I recently talked with a mom who has a son that knows exactly what his interests are, what he’s really good at, and that he wants to travel right after high school.

I said, “That’s great! And then what?” 
“Oh, he’ll probably go to college.” 
“Cool! What’s he going to major in?”
“He doesn’t know.” 
“Ok, what kind of work does he want to do?” 
“He doesn’t know.” 

 This is very common. I often hear from parents, “My teen knows what they are interested in, but they don’t know how to turn it into a career, and it’s an area of interest I know nothing about!”

It’s always a good idea, before you spend lots of time and/or money investing in a career, to do your research on the profession to make sure it is a good fit for you. There are a few ways I provide this opportunity to the young people I work with. One of which, I wanted to share with you today.

The podcast All Things College and Career, was created with the goal to provide a resource for all people that are researching careers, colleges, or academic majors.

Have your summer plans been upended? Because of this pandemic, many parents have recently expressed uncertainty about what to do with their kids all summer, while others are concerned about their teens' missing out on activities that strengthen college applications. 

Although this summer vacation may not include volunteering or a typical summer job, it can still be a time for fostering self-discovery, growth, and independence. Check out these five ways that you and your teen can make the most of this summer.

Education today looks much different than it did a few short months ago. Many high-schoolers are sitting alone behind computers, instead of in classrooms filled with peers. We've been forced to rethink education. We've had to throw out the easy answers, the assumptions about "how things have always been." 

This environment offers the perfect opportunity to question everything and really figure out what's right for every child. Some kids will be perfectly happy (and compliant) with online learning. Others might do better with hands-on activities, which require a bit more creativity and patience from parents. After all, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to education. 

So why do we still take a one-size-fits-all approach to students after high-school graduation? We often assume that the natural path is to go on to a four-year university. But is that truly the right path for everyone?

Most of us have received the news that our kids won't be returning to school this year.  This is jarring and upsetting for all of us, but especially for Seniors and their families. Graduating is a significant transition and there is often some grieving that takes place. Celebrating the milestones that happen during the spring semester of a senior year help make the grieving process more sweet than bitter. So to have Prom, Graduation, and for some, Birthday celebrations taken away makes the jarring end of the school year that much harder for seniors. 
 Regardless of the pandemic, these milestones deserve to be celebrated! I gathered some resources to help your family find ways to make these milestones special in spite of the quarantine.

Can you imagine your teen pursuing their future with drive and excitement? Can you imagine knowing that the path they chose will not only lead to a thriving life of financial security but also a life of fulfillment? For so many young people this isn’t the case.
 
Many teens get to graduation and just pick a school or a major because it’s what they are “supposed to” do, it’ll make them good money, or it’s what everyone else is doing. But there’s no purpose other than that and there’s no excitement for their future. Some get to graduation without making any decision at all.
 
This can lead to them feeling aimless in life, wandering through it hoping they will stumble upon their passion. These young people can often feel purposeless which can lead to depression or negative habits. They are often unmotivated, anxious, and sometimes angry. Or maybe it will lead to changing majors, which will cost time and lots of money for both them and you.

The good news is, all of this can be avoided! It is possible for your teen to craft their own unique definition of success that they are excited about. They can find occupations that are uniquely suited to who they are and what they value and then start taking the steps towards them with direction and purpose.

College is expensive! So, of course we all want to do our best to save some money. Most people look for ways to reduce costs, which you know I am all about.

What most don't realize is that many students have been blindsided with unexpected, surprise college costs that get added on top of what they were expecting.

You read that right...

Thousands of students get blindsided by $25,000, $50,000 or more on top of what they were already expecting to pay. For some, this has resulted in more loans and more debt. For others, this leads to dropping out. As a matter of fact, when college dropouts were surveyed, the number one reason for not completing their degree was costs.

​Think back to 20 years, or even just 15 years ago. If someone told you that many students would go on to have jobs in social media marketing, would you have understood what that meant or how important a role they would be playing? How do we prepare kids for jobs in a future that we can’t predict? In contemplating this question there are a few things one would need to consider. 

