As teachers and parents, we want our teenagers to try new things, challenge themselves and learn resilience from failure. We don’t want them to obsess about grades, suffer anxiety or give up when a task is too hard. But how do any of these goals fit with the insanely competitive culture around college applications? Are…
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The power of assertiveness
When I was a high school senior, my Presbyterian church youth group took a “college caravan” trip to Michigan. As soon as we had all piled into the “Rev-mobile” – yes, we called it that – our youth pastor Jay Groat announced it would be an “assertiveness training” weekend. You want to change seats? No…
Read MoreIs giving up ever the right answer?
A parent recently spoke to me about concerns for her child, who is a student in my class. This student is struggling with the course content, despite completing all assignments, studying countless hours and seeking out lots of one-on-one help from me. Sounds like an ideal student, right? But the mom is deeply worried that…
Read MoreAny questions??
If we want our kids to become “lifelong learners,” one of the most important skills we can teach them is how to ask questions. Once you leave your formal education, the world isn’t going to spoon feed you information anymore. You actually have to find your own answers, whether it’s “Where is the bathroom?” or…
Read MoreYour words count
You’re just not good at math That book is beyond your reading level College isn’t necessarily for you Why do teachers insist on making disparaging comments that pigeonhole students? These comments are all ones my own students and grad school classmates have heard from other teachers — probably well-intentioned teachers who thought they were giving…
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MARTHA RUSH 