When she was a child, MacArthur prize-winning best-selling novelist Chimamanda Adichie’s writing imitated the dominant culture that was offered in the literature at her school. Though Adichie is Nigerian and black, the characters in her first stories were light-skinned and lived in Western countries. In her 2009 TED Talk which has been viewed nearly 33...Read More
One of the things parents and teachers both ask about is the student who does not self-advocate. To the adults, it does not seem to make sense that a struggling or confused student would not reach out. The student may need your guidance to access help. ________________ When was the last time you had to...Read More
“I should have been a career girl.” My mother said this nearly every day as she carried laundry to the washer, wiped fingerprints off the bathroom mirrors and vacuumed up the bits of grass we tracked in on bare feet. She resented the boss who fired her when she became pregnant and the children who...Read More
Let’s set the scene. Like many super-involved parents, you’ve been checking the school portal, keeping up with your child’s daily performance. There it is. You’ve been waiting for this moment. On the page before you is proof that your kid can be a high achiever. It’s a big jump in the English grade! You may be...Read More
You’ve finished all of the work you’re going to do today. You could be like Fred Flintstone shouting “Yabba-dabba-doo!” as you rush away from your task list. But wait, you’ve forgotten something important! Tomorrow. If you just leave your desk at the stopping point of your last task, you will be completely unprepared for the...Read More
We like to think that we are in charge of our choices. But what if making a choice or decision is actually based on things that we don’t notice? Sometimes we are faced with a task that will require one or more choices. What we choose depends on what we process about the situation. This...Read More
If you’re like me, when faced with the ill-defined obstacle of “all of the stuff that needs to get done,” it’s very tempting to immediately launch into action. But any sports team knows better than to attack blindly; you need a savvy strategy to succeed. A champion squad would never enter the arena without a...Read More
The clock is ticking. Early Decision and Early Action are just weeks away. Has your college-hopeful written their essay yet? I’m talking about Their singular and compelling story In their authentic voice Showcasing the strengths that have brought them increased self-awareness and success Essay in a Day is a five-hour bespoke, personalized writing experience that shows...Read More
Imagine that you could guarantee your happiness. How happy would you want to be? Would you go for “Can’t complain,” or maybe “Delighted,” is more your style? Perhaps you’d want to be “Jubilant” or even “Ecstatic!” If some happiness is good, is more even better? If so, when? For thousands of years philosophers have debated...Read More
Just because your middle or high school student Misses or has trouble following directions/forgets what to do. Tantrums about things that appear fairly minor and manageable to you. Melts down instead of expressing feelings and frustrations. Moves from task to task, or looks for distractions but doesn’t complete the original task. Mixes up assignments/forgets to...Read More
