Scholarship Strategies

Today as schools everywhere are starting to plan and register for the upcoming school year, I'm thinking about my time at Friendswood High School, where I taught Spanish from 1986-1994. Here's a page from a 1991 yearbook; 

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Empowering Empathy

Just before Thanksgiving break, our school staff took time out during a faculty meeting to share a little bit about our college colors to inspire out learners to 

dream big.

Here's how mine turned out.

So grateful to Karen S., who created and shared the template.

I'm super excited about how our display pops.

Tomorrow as we launch into our lessons about caring, 
we'll work on empowering empathy.

We're going to start by watching this film clip

without any sound. Just watch, not listen.

We'll talk about what they think happened and what they think about what happened. Then we'll watch it again, this time with audio.

After what I think will be a riveting discussion,

students will get to choose from the following activities in Social Stations, 
to get them stepping into another's shoes

and thinking about how certain situations feel, 

what they would want, 
what they might need to make it work.

We'll be building a huge figure 8 with Jenga blocks, blindfolded.

We'll be putting together a Scramble Square puzzle

without speaking to one another, silent.

We'll be playing catch in a circle

with our feet, no hands.
{See the orange ball in the air?}

We'll be writing notes to our President-elect

 
using our non-dominant hands.
It's super tricky to erase with only one hand available!

I'll have my copy of Hey, Little Ant in Latin out
and see who chooses to attempt language translation.

We'll be writing mirror-image messages about empathy.



And, in the end, I hope that we will have empowered empathy,
that glorious virtue that I firmly believe could be the change
for our superheroes and their future.
Click {here} for more empathy simulation ideas.

Check out these empathy posts for more empowerment:

Why Empathy Holds The Key 
This Is Your Brain On Empathy 
Empathy By The Book 
Teaching Kids Empathy In Denmark A Piece Of Cake

Oh, and if you haven't read UnSelfie by empathy expert Michele Borba yet, 
put that on your Christmas list today.

It has my enthusiastic endorsement.

  

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Today, Some Rockin' Resources

Today, some rockin' resources to help make your job easier.

Click the picture for a heartwarming Thai Life Insurance commercial.

1. Visit the "V" Channel for a video clip and lesson idea for teaching the concept of Flexibility. Then buy two straws, one of each type, and extend the clip with your students.

2. Need to help shape a behavior? Find oodles and oodles of printable behavior charts for free {here}.

3. Learn more about Foster Care with the powerful short film  ReMoved and prepare to be moved to tears and to want to take action. We regularly had foster children in our home during my formative years, so this really gave me a new appreciate for their plight and my parents' part in their healing, health, and hope.

4. Loads of career and college-readiness stuff at Shmoop Careers!

5. Click {here} for a Response to Intervention site that's an interventionist's dream.

6. Check out what my friend Jordon has to say about how she used Today'sMeet with her class {here}.

7. Bookmark Letters of Gratitude and sign up for their newsletter to get new ideas about how to live a life of gratitude and find happiness in the present.

8. Take a virtual tour of college campuses {here}. Your students will love visiting their future home away from home!

That ought to keep you busy for awhile.

Expect a Super Sunday!

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LMO (Like Many Others)

Happy Constitution Day, America. 

Did you know that it took our courageous Founding Fathers 

one hundred days to write the Constitution?

That statistic got me thinking about college applications. Did you know that students can expect to spend up to a hundred hours on applications their senior year, especially if they're applying to more than just one or two colleges? And this is the time of year when acceptance and rejection letters start coming out to those students who got their applications in early. Once they're admitted, students can then work on scholarship applications.

For seniors who might be procrastinating, juniors or sophomores who are looking ahead, freshmen who seem to have all the time in the world but really don't, or junior high students who have absolutely no idea what's around the corner, 

serious help is here!

Who better to author a book on this topic than the experts,

two former college admissions counselors?

It was in sixth grade when our daughter studied architecture in a careers unit, then shadowed an architect for a week the following summer. She decided just after her 12th birthday that that's what she was going to study. In seventh grade, John took her to the University of Texas in Austin, because their School of Architecture is nationally-ranked. School officials told Kaitlyn that they would receive 800-1000 applications from wanna-be architect students each year and that about ten percent of those applicants would be admitted. We worked with her for the next six years as she built her resume and prepared to write that standout application. I kept telling her that those eighty students that were going to get in were all like her, 

so what would set her apart?

In How To Prepare A Standout College Application, authors Alison Cooper Chisolm and Anna Ivey say that the power is the application itself. Their book sets out to answer the question: How does your child keep his/her application from simply being LMO (like many others)? 

