September » 2012 » Carol J. Carter

A Balanced Vision: How To Direct Passion With Understanding

When it comes to discussing the obstacles facing Generation Y, itâ€™s easy to get caught up in things that are beyond our control, like the job market or rising tuition. When informing youth of these issues, however, itâ€™s essential to their success that theyâ€™re also aware of what they can control: namely, themselves.

In his opinion piece on Gen Y, Don McNay contrasts two young men he knows. One has been actively searching for work for months and is close to getting a job at a fast food restaurant. The other has mostly given up and now stays at home and watches television. Of the first he says confidently, â€œIâ€™m sure [he] will make it as he keeps trying and trying.â€ For the second he can express no hope of success except by some undeserved miracle.

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The Power of Perspective: How Changing the Way We Think About Students Affects Their Performance in the Classroom

A teacher’s perspective greatly influences the experience and success of the individual’s in their class. Where one teacher might describe a class as â€œunruly,â€ another might describe the same group of students as â€œenergetic,â€ and just this sort of distinction can make the difference between student improvement and student devolution. The power of positive thinking and high expectations, especially on the diverse classrooms of today, is a vast pool of educational power that is tapped much less than it should be.
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Michael Vladeck: The Art of Imposing Rules on Teens

By Michael Vladeck

We all want freedom, and children do need rules (some more than others). Â When applied well, they act as guidelines that help them develop in healthy waysâ€¦ lest they recreate aÂ Lord Of The FliesÂ reality that you have to parent to.Â They have a place,Â yet eventually some of these rules you impose will add great stress to the relationship – so learning how to be wise with rules is critical and essential to maintain the health of your relationship.
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The Tough Decisions: Answering Questions About How to Pay For College

In a recent article in the New York Times, Ron Lieberman addressed some important questions about financial aid submitted to him by prospective college students. In introducing his topic, however, he makes an important point: â€œFiguring out how to pay for college has quickly turned into one of lifeâ€™s most complicated financial decisions.â€ He gives a few reasons for this:

Thereâ€™s uncertainty as to whether the student making the decision will be able to pay back his student loans.
Thereâ€™s uncertainty as to whether spending more on a prestigious school will lead to a future that pays more as well.
Thereâ€™s the issue of inexperience, the fact that the prospective student has never had to make a decision with such far-reaching and expensive consequences before.
Thereâ€™s a lack of good information, plus a scarcity of reliable sources to provide it.

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Pros and Cons of a Vocational Degree

For years the focus has been on getting students to four-year colleges, but for some thereâ€™s a better answer. Certificate programs are a quick and less expensive way to start a lucrative career, especially if you want to skip the general core requirements youâ€™d be expected to fill at a university. Certificate programs get straight to the point, only teaching the student what he or she needs to know in order to perform well in a particular field. This can be the ideal solution for someone who might otherwise have started college and never finished it.

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Adams County Students Experience 9 to 5

Studentsâ€™ 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.
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Gearing Up to Improve College Success Rate in Kansas

Happy GEAR UP Day!

GEAR UP Kansas, the national grant-funded organization which helps 2,500 foster kids in Kansas attain college readiness, along with LifeBound is hosting a conference for students, parents and mentors today at Wichita State University.

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Children Need Challenge at School and Home

Children need to feel challenged in order to grow. In fact, researchers have found that when children donâ€™t feel challenged in a certain activity, theyâ€™ll often change the activity to make it challenging.¹Â Young students have a natural desire to learn and to develop new skills; they want to engage in activities that allow them to improve and to excel. While itâ€™s important to keep children safe as they experiment and try out new things, parents and teachers need to be careful not to interfere with important steps in a childâ€™s learning process, even if those steps are difficult, frustrating, or even emotionally painful for the child.
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Internships Give Students a Real-World Context to Learning

Over the next 10 years, more boomers will leave the workforce and need new skilled workers to take their place. Not only will the next generation of workers inherit careers over the next decade, the BLS predicts there will be more growth in jobs that require an associateâ€™s degree, while jobs that require long-term on-the-job training will diminish.

With the 2012 average national unemployment rate ranging from 8 to 9%, and a threat of a returning recession, we must focus on what drives employability in this market. Young adults were among the hardest hit in the recession with only 54 percent of Americans ages 18 to 24 finding employment in 2012.Â Unemployment in young adults can cause many lasting problems for the economy:
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Middle Class Values: How Americans Are Going to Get Out of the Recession

The middle class is essentially the heart of America. Whatever their economic situation, Americans predominantly identify themselves as middle class. According to a Pew Research study cited by Robert J. Samuelson in his opinion piece â€œSaving the Middle Class,â€ only 7% of Americans define themselves as lower class, and only 2% define themselves as upper class. In a stark contradiction of the fiscal reality, â€œNine of 10 Americans locate themselves somewhere in the middle classâ€¦ 15 percent in the upper middle class; 49 percent in the middle class; and 25 percent in the lower middle class.â€ As Samuelson points out, â€œPeople donâ€™t define themselves out of the mainstream.â€

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