The Foreign Service Journal, December 2014

88 DECEMBER 2014 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT I t’s hard to predict how a teenager will react to the idea of an international move. Some see it as a grand adven- ture and look forward to the change of lifestyle with eagerness and enthusiasm. Yet many parents worry that they might face the opposite reaction: open mutiny, complete with accusations of ruining the child’s life. Of course, the reaction could also be somewhere in between—or both, depending on the day. Each teenager is di”erent, but one thing is universal: choosing a school is not only about feeding the mind, but also feeding the young person’s appropriate social and emotional development. That makes it a doubly important decision, one for which consideration of the child’s resilience is essential. Though there are many bench- marks for determining the suitability of a school, it is important to keep in mind that every individual has their own needs. A school that is great for one stu- dent may be a disaster for another. Here are some of the things to con- sider: Size Curriculum Extracurricular activities Peer group School culture College counseling Safety For a full discussion of each of these aspects of choosing a school, as well as a discussion of the types of schools and alternative approaches that are available to meet the particular needs of FS kids, go to afsa.org/educationarticles to access the complete article. Rebecca Grappo is a certified educa- tional planner and the founder of RNG International Educational consultants, LLC. Married to a retired career Foreign Service o†cer, she has raised their three children internationally. From the FSJ Education Supplement June 2013 Thinking Through Educational Options For Your Foreign Service Child BY REBECCA GRAPPO From the FSJ Education Supplement December 2013 A Parent’s Guide to Psychoeducational Evaluations BY CHAD C . NE LSON A s parents, we strive to help our chil- dren as much as possible. Despite our best e”orts, however, we may see our children struggling in areas. These struggles may occur early in a child’s development, manifested as di¥- culty understanding directions, learning to read or managing social interactions. For others, the challenge may arise as a child progresses in age, whether it involves reading comprehension, com- pleting tests in the allotted time period, attending to tasks or organizing tasks and materials. Despite assistance, these struggles may persist, leaving parents, children and teachers feeling frustrated or helpless. Under those circumstances, psychoeducational evaluation may open the door to a greater understanding of the child for everyone involved and help point the way toward solutions. For Foreign Service families, in particular, psychoeducational evalu- ation may help identify academic intervention and accommodations that may be necessary for children enter- ing or continuing on in American and international schools around the world, as well as transitioning from one school to the other. For FS children who are beginning to make the transition to college, evaluation may help identify accommodations that may be neces- sary in college. Evaluation can also help students prepare for higher education by identifying the ways in which they learn most e¥ciently. Chad C. Nelson is a licensed psycholo- gist in private practice in the Lutherville, Md., area. To see the complete article, go to www.afsa.org/education.