The Social Change-U catalog goes into some detail on how the SC-U experience is unique for the students who participate. Unlike traditional colleges, SC-U empowers students to create their own curriculum, set their own pace for learning, and involve their personal relationships at a meaningful level. So what does this mean for the parents of SC-U students? In a traditional college setting, parents typically drop their child off with a carload of belongings and send her on her way, calling periodically to make sure she is eating regularly. Parents may occasionally ask how class is going, send cookies during finals week, and potentially foot the bill when tuition comes due. By and large, they are not very involved with the specifics of what and how their child is learning.
At SC-U, on the other hands, students engage their parents as mentors, sounding boards, editors, and partners in their learning. Students work with their parents to create a level of engagement that works for all of them.
Parents as Consultants
For students who are accustomed to a traditional school curriculum, creating their own course of study at SC-U may seem daunting. Fortunately, SC-U students are not alone.
They will have their group of four and student advocates, but perhaps most importantly, they will have their parents as consultants. Students will consult with their parents at all stages of their learning process, from selecting books, topics, and materials, to polishing through publishing.
Parents are in a unique position to help students, especially in the early stages of their education. Parents know their student better than anyone else, so they have important insight into what could help the student grow and learn. This is not to say that parents will direct the student’s educational pursuits. Instead, parents act as true consultants: available to offer council and help when the student asks. Students and parents will discuss and decide together what their optimal level of engagement is.
Parents as Connectors
When students leave home for traditional college, they are not only leaving their families. They also often leave behind all of the connections they enjoyed via their parents’ relationships. The longer they stay away, the more removed they are from these connections until eventually, most of their childhood mentors and family friends are more acquaintances than connections.
By more fully engaging parents, SC-U also helps students engage their parents’ connections in a meaningful way. Let’s say, for example, a student has chosen to learn more about digital media marketing. As the student’s parents read the material he produces on this subject, they remember a good friend who works in marketing for a local company. The parents may discuss their student’s work with this friend when they get together for dinner. Or they may even send the friend some of the student’s work. If the friend would like to engage, she can give feedback to the student, offer suggestions, or provide real-world experience to what the student is learning. If the parents hadn’t been aware of the student’s work, that connection would never have been made.
Parents as Life-Long Learners
The more parents are involved in their student’s education, the more they’ll learn themselves. Reading their student’s work will give parents more to talk about, both with the student and with their own personal relations. In order to offer feedback, parents will engage with the material at a deeper level than they may have in the past.
Watching others learn and grow is inspiring. Because parents are deeply connected to the learning process at SC-U, they’ll become better learners themselves.
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