Intended primarily for students, this comprehensive resource is chunk full of examples, ideas, and even parenting tips to get future college applicants thinking about, preparing, and ultimately writing a standout application. This valuable guide, divided into three sections - getting started, completing the application, and crossing the finish line - walks students through short-answer questions, essay questions, resume writing, application updates, and what to do if/when they don't get into the school of their dreams.

Oh, how I wish that our two older kids would have had this

incredible manual. The good news is that it'll help us with Joshua's application process in just a few years. 

Before we know it, really. 

The other good news is that I have a copy of this 

AmAzInG resource to give away.

If you'd like a chance to win this book, just leave a comment below between now on Thursday, September 19th at noon central telling us what college you attended {or would have liked to attend}. Then check back on Friday and see if you won.

This giveaway is now closed.

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Ignite & Impact

It's that time of the summer, time start saying good bye to those college kids and get them settled in. For us, it'll mean a much quieter house with just Joshua around.

Since our first two children are only fourteen months apart, they're considered seasonal twins and that's pretty much how we raised them. 

Here they are, side by side, circa 1994.

They went off to daycare together, to camps and classes together, and then to elementary school together. They were both in our gifted program through junior high and they chose very similar academic tracks in high school. They both played piano and a musical instrument and were in a lot of the same extracurricular activities. They were both National Merit Scholars. They continued their togetherness during the summer at Camp Lone Star whenever possible through the years. This picture was taken there this summer while she was a counselor and he volunteered as a junior staffer.

But, alas, they won't be attending college together. 

In fact, they're attending the rival state schools 

as evidenced by their hand gestures; 

Kaitlyn's studying at UT (Hook 'em!) and 

Jacob's going to Texas A&M (Gig 'em!).

We are officially a house divided united.

This week, they'll enjoy similar fellowship experiences apart at their schools' respective Christian Fish Camps. Kaitlyn is serving as a counselor at Ignite in Austin and Jacob is attending Impact as an incoming freshman in Aggieland. Kaitlyn drove herself {I like my independence, Mom. You've always known that about me!} to the four-day retreat and I dropped Jacob off in College Station, where he was greeted by some very friendly volunteers. 
It totally warms my heart to see tomorrow's leaders so fired up and ready to support, encourage, uplift, and pray for one another. 

I have a feeling that, even though they're no longer side by side,
 Kaitlyn and Jacob will both be positively Ignited and Impacted.
 And I like that for them ... and for us.
 What a blessing that, on their own initiative, they're taking time to
 connect with like-minded young adults 
as they feed their spiritual sides.

And for those of you who think that Joshua's got some big shoes to fill, don't worry. They're both taking their shoes with them.

What will your launch into this school year look like?

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A Good Ag

Howdy! 

I had the good fortune of spending a few days with our middle child at his Texas A & M Orientation earlier this month.

Neither of us was sure what to expect 

{or that we'd be greeted with "Howdy!" everywhere we went because this school prides itself on being the friendliest campus ever}

but I knew we were in the right place when I saw this 

in the parking garage on our way to the auditorium.

It was a sign that made me smile!

And without knowing much else, 

we quickly figured out that opportunities to walk the talk abound, 

and we immediately felt good about 

the essence of A & M.

Enough said.

Here are some interesting facts that we were not aware of; 

turns out that their enrollment increased significantly this year,

 thanks, in part, to Johnny Football.

More impressive than whom they've got is what they give. Their annual 

Big Event day of service found 17,000 Aggies out in their community last spring volunteering their time and talents,

giving thanks and giving back.

And, since one of the Aggie Core Values is service, 

after three days of 

auditions (he made the band!), 

meetings (we took in SO much info),

 and registration (he's in the chemical engineering dept.),

Jacob talked me into going to a friend's farm

to help them with a cement project.

It didn't hurt that this side trip would also give us

some therapeutic time with this little friend.

Yep, we think our kid will make a good Ag!

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Building Character In College

Today I'm excited because we got to spend some time with Kaitlyn and watch her march with her college band at the University of Texas. Yesterday John got to march with her for Alumni Band Game Day. 

Hooked on happiness!

Being a part of the Longhorn Marching Band organization has been a lifeline for our college girl. To watch how hard they work and to feel the synergy when they all move in sync is difficult to describe but it dovetails perfectly with today's guest post by Lauren Bailey about Building Character In College - - how fun is that? Welcome, Lauren!

