Archive for the 'College Success' Category

Life Skills in Education

About one month ago I went to go present to a board of education as to how important life skills are to be taught in the classrooms. Although many students learn life skills at home, many students do not. The select few of the board that showed up at the meeting told me not to use the words “life skills,” as it relates to education because it has a negative connotation. As an educator, it is my opinion that avoiding life skills in the way we act in the classroom and in the way in the way that we teach is unavoidable. Students, whether in the classroom or outside of it, will encounter changes, decisions, LIFE. Yes, I know wholeheartedly that skills need to be taught. I have had too many college students come into the classroom without basic reading and writing skills. But we cannot just point fingers as to whose responsibility it is to teach what. It takes all of us – parents, educators, mentors, life coaches, guidance counselors, neighbors, etc. The list can go on and on. Instead of pointing fingers, jump in and lend a helping hand to anyone – including yourself. We are all lifetime students.

Published on Wednesday April 27, 2011 in College Success, Life Management, Life Purpose, Self-Discovery and Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

Judgement

In the second week of this teleclass I’m doing with Jana Fleming, we’re practicing non-judgement. It is a practice that allows us to not judge anything that occurs. Since we were children, we were always taught to judge that something was good or bad based on beliefs we were taught from out family, friends, society, etc. Believe me, it’s easier said than done.

In the nine years I worked as a professor, I’ve observed judgement all of the time. Students would judge themselves as stupid if they got even a B on their assignment. Being as though I was teaching basic skills courses, students were very judgemental about how they did not needed the course.

For others not to judge us, we grow up trying to fit into certain circles of friends. This creates us to loose who we really are and who we really want to be. We judge other people to fit the roles we expect them to play.

Today I encourage you to be the observer in your classrooms and when you are hanging around your social circles. What are you saying about yourself? What are you saying about other people? The more you judge yourself, the more you judge others.

If you catch yourself judging, don’t judge yourself for that. Just be mindful that today you are setting an intention to not judge anything that occurs throughout your day. The more you practice this you’ll be less judgemental of your teachers. You’ll be able to communicate with your teachers and your social circles much better. Because you have made the decision that right and wrong don’t exists. All that exists is the story being played out in front of you.

Take the non-judgement challenge today!

Published on Friday March 4, 2011 in Broadcast, College Success, Self-Discovery and Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

All Any Wants is Just a Little Appreciation

So yesterday afternoon, I was totally listening in on two colleagues talk about their boss. They mentioned how their office, one of the offices on the college campus, is short staffed because their co-worker was let go. As a result, these women said that they were being asked to do their own work and the work of their colleague who just left. In this conversation, they complained about not being compensated for it, but the majority of the conversation was about how unappreciated they felt.

I’ve always known that people are more likely to quit their job when they do not feel appreciated, rather than for monetary reasons. And then I started thinking about the average college classroom. At both of the colleges I have taught, it always starts off with a classroom full of students for the first couple of weeks, and then all of a sudden, students begin to diappear. Now there are also financial factors that play a role in why this sometimes happens, but I started thinking about appreciation being a factor too.

Anytime I’m collecting an assignment from my students, I always thank them for turning it in. When I conference with them about their essays, I always point out the things they did well, as well as the things they need to improve on. I always ask them how their weekend was or how their day is going.

In return, my students do the same. Most of them show excitement about coming to class, and our classroom ends up being a learning process filled with joy and excitement. My students feel comfortable asking questions because we create an environment in the beginning of the semester that not only do the students appreciate me and I appreciate them, but they also appreciate each other.

Each person in the classroom plays a role well or poorly the class runs. So you do what you can do to show your teachers and classmates that they are appreciated. Even just a simple smile can make a difference.

Published on Thursday September 23, 2010 in Broadcast and College Success. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

Time Management for Geniuses

There are twenty four hours in everyone’s day, but often it seems as if we can’t get everything we want to get completed in that time period. To really live a balanced life, which is what many of us strive for, we make time for work, make time to care for our bodies through eating and fitness, make time to rest, and make time to socialize with our family and friends. With all of those activities, it seems like twenty four hours is not enough time. But even if we had more time in a day we would still rush around doing the same habits. So time is not really what we need to focus our attention on. Our attention needs to be focused on the activities we do throughout the day.

As a professor, business owner, writer, daughter, sister, aunt and friend, I want to get everything done, sometimes all in one day. Yet, I have learned that when I overload my list of activities, I run myself down—physically and mentally. When I run myself down, I’m unable to perform my activities on the level to which I would prefer.

So each week I make myself a list of priorities, which I call, “My List of Dreams to Fulfill.” Knowing what my overall goals are, I list all the activities I would like to complete in order to fulfill them. I then rank the list in order of priorities. I almost never complete the entire list by the end of each week, but the most important activities that I’ve identified as important are always done. And the activities that I have ranked and not finished are either removed from my list due to its lack of importance or move up in rank for the following week. Allow yourself to be okay completing the top three. That’s an accomplishment wroth of celebration.

Another key to managing your activities is asking for help. You’ll be surprised at how your family and friends really want to be a part of helping you fulfill your dreams. And for my professional business activities, I hire others who specialize in activities they complete far quicker than I would, especially with my busy schedule.
Hiring someone to do your work in college is definitely not a wise idea because, in addition to cheating, you will never know the information yourself. However, seeking extra help from your professor or your school’s tutoring center will allow you to complete your work with more confidence and in a timely manner. If there is someone in your class who seems to understand the material that you may be struggling with, get their contact information and arrange a study session together.

People explain things in different ways. Hearing the information from someone else might give you some clarity and allow you to complete your work in a timely manner. The more you understand, the easier it will be for you to complete your work.

So go ahead and create your own personal “Dreams to Fulfill” list, and seek help from others around you.

Published on Monday September 20, 2010 in Broadcast, College Success, Life Management and Self-Discovery. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

Get Involved on Campus and Make Some Friends

Going to college is far more than just the academic experience. It’s also a time to grow into an adult, learn how to balance your schoolwork and social activities, dicover more about who you really are, and meet new friends.

Sometimes this can be a scary thing to do because you have known all of your high school friends for four years or more, depending on how long you lived in your school district. But making new friends, who resonate with your personality, will make college a much more wonderful and fun experience.

Start talking to the people in your classes. Join clubs, a sport team, or a organization on campus that you are interested in. Then you’ll meet other people with the same interests as you.

When I was in college, I met a lot of my friends from my cheerleading team. And then I made friends with the friends they were meeting. I’m still very close with my college friends.

Everyone goes to college not knowing what their journey is going to be like. Linking up with like-minded people will give your journey the full college experience.

Published on Friday September 17, 2010 in Broadcast and College Success. 0 Comments Tags: , , .