Articles & News About Student Loans & School

When Summer School is Not Enough: Teens Learn in Nature's Classroom

Loa, UT (PRWEB) June 18, 2007 -- A recent study by Professor Anna Mueller at the University of Texas confirms what teachers have long known: teens under emotional distress cannot perform well at school.

Dr. Mueller, using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health and the Adolescent Health and Academic Achievement Study, concluded, "there is a relationship between failure and emotional distress" and "trouble in one domain of adolescent life (academic or emotional) can spill over and affect the other."

Teachers and others who work with teens tell us to think of the teen's world of school, home, and friends as a three-legged stool. If one leg breaks, the other two cannot function properly. In order to address academic problems, parents and therapists usually have to intervene in emotional areas and within systems of family and friendships.

The Three Parts of a Teen's Life All Have to Work Together

A teen may be distracted by his parents' divorce and unable to concentrate on his schoolwork. He may be agonizing over a break-up with his girlfriend and feel lonely, anxious, and isolated. He may be with the wrong crowd and experimenting with drugs and drinking, a secretive lifestyle that causes problems not only at home but also at school.

If these kinds of things are going on, summer school won't fix a teen's academic problems. What parents can do instead of summer school is to intervene and try a therapeutic wilderness adventure camp that offers academic credit. This puts the teen into a completely new setting with sophisticated round-the-clock therapy.

Summer Wilderness Therapy Can Help Failing Teens

Summer is the best time to use wilderness therapy because you won't disrupt your teen's school year by pulling him out mid-year. It solves the problem of an unsupervised summer. Finally, it is natural for young people to "go away to camp" in the summer. A wilderness program can dramatically interrupt bad attitudes and behavior patterns, and offer a teen a new perspective and an opportunity for intense self-growth.

Sometimes teens even earn academic credits during such summer programs.

For example, Aspen Achievement Academy, a licensed wilderness therapy program in Loa, Utah, allows teens ages 14 to 17 to earn one Utah credit (a semester's work) in social studies, English, science or physical education or a combination of these subjects during the summer. Aspen Achievement Academy is adjacent to Aspen Ranch, which is a traditional therapeutic boarding school.

The Ideal Way to Learn Astronomy and Biology Is Outdoors

As Aspen Academy teens spend their summer camping and hiking in beautiful vistas of the Utah wilderness, a teacher and counselors go with them. They have regular academic lessons, complete workbook, and do written work. However, the outdoor setting changes everything they ever knew about school.

For example, they study biology by keeping plant and animal logs and observing wildlife in its natural setting. As they hike upwards, the elevation changes and so do the ecology systems. Students may start in sand dune layers, move into desert conditions, and then climb all the way up to high forest. Each new area has new and different animal and plant species. Before the summer ends, they have camped in the equivalent of the high lands in northern Canada and the desert of the Sahara.

Instead of learning weather from books, charts, and maps, these teens master weather systems by tracking changes in wind, temperature, and air pressure. These changes are very relevant as they live outdoors. Students learn to tell when a storm or cold front is moving in so that they can prepare for it. The phases of the moon are also important during a wilderness experience. A moonless night means you need a campfire, for example.

"Seeing" geology instead of studying it comes as a revelation to most students. They learn to "read a mountain" by understanding what the rocks and formations in each level mean in terms of the mountain's history and composition.

Many Aspen Academy teens are from large cities and have never spent weeks outdoors. Because of severe city light pollution at home, they have never seen the night sky in all its lighted-up glory. During their wilderness experiences, they star gaze together, as their teacher tells stories about Mars, Venus and other ancient myths, and teaches them the names of all the constellations.

For the very first time, many teens discover that school and learning are both relevant and useful. This is especially true for those teens who learn best by experiences and observation rather than by book and lecture. For the first time, they get an A in something. For the first time, they understand how something like a solar eclipse works or why animals behave the way they do because their learning is experiential and hands-on, and therefore truly meaningful to them.

Some of nature's lessons are helpful as metaphors for a teen's own life. For example, a teen can study the life cycle of a star. After a star forms through nuclear fusion, it must maintain a state of equilibrium or else it will blow up. Teens learn that inner pressures pull not only stars apart, but also young people.

The main benefit of wilderness programs is the therapeutic treatment that enables troubled teens to work through their problems. However, wilderness therapy also gives teens the chance to enter a completely new world without the distractions of video games, television, cellphones and other technology. It is an opportunity to have a real adventure with a group of supportive friends their age and therapists who work with them on a constant basis. It is a chance to take healthy risks and test their limits.

A very common side effect, however, is improved academic performance once a teen returns home. As one Aspen Academy teacher said, "After a summer of wilderness, our kids hit sophomore or junior year of high school in a 'dead run.'"

If you would like more information about this wilderness therapy option for struggling teens please call (866) 273-5911 or visit http://www.aspenacademy.com/summer_2007.