      Education truly is the key to a better future for the world. But not in it’s current state. There are people and organizations doing wonderful things for education reform right now. Lots of things are happening towards influencing policy makers for change. However, we aren’t all necessarily on the same page. A very similar page perhaps, but not quite the same. Also, when people are so deeply inside a system it can be difficult to think outside the box. For example, let’s say the telephone didn’t change from 100 years ago. Then we ask Apple to apply the same kinds of tools and software of their iPhones to the same piece of hardware from 100 years ago. It would be a challenge and not the best option for our needs. I feel like that is what we are doing with our education system. The classroom has not changed in more than 100 years. We are trying with all our might to make it better, yet we are keeping the same structure for a society, economy, and technologies that don’t apply anymore. On top of all of this you have a system that takes quite a long time to make change. So, what do we do about it? I want to address both of these concerns.

​This is a two part article. In this first part we will take a look at how we reimagine a system that truly works for our current society, the longterm. Then, in part two we discuss how to make this happen in a more timely fashion, the short term.

     Last week, in part one of this article, we discussed a new goal for our education system, and we envisioned futures if we accomplish it. However, the question remains, “what do we do about it now?” Right now, parents are worried about their kids who are stressing about standardized test starting at age six. And teachers are not even able to do what they got into the profession for in the first place because their hands are tied with standards and regulations. What do we do for the kids who are there now?

“The most damaging phrase in the language is ‘We’ve always done it this way!’” - Grace Hopper     

     Why do we bother to go to school as children? What's the point of it? In other words, what is the goal of our education system? 
​
     There is little argument against education reform. No one would say we shouldn't make things better. However, when a system is relatively unchanged for more than a hundred years it can be very hard to “think outside the box.” There have been lots of changes within the system over the past several decades, but we need to reimagine the structure all together. Cars have drastically changed in the past century, phones are unrecognizable from a hundred hears ago. Yet, the classroom remains relatively the same.
​
     PBS says the purpose of school is to prepare children for citizenship, cultivate a skilled workforce, and allow students to compete in a global marketplace. Consider for a moment if this is truly the goal and if our system is accomplishing this goal. If you were to ask a student today what they perceive the goal to be, would this be their answer? I decided to ask current high school students what they think the purpose of school is. So, I conducted a survey and was shocked at what they had to say. Here are just a few of their responses: ​

     Alex, a DC student participating in the Challenger Center for Space Science Education, was working on how to cook his favorite food - hamburgers - in space. Marsville, a colony he designed on the fourth planet from the sun, wouldn’t be complete without burgers. In order to solve this problem he began consulting with a British scientist. The scientist told Alex he would soon be visiting DC for a National Science meeting and suggested they do lunch. As Alex told his teacher this he began to cry. When she asked why he was crying he explained that he’d not told the scientist that he was only in the fourth grade and that he didn’t know what “do lunch” meant.

     In my time working with high school students I visited schools of varying socioeconomic statuses and demographics. One thing was the same across the board, a lack of emotional regulation training. Despite the incredible benefits emotional health has on us physically and psychologically this kind of education is sorely lacking in society in general. Regardless of one’s socioeconomic status, religious background, or home life most of us aren’t taught how to manage our emotions. Developing the skills required to regulate your emotions and take control of your feelings is not easy. And, like other skills, it requires time and practice. These are also immensely important skills to have in order to be successful in future personal and professional relationships and environments. For these reasons, Emotional Health should be a priority in our education system.

     Regulating our feelings and the thoughts that lead to those feelings is also known as self control. When you are able to control your emotions, your prefrontal cortex is more available for you to make good decisions.

According to countless studies, having self control correlates with:

This week I'd like to give a big welcome to Play Therapist, Mary Stuart Neill. My family has enjoyed working with her and I am thrilled to share an article with you that she wrote just for us. This article is a simple how to for parents of young children. The type of play she instructs really allows a parent to get to know their small child's inner world. She also takes the time to share some great resources. If you have any questions please feel free to reach out to either of us. ​