The Foreign Service Journal, June 2013

72 JUNE 2013 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT attend classes during the day and then go home. But as Dr. Madeline Levine, a child and adolescent psychologist, notes in Teach Your Children Well: Parenting for Authentic Success (Harper, 2012), extracurricular activities “contribute to many of the skills kids are developing— self-esteem, self-reliance, enthusiasm and a good work ethic, to name a few.” This experience is important in middle school, and the process continues into high school, helping adolescents develop a healthy self-concept and identity. By pursuing interests that foster per- sonal growth, students are also acquiring transferable skills that will help them plug into their new communities and make those vital social connections. If the school has no activities or the student is homeschooled, it can be challenging to find alternative ways to connect and stay active. But many teens get very involved in dance, music, sports, horsemanship, local leagues, church or other religious activities, and community service. As it happens, many of the young people who struggle most with moving are the ones who have not been involved in after-school activities. Perhaps they didn’t want to participate, had no way to get home after school, couldn’t find anything that interested them, or felt they had too much homework. Whatever the reason, too much time alone without positive peer relationships can lead to If the student is thinking about college after high school, curriculum is an evenmore important concern.