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Is Your Teen Experiencing Burn Out?

Why does burn out happen?

Once teens reach High School they often feel an invisible pressure called burn out. We’ve all experienced getting burned out at work, or even in our home life when the sink is full of dishes over and over again. But what does burn out look like for a teenager and how can we help them get out of it?

If you’re not familiar with the signs, then a burned out teen is very likely to happen before you even realize it. One day our teen is communicating with us about his/her/their feelings and the next they won’t leave their room. Late nights spent catching up on studying invade on quality family time. While we may feel proud of our teen for taking on the extracurricular and advanced courses that are necessary for getting into a good college, we also have to realize that there can be repercussions for too much activity and not enough rest.

Our Upper School Academic Director Kaye Jacob’s understands this better than most, “This is a high-stakes time for many kids, but we do need to try to reason with them that they need to find a balance, that “more” is not always “better.”

3 signs your teen is heading towards burn out

1. Heightened anxiety and/or overwhelm. Anxiety can look different in everyone, especially teenagers. It can manifest as moodiness or unusual behavior when before there was a calm demeanor. Anxiety can also look like immune system fatigue, causing the teen to get sick more often or even start to have migraine headaches.

teen2. Not sleeping at night. Burned out teens can get so wired from all of their “to do” lists, extra courses, or/and after school activities throughout the week that when it’s finally time to rest, they can’t. Lack of sleep can spiral into a dependency on coffee or energy drinks so that they can be alert enough to make it through the school day.

3. Saying “no” to socializing with family and friends. Teens who experience burn out can’t relax enough to have downtime. They stop participating in family events or socializing with friends because they simply have nothing extra to give, or are trying to preserve their energy.

Burn out isn’t black and white

Burn out can manifest in our teens in so many ways. Maybe you see your teen taking on more honors courses than he/she/they can handle, or perhaps your teen feels overwhelmed with social stresses and wants to hide. There’s another even more subtle aspects of burn out, such as having a lack of support at home, and poor self care. Here are three teen meditationways you can help your teen normalize again.

3 ways you can help

  1. Teach stress management tools. According to the American Physiological Association’s survey showed that teens report their stress level during the school year far exceeds that of an average adult. At Maharishi School we have a tool for our students to manage stress built into their schedules every day, twice a day. It’s called Transcendental Meditation.
  2. Adopt new self care practices. Talk to your teen about what you do for self care. Self care practices can be a conscious time-out away from their daily life that helps them maharishi school student doing yogago inward and tune into their bodily needs. Some popular self care practices include; journaling, yoga, creative expression, exercising, spending time in nature, cooking/baking, reading, swimming, camping, watching a funny movie, etc. While it’s nice for them to have some alone time you can also come up with a list of self care practices that you and your teen can do together.
  3. Talk about mental health. Establish regular check ins with your teen so you can track to see if they’re moving in the direction of burn out. Don’t be afraid to tell them, “why don’t you take some time off school work tonight, I want you to be primed for a long life and I would like to see you pace yourself now.” Make them aware of therapy services that can be a private outlet just for them.

 

Curious about our school? Click here to see what we are all about.

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Ready to apply? Click here.

Becoming A Big Fish: A Shark Tank-like Event

What is Shark Tank?

Modeled after the popular TV show “Shark Tank,” five student finalists pitched their best creative

ideas to a panel of expert entrepreneurial judges, competing for cash prizes, scholarships, and top business feedback.

Maharishi International University held their own event called “Becoming A Big Fish: A Shark Tank-like Event,” featuring business feedback from the original “shark” on Shark Tank, Kevin Harrington.

Maharishi School students selected as finalists

We are proud to announce that two of our Maharishi School students, Lily Fenton and Shristi Sharma, have been selected as finalists in the Becoming a Big Fish Shark Tank Event! Their concepts are extremely innovative and practical for our world today.

Lily talks about her design, “My idea was to limit distracted driving especially concerning taking hands off the steering wheel by creating a device that warns drivers when their hands are out of the correct driving position.”

Shristi received a 500$ scholarship from MIU for her work, she is currently researching and using her technical skills to create projects with a crossover between psychology, computer science, and cybersecurity, to benefit the community and the world.

Another of our students, Polo Altynski, was selected as the alternate should any of the top five finalists be unable to participate.

Watch the video of the presentations for the panel of judges here, our students are represented at 1:14:20.

maharishi school student finalist on shark tank event

Shristi Sharma with Cliff Rose and Vicki Alexandar.

 

If you are interested in learning more about our academics or to contact a member of our admissions staff, click here.

Presented by MIU’s Concept to Market program: https://www.concepttomarket.org

For more ChangeMaker event videos and info, visit: https://www.mum.edu/changemakers2019

 

Supporting Our Students Through Crisis

Safety First

The coronavirus pandemic has changed many things about our daily lives as well as our supporting students through coronaviruschildren’s education. In these times of uncertainty, where is the best place for your children to continue their education?  Here are a few reasons you might want to choose Maharishi School:

  • #1 in Best Private High Schools in Iowa We’re the #1 private/boarding school in Iowa, and the health and safety of our students is OUR #1 priority. One parent has shared their review “My children attended Maharishi School from K-12 grade and it has been the best experience for them. My daughter having just completed her Masters degree in Fisheries and Aquaculture has her dream job in New Zealand. My son is finishing his degree in Software Engineering. Very proud of them and couldn’t have done it without Maharishi School.”
  • Fairfield’s small population makes it a safe town to live in (see our blog about the Top 10 Benefits of Living in a Small Town) for reasons such as having low crime rate, no traffic, and a strong sense of community.
  • Local businesses have stepped up to make their essential services safe for customers. In response, our community is showing immense support for the small businesses that are taking a hit because of the coronavirus. Click here to see what fairfield community member Hannah Layne Nichols has created to raise over $5,000 for local businesses.

