GRAND Magazine - January/February 2017 - 39
grand legacy
Grandparents get schooled
BY JERRY WITKOVSKY, MSW
G
randparents can transform families when they
teach their skills, manifest their creativity, and
give voice to their passions.
That's why I set up my first Grandparent Connection
School Program at Deerfield High School in 2009 and
it is still going strong. Over 300 grandparents attended
the annual Grandparents Day for seniors on the Tuesday
before Thanksgiving. Grandparents (or other special
guests) shadowed their grandchild-attended classes, ate
lunch together, and experienced their world.
"It's beyond wonderful," said one grandmother.
This connection at a critical stage of development
goes beyond the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic.
Grandchildren are becoming young adults, while grandparents are the manifestation of all the adults who preceded the grandchild. A grandparent brings knowledge,
wisdom, and hope to a grandchild.
"
Grandchildren are
becoming young adults,
while grandparents are
the manifestation of all
the adults who preceded
the grandchild.
39 GRAND
JANUARY FEBRUARY 2017
Teenagers bring different knowledge and
wisdom, but the hope may be accompanied by
anxiety about the future. Amazing things can
happen when these two get together and share
life experiences.
Connecting with school administrators or
counselors is a way for grandparents to understand what their grandchild might need at this
age intellectually, socially, and emotionally. In
fact, at a gathering of grandparents, questions
were less about what students were reading in
English class and more about the transition to
high school and if their freshman grandchild
was making friends.
"How can we help our grandkids? What are
they into these days?" asked one grandparent.
The initial response was expected, "Visit the
school website." But another answer was more
unexpected: "Hide your prescription medicines
and dispose of them if you are no longer
taking them." Why? Because prescription drug
abuse by teens is a national epidemic.
Grandparents must know what is going
on to be able to make a difference in their
grandchildren's lives. Schools benefit from
volunteers in many ways including speakers
for career days, event and planning committees, tutoring and more. Informed local
residents who are invested in the school's
Continued on next page
http://www.dist113.org/Domain/8
https://grandestlove.wordpress.com/2016/10/14/grandparent-freshman-kickoff-at-deerfield-high/
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