Activities To Help Build Character in College

The trials and tribulations most students will face throughout their college career will most definitely shape their character well past graduation; even something as miniscule as failing an exam or experiencing heartbreak can shape someone's character. While some experiences and situations are out of your control, there are some activities that you can voluntarily participate in to build your character for the better, activities that can also possibly help you develop the skills you need to increase your "hireablility" post-graduation. Here are some examples of these character-building activities:

Become a Resident Advisor

You can't become a resident advisor during your very first semester on campus, but once you get acclimated to college life and begin your second year, it's definitely something that you should consider. Not only are resident advisors there to enforce dorm room rules and regulations, but most resident advisors also serve as "mentors" for the dwellers on their floor. They open their doors for those who need advice or just need to vent about college in general or personal issues. It can definitely be a humbling experience as well as help you grow compassion for others.

Become a Big Brother/ Big Sister

You can become a Big Brother or Big Sister through the nationwide Big Brother or Big Sister Program which, according to their website, is designed to put single parent children in contact with someone who can "represent" a missing male or female role in their lives. Big Brothers and Big Sisters are supposed to serve as role models as well as foot the bill for activities that create a bonding experience for both parties, such as going go-kart racing, watching ball games, and playing lazer tag. Only those 19 and older can become a Big Brother or Big Sister.

Become an After School Program Volunteer

If you live near a local elementary or middle school, you can also become a volunteer. Educators need those who can give time to the youth and read to them, tutor, help with crafts, assist with coaching various sports, and even help some high school seniors with the college application process. If there aren't any formal requests for volunteers, you can go ahead and ask if your school-of-choice will accept a volunteer anyway.

While there will also be tons of school-affiliated organizations that need people to help clean up parks and oceans, plant trees, and help feed the poor, remember that if there is a cause that you're exceptionally passionate about but none of the school organizations support that cause, you can always start your own volunteer initiatives/program.

Lauren Bailey is a freelance education writer for www.bestcollegesonline.com, a website that specializes in both alternative and traditional high education for an array of different learning types. She welcomes your comments. 

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Proceed With Passion!

Bulletin boards can be SO much fun to create when I've got some inspiration.  I came across this Progress Roadmap recently from imom.com  . . .

Thanks, Madison, for permission to post!

that sparked this:

  

Ps On Down The Road with planning, preparation, practice and performance!

On the road, I put these questions:  What is my spark?  What is my dream?  How can I reach my goal?  What do I need to do?  Who can help me?  Whom can I talk to?  What else do I need to know?  Where could I learn more?  How hard am I working?  Success!  I did it! I reached my goal!  
For those of you who don't know about imom.com, it's a division of Family First and an amazing resource for your parenting journey.

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Guess The Grad

Generation Texas Week is coming up as soon as we return from Thanksgiving break, so I've been working on an interactive college-and-career-readiness activity for our future graduates. I asked our faculty and staff for their college information so I could make and post these signs that'll supply the necessary information for our Guess The Grad game. Here's the one I made for my office door. Since our goal is to prepare our students so that we can safely send them off to college or out into the work force, I used these adorable stamp templates from Really Good Stuff!

Then I created this bulletin board. It's got guiding questions like: How many of our teachers attended Texas A & M? What is the mascot for Western Illinois U? The Fighting Okra is the mascot for which University? How many of our teachers went to college in Ohio? Illinois? Where would I find McNeese State University? How many teachers are Baylor Bears? Which teachers got their degrees in Journalism? Which teachers earned their degree in Music? How many teachers have a degree from UT-Austin? Which school's mascot is Bucky Badger? Who is the teacher who got her degree in Maritime Studies? We will encourage teachers to take their classes on a field trip around the school to find the answers to these questions and then come up with some other inquiries on their own.

I cut out the mascot (or logo) from each teacher's college/university and glued it onto a push pin so I could display it on this map. It's got a cool 3-D look.

You can see that the majority of our staff stayed in state for school.

This first-grade class graphed the in-state schools to get some data.

I hope that this college-awareness activity will be as much fun for our future college kids to figure out as it was for me to create. Additionally, we've asked teachers to talk with their students about where they went to college and how they selected their degree plan. Here students tallied where the colleges that we've earned degrees from are located!

We also suggested having students research schools, possibly visiting with college siblings via SKYPE, watching a college marching band perform, making pennants, decorating their classroom doors, or interviewing their parents or neighbors. On Friday of that week, we'll all wear our college colors.

