock or all of the Cal State schools.
Ramona’s high schools have just about a sport or activity for every individual student. Get involved. Meet new friends. Join a club or activity like Bulldog Connect. Don’t let your education be limited to the classroom.
Parents, guide them to something but don’t push or shove them to do what you want them to do or what you wished you would have done. If that were the case, we wouldn’t have lacrosse or robotics or computer clubs. For some of you parents, smart phones, cell phones and computers were not as popular as they are now. Maybe that is a good thing in some ways.
Parents, know who your children’s friends are. If they look like the cast from the Planet of the Apes, you might get concerned. If they dress like you did, you might get worried. Times have changed.
Go to the activities. If you can’t make the activities because you are lucky enough to have a job, pick up your children or carpool them from the activities.
If you have been to a reunion, who did you recognize or talk to? I’ll bet it was a teammate or fellow member of band, cheer, song, yearbook, newspaper (RHS does not have a newspaper, pitiful) instead of the guy or gal you sat behind in geometry. Go to the fundraisers. Go to the varsity games. Your kids won’t sit with you, but whether or not they admit it, they will be glad you came.
Ask about their homework. The time to worry about a student is when he or she quits complaining about homework or if they say they don’t have any homework. Don’t try to help them, especially in math or science unless you want to build their self-esteem.
Go to the website (www.ramonausd.net, click on Ramona High School) and look up the activities with your children. Click on athletics, clubs and activities. CONNECT, there is something there that can not only change a life but can enhance a life.
Get involved. Get excited. Give your children a better chance.