What do you do when your student is failing and flailing?

When reading through these posts, I started thinking about an academic dean who handled withdrawals, probation, and so on a campus where I worked. Of course, parents need their student’s signed permission for them to speak to the dean or the comparable on-campus person. This campus individual has been there and done that more times than you could count and has learned the various options that are available to students, and parents.

I think the comparable individual on your daughter’s campus is someone you and she should be talking to about what to do now and what to do in the upcoming semester/future. You do need a professional to sort through and even treat whatever mental health issues or family stress you are experiencing. However, you also need someone with clear knowledge and a good heart (or s/he would have sought other positions) to walk you and your student through the cold, hard facts and options your daughter has. It is also important to separate immediate issues from long-term concerns.

Something that has been alluded to, but not extensively addressed, is you and your daughter’s understanding, feelings and knowledge of her situation. The circumstances you describe rarely result in full disclosure and complete honesty for all kinds of reasons. While there may be overlap, there is also the likelihood that you and your daughter are working with limited or even incorrect information.You all need time to meet, talk, yell, cry, laugh, and go through a wide range of emotions as you seek common understanding about what’s happening.

Resolution will take time. effort and love on everyone’s part.