BOOST Collaborative

One of the things I am most grateful for is how my job allows me the opportunity to meet and work with some of the most amazing people. I am inspired daily by those who have given their time and talents to after school programs across the country. And since it is apparent, they are not in this business for the vast amount of money they can earn, there is something else that compels them. They love kids!

I am passionate about teaching kids, and understating WHY students are disengaged. I have written a thesis (currently under review) that examines this national issue- TEACHER EFFECTIVENESS and STUDENT DISENGAGEMENT. In the thesis, I provide seven teaching strategies that help teachers become more effective in the classroom- creating a strong connection to their students, hopefully, improving student retention, and in the end advancing the student’s chances for success inside a competitive and often troubled educational system. Simply, my thesis helps the educator connect to kids. The following is a passage from my thesis for my masters in Educational Leadership.

For almost 10 years I have been teaching and facilitating groups in education, arts and leadership. I began leading youth groups in my late teens through my early twenties. Throughout my adult life, I have worked with children as young as five professional educators on a national platform, and artists as old as 60. I have facilitated, in both public and private schools, at over 40 national educator and counselor conferences. I have also facilitated and taught at professional theater companies in New York City and Los Angeles. My wide exposure to different age groups, audiences, and learning communities — combined with my varied background in traditional and nontraditional education — has provided me with skills that make it possible to observe what teaching techniques have been most effective and productive for both youth and educators.

Although it is cliché, as the end of the year approaches, it is a time to think about closing out the old year and bringing in the new year. As your programs and schools wind down for the holiday season, this allows us an opportune time to reflect upon the accomplishments of our students, our staff, and ourselves. It’s also a time to think about what we did not accomplish in 2011 but what we hope to do in 2012. These may be seemingly minor things like not cleaning out the supply closet, or it may be something more major, such as our students are not where we would like them to be academically. So, I invite each of you for a few minutes to take a breath, forget about the baking and shopping and card sending, grab a hot cup of coffee or tea, and sit down and reflect upon the following questions.

Many articles being written lately are suggesting that parents are the missing piece in solving the cyberbullying puzzle. What they are suggesting is that communication between parents and their children is often too many times missing. Parents need to truly get involved in “cyber” discussions with their children. We need to take the initiative to dialogue on “cyber” issues that our children are engaging in. The following questions and strategies will help parents initiate and sustain conversations with their children.

Initiating Conversation Questions: