Opportunities to succeed do not hinge on a single decision at age 18. Whether or not a young adult goes directly to college after high school, there are wonderful possibilities ahead — but you can’t see them in the rear view mirror. And you can’t see them if you’re too busy trying to force-fit a mold that doesn’t suit the student.
The articles in this section offer ideas on alternatives to the straight college-prep, “Top 30” colleges view of the world:
– Why vo-tech classes are good for top students
– Where the economy is heading
– How to talk to students about their futures
– How to avoid looking at your future through the lens of grades
Science confirms what smart kids knew already: daydreaming makes you intelligent and efficient. Daydreaming can also lead to better life satisfaction, relationships and creativity . Want to help your child release stress and be happy, confident and communicating? Join us on January 31 for my new More than Grades Masterclass.
What do you think is the most common mistake even smart women (and men) make that leaves them struggling with stress and worry about their futures… or their child’s? What did you come up with? I’d love to hear your thoughts: share them on Facebook and see below for the single biggest mistake I see […]
People — students, recent graduates, parents, adults– are always talking to me about finding their “path.” The notion being that if they can just figure out all the elements of what they’re good at, what careers they’re suited to, and where they can earn the living they want, they’ll discover the path they should walk […]
Not seeing the best in our students is not as much an issue for them as it is for us. Many of them go happily along feeling free and knowing they just want to stay under the radar of parents, school, teachers and traditional expectations. Jimmy, for example, is a C-student who, “… trained us. […]
I sometimes wonder why so much of what is considered “good literature” for ourselves and for students has to be dark, depressing, or unhappy. I’m not against stories in which something bad happens, but knowing that bad news seizes and clings, while good news slides right off us, I like to prime myself with uplifting […]
“Bring back Vo-Tech” and “Not everyone needs to go to college—some people would be better in the trades.” These are two comments I often hear when I speak about Gifts that Conflict with School™, The Myths of Education™, or Race to Nowhere. Now, those of you who have been on my calls or in my […]
If a young adult you know is in the bottom 80% of the class, you may have been told that she is “an underachiever” (a polite way of saying lazy or dumb). Ask yourself, “Underachiever compared to what?” Compared to the narrowly-defined, standardized measures of school performance? Or compared to the abilities that will help […]
The other day, 20-year-old Andy said to me, “I just don’t know what I want to do with my life, and I worry that I’m not going to get a good job when I graduate.” In the past year, I have heard this concern so many times from students that I decided to write… An […]
With all the focus on grades and scores, let’s take that to the nth degree. IF your child suddenly does a 180 and gets an A+ in every class between now and the end of college AND because he got perfect SAT scores, he went to Harvard, now what? “The world is his oyster,” you […]