Academic Coaching » Carol J. Carter

Living with Grit: 4 Gritty Articles for Parents and Educators

Grit.

What does it mean to you? Maybe you tapped into your grit to pass your college physics course. Or possibly to look for a new job or train for a race. Grit is a powerful soft skill that could stand between you and success in any area of your life, personal, academic, or professional.

At LifeBound we often talk about grit in our Academic Coaching Training and books for teens. We ask coaches to work with their students to help them tap into their intrinsic motivation, dig deep to see the power they have over their lives, and discover their grit. We also encourage educators and parents to use the power of grit in their own lives.
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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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LifeBound Academic Coaching Training: Coaching Students and Professionals

LifeBound’s three-day Academic Coaching session came to an end today. LifeBound’s lead trainers Maureen Breeze and Jim Hoops had the pleasure of working with a variety of education professionals from around the country who work with students from a wide-range of backgrounds, gradeÂ levels, and types of institutions.

Yesterday, our coaches in training put their new coaching skills to the test when we brought in real students and professionals to get coached on one area they wanted to grow in. The following pictures are of each coach and their coachee engaged in a session.
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Finding “Fit”: Aligning Your Gifts, Talents and Interests with Purposeful Education and Work

Half of employees were either ready to leave their jobs or unhappy in their position, according to last year’s Mercer survey.¹

As we discuss how to get more students graduating from high school and college and into a career, it’s important individuals, schools, and businesses align their definitions of successÂ so that an individualâ€™s strengths and abilities are maximized.Â In school, success is largely measured by class standing and grades. In your career, success can be measured by status or money. But what about fulfillment? Purpose? Meaning?Â Contribution?
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Putting Students in Charge of Their Own Learning

Today, the U.S. is in 21st place for high school completion rates and 15th place for college completion. Only 40 years ago, American students were at the top of the list.^1ÂStudents need to be engaged, motivated, challenged, and supported. Above all, they need to be challenged in ways that will allow them to take responsibility for their strengths and interests. They also need role models, mentors, community, and their own space. In addition, they need learning programs such as tutoring, extracurricular activities, and summer enrichment, which enhance learning basics.

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New College Grads: Standing Firm Against the Unsupportive

It’s summer and many new graduates are getting ready to make their first career move. Some grads are relocating to follow a dream or take an offered position. Others are searching locally or digitally for a career that will keep them close to home, while others are still brainstorming before making any decisions. Transitioning from school to life overnight can be stressful. All of a sudden new grads are faced with a new lifestyle full of adult freedoms, as well as adult pressures to hurry up and find a job. In addition to the new stresses of a transition, college grads may also face push-back from friends, family, bosses, and coworkers about how their choosing to approach the rest of their lives.
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“Extra Credit” Mindset or “Over Delivererâ€: Who Would You Rather Hire?

Many of today’s students are familiar with the option of “extra credit” on an assignment.Â Many high school classes give this as an option. Yesterday, I spoke with a professor who works with freshmen at a major state university. He doesnâ€™t believe in â€œextra creditâ€ because he feels that students should want to do a quality job because itâ€™s important not because they get extra brownie points.Â Â Â There may be a place and time for extra credit at the college level, but with some caveats.
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How Teachers Can Reinvent Themselves This Summer: Idea Soup

The most effective teachers, like the most effective students, are lifelong learners.Â WhileÂ Â many schools require educators to have ongoing trainingÂ andÂ professional development,Â many educators can craft their own learning experiences just like the most motivated and active students. Â Teachers like this provide a model for studentsÂ of vibrancy, imagination, and active learning; they Â prove to all of us that learningÂ doesn’t end with a certificate or degree.

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Grit, Courage, and Messiness: Active Ingredients for Strong Finishers

The school year is coming to an end, and that means some students will be advancing to another grade, others will be going into college, and others will be graduating into the workforce. Whether you are a student, educator, or parent, there is one word that can help you and yours make a successful transition into the summer and the new year: grit.

Grit is the follow-through we all need to succeed. Professionals need grit to get through a busy week at the office, take classes on the side to improve their skills, network with those who can help them, volunteer for worthy Â causes, look for a new job, and find balance in life. Â Students need it to find the intrinsic motivation to keep studying, deal with friends, stand up to bullies, keep going in the face of disappointments, defy the odds, and follow their dreams.

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