Self Care: Stress management for a stressful time

Maharishi School Screenwriting project- online learning

Evelyn Chase Winer, Senior at Maharishi School

While everyone is staying safe at home, releasing built-up stress becomes even more crucial. Our students at Maharishi School have segments of meditation built into their online courses. I interviewed Maharishi School senior, Evelyn Chase Winer, about what her meditation means to her during the time of the coronavirus.

1) How is your meditation more important to you during times of high stress?
Evelyn: During more stressful times, I look forward to having time to sit down and relax. It definitely becomes more important and useful when I am stressed.
2) Have you noticed a change in your stress levels now that you are doing online learning?
Evelyn: I have become a lot less stressed. Being able to stay home all day, relax, not worry about travel, and be comfortable all day while still getting the same amount done is nice.
3) In general, how do you feel about your meditation practice?
Evelyn: I enjoy meditation, just closing my eyes when I’m constantly doing things lets me settle in and be fully aware of how my mind feels. When I don’t meditate for a long period of time, I notice that I can become anxious about simple things. Meditation is a great way for me to clear up my foggy mind and think more clearly.

Creative and Flexible Education

During this lockdown all students at Maharishi School are currently engaged in remote students doing projects online during coronavirus pandemiclearning. As this crises evolves we will continue to flex and respond to the needs of our students. We may be able to return to in class learning but, regardless, our focus will always be on the individual needs of the students. This is the advantage of being a small school where every child is known and every child is attended to.

What is our response to the coronavirus?

As a small school with a competent and compassionate staff, we can assure you that Maharishi School will reach across this digital divide to care for each student. We ask that you also share with us your thoughts, ideas, and concerns so we can collaborate for your child’s best interests and on-going educational experience. Our school updates parents on safety and what our school is doing to prevent an outbreak several times a week. Our administration is in constant contact with the local public health officials. Click here to read more about how the school is responding to the coronavirus.

fairfield iowa

To learn more about our academics or to contact a member of our admissions staff, click here.

To learn more about school events and student life, follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

FAQ: What Domestic Boarding Families Need to Know

What are the questions domestic boarding students and their families have?

boarding school Dorms Exterior

Maharishi School is more than a place to sleep and study, which is why we have many activities for our students to get involved. Our students gain knowledge at our farm-to-table dining table, in the meditation hall,  and regional field trips, weekend social events like bowling. We also have an eSports night, Iron Chef night, and other excursions designed for our boarding students. Learn more about student activities available beyond the classroom.

Looking for a quick overview of information about Maharishi School’s boarding program, here is your one-stop-shop for all the most commonly asked questions.

 

What is the tuition for a boarding student? $39,000
Can I apply for financial aid?Yes, over 75% percent of students receive financial aid. Click here to find out more.
Is there a payment plan?Yes. You will see that option after you go through the application process.
Do we have a college preparatory curriculum?Yes we have rigorous and dynamic college preparatory classes.
Do we have AP classes?We have 9 Advanced Placement Classes; AP Calculus, AP English Language Arts, AP English Literature, AP Microeconomics, AP Physics, AP Psychology, AP Statistics, AP U.S. History, AP Computer Science
What are the extracurricular activities?At any time you can find students designing independent, creative projects, stepping into leadership roles, spearheading community initiatives, challenging themselves in athletics, performing arts or STEM competitions. To read about specific actives beyond the classroom click here.
Is your area safe?Yes,Fairfield is ranked #14 in Iowa’s Safest Cities.
Do you shut off the internet at night so students can’t game late?Yes, our boarders have “lights out” at 10:30pm every night and devices are collected by the dorm supervisor. Read “Day in the life of a boarding student” to find out more details on boarding life.
Where do your students go to college?Over 96% of our graduates (since the school has opened) have been accepted at accredited universities, including Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Johns Hopkins, Wellesley, University of California at Berkeley.Plus regional and national public universities.
Is College Counseling available?We have an excellent college counselor who is also an alumni of our school, as well as a teacher, his name is Jason Walls jwalls@maharishischool.org
Can you help me understand TM better?Definitely, click here to get started with some basic information.
Is your school a religious school?We are a non-sectarian school.
Do you have counselors for students?Students can meet one-on-one with a licensed mental health professional on a confidential basis around a variety of issues and concerns, such as homesickness, depression, grief and loss, eating, sexuality/gender identity, and relationships. Counseling services are available every other Wednesday afternoon and are free for students.
Can you address students with special needs?We can accept students, on our ability to make the reasonable and necessary accommodations to serve their needs. Please let us know during the application process, what kind of accommodation, if any, your student requires.
My child was bullied. How do you address bullying?We have several procedures in place if bullying occurs in the school, starting with an investigation into the bullying. We actively use Restorative Justice procedures and positive discipline. You can read more about that here
My child is very advanced. Can you keep him challenged?We offer a range of courses in the Middle and Upper Schools that support ability and interest levels, allowing for students to take accelerated or Advanced Placement courses across all disciplines. We also provide enrichment and acceleration within classes. Because we have small class sizes, teachers can provide differentiation and individualized learning plans.

 

To read more about boarding at Maharishi School, click here.

To learn more about our academics or to contact a member of our admissions staff, click here.

To learn more about school events and student life, follow us on Facebook and Instagram.