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Skype U

My son Joshua came home from school the other day just SO excited because his 7th grade Advisory teacher announced that, as part of their College Readiness focus, they were going to be visiting with a college student by Skype. He promptly volunteered his sister, a college freshman studying architecture at the University of Texas. He called Kaitlyn and asked if she'd be available next Thursday at 12:40 because they'd like to ask her some questions about her life in Austin.  
     The day of the call, he got pulled a bit early from lunch so that he could help his teacher, who hadn't used Skype in the classroom before, set up for the call (thank goodness for digital natives!). When Kaitlyn called in, the class answered and she came up on the screen from right there on the UT campus. They gathered around the computer and asked questions that they'd prepared about things they'd want for a college kid to answer, questions like:  What kind of degree are you getting? What is the highest level of math you've had? What college are you at and how did you choose it?  Was it hard to get in? What do you do there? Are you into the spirit of college football? Where do you live? Do you have enough closet space for all of your clothes? 
     One student asked about where she was and she was able to explain that she was outside leaning against the granite-looking building where she takes one of her classes. Toward the end of their 20-minute visit as the bell was about to ring, the D.A.R.E. Officer entered the room and he asked her asked if she had been offered any drugs in college. Kaitlyn said that no, she hadn't seen any drugs since she got there in August, and added that drugs would certainly get in the way of her being the best she can be at a competitive place like UT. 
     Joshua says that next week they'll be Skyping Caleb's sister up in Kansas. What an engaging way for today's 21st century learners to connect with their role models, learn more about their post-secondary options, and help plan for their futures.

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Our C2C Guidance Game

After Kaitlyn and I posted our From Crayons to College bulletin board, I thought a lot about how to actually use the concept as a college-readiness tool with my K-3rd graders in guidance. Concerned that some of the words we chose were too big for our little learners, I created this interactive A-Z board to test drive it. Oh what fun we had! Here's how the game goes: There are two crayons in each pocket, one with something positive about that trait, one with something negative about it. 

For example: F is for family. One crayons says "The family that plays together stays together." The other one says, "My family annoys me so I just stay in my room."  Students take turns coming to the board to choose ONE of the crayons at random and read the saying aloud. My puppet reads it aloud for the non-readers. If they pulled a positive saying, we discussed what what good about it and added a brick to our 13-brick (one for every year from K-12) tower. If they pulled the negative one, we processed what was problematic about what it said and they did not get to add a brick. My students LOVED this game and totally understood each and every skill once we got through the ABCs and to the top of the tower. 

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From Crayons To College

My daughter and I worked together to create these ABCs for a bulletin board that ultimately became a guidance lesson to focus kids on skills they need to sharpen as they journey from Crayons to College. I'm thinking a lot about Kaitlyn today because she started her college classes this week; it seems like only yesterday that we were taking her to Cline with her kindergarten crayons.  Here's our list:

A is for Attitude.  Be a bucket-filler and hang out with positive 

people who will lift you up. 

B is for Behavior. Staying in control of what you think and feel 

will help you decide what to do. 

C is for Cooperation. Getting along and working together 

increase your chances for success.

D is for Determination. Set goals and see them through from start 

to finish with enthusiasm and drive.

E is for Effort. Give 100% in everything you do; don’t stress about 

being the best, just do your best.

F is for Family. Trust family and friends to be your safety net; let them 

laugh and cry with you.

G is for Good Grades. Do your best to achieve academically 

to open doors and opportunities.

H is for Honor. Show dignity and respect. Be honest, fair and 

courageous. Express appreciation and gratitude.

 I is for Initiative. Respond quickly to jumpstart your work; you know 

what they say about the early bird.

J is for Judgment. Think things through to make wise decisions 

and cut down on mistakes.

K is for Knowledge. Be a lifelong learner. The more you know,

the stronger you'll grow.

L is for Leadership. Lead by example; make footsteps worth following.

Be friendly and kind to people. 

M is for Morals. Be in the right place at the right time 

doing the right thing. 

N is for Nutrition. Eat well, drink a lot of water, exercise, 

relax and get plenty of sleep.

O is for Organization. Find a system that works 

to help you get it together.

P is for Perseverance. Persist with your purpose even when there are 

problems.  Keep on keeping on.

Q is for Quality. Stamp a quality assurance guarantee on 

everything you do.  Go for the gold.

 R is for Responsibility. Show up on time, make decisions carefully, 

and do what you’re supposed to do. 

S is for Study Skills. Sharpen those important tools to get through life 

by learning how to learn.

T is for Time Management. Be a good steward of your time; 

manage it well by watching your watch. 

U is for Understanding. Work to understand what people are 

telling you; listen with an opened heart.

V is for Volunteerism. Lend a helping hand and stand willing to serve.

Make the world better by showing up.

W is for Work Ethic. Spend extra time and energy working hard 

to earn what you want and need.

X is for eXcellence. Make excellence a habit; it will set you apart.

Y is for Yearning. Long to learn something new every day.

Dream it, desire it, do it.

Z is for Zeal. Race toward your future 

with everything you’ve got. Enthusiasm ignites GREATNESS!

If you were to adopt the ABCs of college readiness, 

which of these would you keep?  Change?  Why?

For a free download of these ABCs in book format courtesy of Jen, visit Runde's Room or click {here}. 

2016 update!

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