Tag Archive for 'Collegiate Career Coach'

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: , , , , .

Bring the Confidence Back to the Students

When I was a little girl, I used to talk to my father on the drive to school about what I wanted to do when I grew up. At that time I wanted to be a lawyer. Although I didn’t become a lawyer, I was always instilled with the confidence that I could do ANYTHING I wanted to do. And I found it. I decided to become a life coach, focusing on education. It take confidence to put your own business together. It takes confidence to make business deals and really believe in what you are doing. Why are there any dropout rates at all? Some students don’t take the education seriously and don’t realize the impact that a lack of education will have on their lives. Some don’t have the confidence that they can do what they really want to do with their lives. Some don’t have the confidence to even be in school because they keep hearing that there’s no jobs out there for them, even is they excel with their education. Teachers, parents and students, create an environment where students can dream again and know that they can do anything they want to in their lives.

Published on Tuesday March 8, 2011 in Broadcast, Choosing a Career 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: , , , .

Choosy Job Seekers in a Weak Job Market

According to an article that ran recently in U.S. NEWS, a recent survey conducted by the job search engine SimplyHired.com revealed that over 80 percent of job seekers prefer a job they love over a job that pays them well. While some job seekers will take what they can get, Chief Executive Guatum Godhwami of SimplyHired.com said that those in certain job industries can be a little more picker than others. These industries include Nursing, Technology, and Engineering.

http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/articles/2010/10/20/what-todays-job-seekers-want.html?PageNr=1

This is no surprise. Statistically, a person is more likely to leave their job if they feel unappreciated rather than for pay.

 In my classrooms we do an activity on the first day of class so that everyone can get to know each other. One of the topics they share is their degree major. An overwhelming amount of students are in the Nursing program. It’s in high demand. However, some students are still sticking to industries that they think they will enjoy – education, fashion designers, public relations, and business.

When asked what type of business these aspiring owners want to run, they desire to become a part of an established family owned business or just choose business because it opens up their choices for any industry they choose.

My advice is to stick with what you love. First of all, the economy will turn around eventually. Also, you can make money doing anything you want as long as your are creative. I’m a writer and an educator – both careers that are not known for paying high salaries. But I picked a passioned that embraced both of them, and the high salary is sure to come soon….very soon.

Published on Monday November 8, 2010 in Broadcast, Choosing a Career, On the Job 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: , , .