###

Other Article Sites

findabook.com  moneycd.info  a-mortgage.info   about-lemon-laws.info  aboutstudentloans.info
all-about-publishing.info  auctions-articles.info  bestcollege-university.com  bestispconnection.com
biblefolder.com  blogger-website.com  books-used.info  brokers-guide.info  buywindows.info  cable-dsl.info
career-miner.com  carpel-tunnel.info  cashinaflash.info  cashloanreviews.info  casinobell.com  chat-house.info
clearmycredit.info  collegeloantips.info  crones.info  depression-articles.info   dirnic.net  dishguides.info
divers-below.com  expodog.info   financewizz.com  fire-insurance.info  getgood.info  handleit.net   it-idea.info
health-supplies.info  hosting-right.com  insidealert.com  insurance-facts.info  jobs-employment.info
justgood.info  lookgold.net   lowcost-travel.info  money-source.info  myhostzone.info  numisblog.com
peoplesearchfinder.info  pr-articles.info  realeas.com   refinancing-guides.info  spyware-remove.info
telelot.info  the-law.info   toppaid.info  travel-deals.info  travelcorrect.com  wedding-guide-site.com
your-blog.info  your-credit.info

Academy of Art University Alums Win International Design Awards Competition for Sustainable Design
International Design Awards has named two Academy of Art University, graphic design school alums as winners of sustainable design competition.

Celebrate Back to School: Become a Teacher
ABCTE Offers $100 Savings for September, Aims to Recruit 300 New Teachers

First International Symposium on Veterinary Hospice Care to Take Place at UC Davis Vet School on March 28-30, 2008
For the first time ever in history, veterinary medicine and human hospice care meet as one in a ground-breaking event that stands poised to change the face of veterinary medicine as we know it today! Experts from both fields are coming together to address an extraordinarily diverse audience ranging from veterinarians to pet-sitters and from hospice volunteers to the general public in order to discuss a new option for pet caregivers that provides home palliative care for terminally ill companion animals.

Ghanshyam Sarda Addresses BE College Alumni Association On Survival Instinct
Ghanshyam Sarda talked about Survival Instinct at a recent BE College Alumni Association meeting.

University of Florida Climbs To #2 Ranking for College Online Dating
The University of Florida has climbed to the #2 spot in the rankings of the Top Colleges for Online Dating according to online dating service IamFreeTonight.com. I Am Free Tonight.com speculates that the combination of students' excitement over the basketball team's success in the NCAA Tournament combined with the arrival of Spring Break is causing romance to blossom as Florida students are eager to find a spring fling and have turned to online dating at IamFreeTonight.com. The University of Houston remains the top college for online dating. IamFreeTonight.com...

Casino College Dealing Casino Training in Los Angeles
The Casino College recently opened their second Southern California Casino School on Wilshire Blvd. in Los Angeles. Due to the the area's high demand for trained casino dealers to work local card rooms & casinos as well as to fill positions in gambling meccas such as Las Vegas, Reno, Atlantic City, there was a large need to expand beyond the school's original Orange County (Southbay) campus.

College Works Painting To Present Check To The Make A Wish Foundation
In November, the combined effort of College Works Painting employees culminated in a check for over $33,000 going to the Make-A-Wish organization.

Emerging Fine Artists Receive Prominent Accolades at Academy of Art University 2008 Annual Spring Show
The 2008 Academy of Art University Annual Spring Show presents exceptional achievement from student artists who have joined their superb talent with first-class instruction from the school's distinguished faculty. As the west coast's most trusted locale for discovering exceptional rising artistic talent, the Academy of Art University's Annual Spring Show's opening night awards ceremony on May 22, 2008 holds prime importance for fine art students and industry insiders alike. The results of the juried award selection for the School of Fine Art's departments of Painting, Printmaking, and Sculpture showcase the acclaimed artistic achievement on display at the 2008 Annual Spring Show, which is on view through July 25, 2008.

Empire Beauty School Educator Ann Darcangelo is Named Instructor of the Year by the Pennsylvania Association of Private School Administrators (PAPSA)
Empire Beauty School educator Ann Darcangelo is honored by the Pennsylvania Association of Private School Administrators (PAPSA) the award of Instructor of the Year award. Nominations for this award came from over 150 schools in the state.

Japanese Jury System and Law School Curriculum Dependant on U.S. Experience
With changing legal landscape, Japan turns to Colorado-based NITA

Z University Introduces Free Online Tool for Businesses to Evaluate the Need for Interns
Internship value-feasibility assessment enables employers and career services to qualify ‘host sites.’

Parenting College Students: Teaching Financial Responsibility - A Parents Toughest Task
Parenting college students is a never ending responsibility While there are many areas in which parents can assist these emerging adults, it is in the arena of finances that parents can often make a huge difference in the lives of their children

Little Rock School District Renews School Transportation Contract with First Student
The Little Rock School District in Little Rock, Arkansas, recently renewed its contract with First Student, the nation's leading student transportation provider. First Student has provided transportation services for the Little Rock School District since 1995.

Hotel Maison De Ville In New Orleans Hosts Ghost Hunter University
The Hotel Maison de Ville in the French Quarter of New Orleans is once again partnering with Christopher Moon of Haunted Times Magazine on February 22 and 23, 2008, to host special classes of Ghost Hunter University.