Students’ lack of college and career preparation takes on many forms beyond academic deficits.

It shows up with them not knowing what to expect from college, not knowing how to anticipate challenges and obstacles, and not having the grit and determination to succeed. It shows up with their lack of follow through skills, and their not knowing how to take advantage of resources to craft a college experience that will deliver the abilities and connections to launch a successful career.

Adams County is helping high school students make the connection between high school, college, and career with their program Experience 9 to 5. Students choose to explore a career, ranging from agriculture to health care to communications, and meet with professionals in their chosen field to see if it is the right fit for them. Professionals will provide students with hands-on experiences in the field, share the ins-and-outs of their career, and take any questions about how high school students can go from a high school graduate to a new professional.

This year LifeBound is excited to participate in this experience. We are looking forward to having as many as 10 high school students in our office learning more about the day-to-day work as a writer and publisher, including blogging, editing, networking, and brainstorming with a team. We will share the student blogs on the LifeBound website at the end of the session.

If we want higher high school graduation rates, college entrance rates, college completion rates, and employee success rates, it’s essential we start bridging the gap between education and the world of work for students before they get to college. Through a program like Experience 9 to 5 students will learn they found their path, they need to keep searching, or that they are more interested in another aspect of the same profession. We can’t wait to meet these career seeking students and help guide them toward any profession.

Learn more about Experience 9 to 5, and don’t miss the interviews of participating professionals speaking about how they got into the profession and what benefits students can get out of attending their session.

Many parents and educators equate a student’s high self-esteem with high achievement. However, according in the article “In schools, self-esteem boosting is losing favor to rigor, finer-tuned praise,” empty praise is out, and a new vocabulary that supports challenge is in. So, how can we work with students to hold them accountable to high expectations while helping them to believe in themselves to risk, to try, to grow, and to deliver quality work?

Research shows “unearned praise does not help students but instead interferes with significant learning opportunities.” Students learn to accept challenge and move beyond difficult obstacles when they are encouraged by educators with words like “persistence,” “risk-taking,” and “resilience.” Studies also show that praising effort over intelligence is another way students can learn to enjoy challenge. An academic coaching question you might ask a student is:  on a scale of 1-10 (1=lowest) how much effort did you exert on this assignment, preparing for this test or participating in this class?  If the answer is under 5, the student may be developing more slacker tendencies which will impede their progress over time.

Rocky Hill Middle School started the school year by teaching their 1,100 students about brain development. Teaching students about how the brain makes connections and continues to grow can give some students a sense of control over their learning. Students should be encouraged to look inward to cultivate their own judgment and motivation to learn, rather than rely on outside feedback, according to Alfie Kohn, author of “Punished by Rewards.”

How can you help students look inside when confronted with a challenge, instead of waiting for outside encouragement?

How can you adjust your vocabulary to support a student’s effort instead of intelligence?

How would your classroom dynamic change if students had to find their own answers? Are you, as a parent, teacher or counselor ready to release the reigns of control somewhat so that you can become the academic coach and champion of your child’s best effort?

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Source:

“In schools, self-esteem boosting is losing favor to rigor, finer-tuned praise,” by Michael Alison Chandler. 15 January 2012. The Washington Post. Accessed on 17 January 2012. http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/in-schools-self-esteem-boosting-is-losing-favor-to-rigor-finer-tuned-praise/2012/01/11/gIQAXFnF1P_story.html

Emotionally intelligent people are aware of what they do and who they are. Many issues young people have can be alleviated with the knowledge of the people around them and the feelings of others. This awareness makes for successful students, professionals, and members of society and it can thwart or redirect bullying or other inappropriate behaviors. In the recent article “10 Ways to Enhance Your Emotional Intelligence,” Dr. Norman Rosenthal explains there are two schools of thought surrounding emotional intelligence: your EI is an inborn characteristic or you can improve your EI with guidance and practice. Dr. Rosenthal is a believer of the latter, and offered the following tips to “enhance your emotional intelligence” in his article:

As you solidify or adjust your resolutions for 2012, how do you see becoming more emotionally intelligent helping you achieve your goals? This year is also an election year. How can you use emotional intelligence to make a well-thought out decision on the ballot? How can you use emotional intelligence to look outward and make an educated judgment or decision of a candidate?   How can you work with a young person to promote emotional intelligence? How can you model emotional intelligence for a young person?

