Affordable Schools Online

High School college guidance counselors can always use tips for helping their students find college studies they can afford. The Affordable Schools Online site offers information related to community colleges, financial planning, online schools, and the affordability of a college education. The site features news, blog entries, and research gathered to help parents, students, and guidance counselors with information about financing college and university studies.

Skills for College Readiness

There’s lots of talk about students not being adequately prepared for college. Most of this centers on the academic subjects, since colleges often have to offer remedial work in subjects such as reading, writing, and mathematics to some of their students.  Dan Jones, president of the Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors, believes that students also need skills that will help them survive in college.  Dealing with setbacks and managing their time are examples of “soft skills” all college students need. The Ed Week article, ‘Soft Skills’ Pushed as Part of College Readiness by Caralee J. Adams, notes that “Resiliency and grit, along with the ability to communicate and advocate, are all crucial life skills.” Many experts blame the lack of students’ “Soft Skills” on parents and teachers who are “jumping through hoops for kids.”  Helicopter Parents don’t want their children to struggle, and therefore, their children don’t know how to handle obstacles, responsibilities, and deadlines. Adams gives examples of what some schools are doing to help students, parents, and teachers combat this problem.  The key for parents and teachers is to be “supportive without overdoing it.”

Bag the Excuses

Consultant Dick Webster starts one of his workshop sessions by having teachers and administrators in the audience use index cards to write a short note about something they’d really like to do but haven’t accomplished. Then, on the back of the cards, he asks them to list why they haven’t made it to their goal. At the end of the session, he has everyone drop their cards into a bag as he instructs them to “bag their excuses” and get moving. Webster, who has been a teacher, headmaster and coach, challenges his audiences to have a positive impact on students in their schools. He motivates educators to rethink what they are doing as they develop confidence in their own abilities and help their students gain the confidence they need to find success in school and beyond. Sometimes, just giving students another chance and letting them know that you have faith in them will spur them on to the right path.

This message is also appropriate for schools and technology in this time of economic crisis.  It’s not easy for us to face cutbacks and stop grumbling about what we need for our classrooms. Do we need to do as Webster would advise, “strengthen our ignition systems” and make a commitment to do the best with what we have—all the while fighting for what we feel we need to help our students?