LifeBound’s book, PEOPLE SMARTS FOR TEENAGERS, builds on these principles so that young people can manage themselves and their relationships with others respectfully, effectively, and purposefully. Incorporating these skills early can promote attention and intention as well as academic, emotional, and social success. Academic coaching of students on emotional intelligence can make the difference in school and out in both the short and the long term.

If you’ve ever been in an argument with a teen, it might have felt like anything but productive. However, researchers found that if parents turn the argument from heated to healthy they are providing their kids with critical training they need for handling peer pressure, engaging in respectful confrontation, and offering solutions in reassuring ways, according to the NPR story “Why a Teen Who Talks Back May Have a Bright Future.”

What does effective arguing look like? The kind of arguing that should be rewarded is calm and persuasive, opposed to arguments with yelling, whining, threats, or insults, says the head of the study Joseph P. Allen. Parents in the study reacted in a variety of ways. The ones that modeled the healthiest reactions were the ones who initiated a discussion with their teen when confronted with a problem. When parents or teens are passive instead of active, problems fester under the surface and often grow greater with time increasing anxiety and stress for all concerned.

Allen says the best way for parents to practice effective arguing is to listen. Whether or not the student or parent agrees with the other one’s argument, when either one of the arguers makes a good point it should be acknowledged, and the best way to show this is by listening.

Practicing and promoting healthy, respectful debate is a lifelong skill that will serve students in school, college, career and life.  Parents who engage in this important, though sometimes hard to initiate, practice will likely produce young adults who are self-assured, able to advocate for what they need, and debate amicably and respectfully with those around them.  Where can you as a courageous parent provide an academic coaching opportunity in the car or in your home to demonstrate healthy debate?

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Source:

“Why A Teen Who Talks Back May Have A Bright Future,” by Patti Neighmond. 3 January 2012. NPR. Accessed on 5 January 2012. http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/01/03/144495483/why-a-teen-who-talks-back-may-have-a-bright-future?ps=cprs

Over the last 44 years, the percentage of youth arrested between the age of 8-23 has taken a sharp increase. Today, nearly one in three people will be arrested by the time they are 23, according to a study recently published in Pediatrics.

People were shocked when the original stats came out 44 years ago showing that 22 percent of youth would be arrested by 23. However, the fact that now 30.2 percent of youth will be arrested by age 23 might not come as such a shock to some. Today’s youth face a new breed of problems that the youth of the 1960s didn’t have. They also continue to have some of the same behaviors that with time have grown from minor offenses to criminal charges. They also continue to have some of the same behaviors that with time have grown from minor offenses to criminal charges including many who are serving time for possession of marijuana.

Youth will be arrested for things such as truancy, vandalism, underage drinking, shoplifting, robbery, assault, and murder, according to the Associated Press. One thing I learned working for two years teaching inmates in prison, is that when a young person fails to find his passion in school or out, gangs and deviant behavior take precedent.

“Society is a lot less tolerant of these teenage behaviors,” said criminologist Megan Kurlychek. One way to combat these patterns is to work with sixth and seventh graders on becoming more emotionally intelligent– developing self-awareness, managing strong emotions, being self-motivated, developing social skills —  and learning what their true gifts and abilities might be.

Early social and emotional learning is key in students’ success. If we can teach students who are transitioning into middle school the tools they need to explore their changing world, we can expect great things as they discover new things about themselves and the world around them. My books People Smarts for Teenagers and Gifts and Talents for Teenagers give transitioning students the tools to identify their strengths and weaknesses, learn their learning style, understand their peers and much more.

Source:

Study: Nearly 1 in 3 Will Be Arrested by Age 23.” 19 December 2011. The Associated Press. Accessed on 21 December 2011. http://www.9news.com/rss/article/236826/328/Study-Nearly-1-in-3-will-be-arrested-by-age-23-?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter