Whether they want to begin a career or go to college after
high school there are many great print and online resources out there that help
students prepare for their future. As school administrators, counselors, and
teachers we can be a tremendous asset in helping students develop useful skills
and strategies and show them how to navigate the necessary requirements; courses,
SATS, GPA, college applications, community service, etc. One caveat however is not letting
students investigate and initiate these processes under their own
volition.
As a parent of high school students, I prompted and cajoled
my two sons to consider future options, complete necessary paperwork and tests,
and maintain high levels of academic achievement. However, I now wonder if perhaps I
did the majority of critical thinking about their future plans by directing rather
than coaching them through the thought process of considering various
possibilities and alternatives. Had I allowed them to learn how to follow through
and make choices for themselves and explore and
experience the fruits of this exercise outside of gaining their parents ire or approval?
The unfortunate result of directing students along a path of
college and career readiness instead of allowing them to wonder, flounder, and
self-motivate is that they do not actually become career and college
ready. The attitudes and dispositions
developed during this process are what they must acquire in order to persevere when things do not always go
smoothly. Confidence in oneself and the
ability to access experts and resources when help is required are essential to future
success. Knowing oneself and being
aware of one’s academic and social limitations allow a student to prepare for
and overcome obstacles and generate self- motivation. Students thus prepared will be able to handle
most problems they face and although intimidated by them, trust that they will
eventually devise solutions on their own or with help.
The more we embrace the role of coach rather than boss; the
better our students will know how to succeed on the playing field of life. In Results Coaching: The New Essential for School Leaders, Kathryn Kee, et al, 2010, reminds us
about neuroscience as it relates to performance:
“Today, we know from neuroscientists that if we want to
improve performance, we must improve thinking.
Learning to think critically, problem solve, or predict outcomes rarely
comes from a kit or a program. It comes
from real interactions that continually model the expectation of thinking to
achieve results. Therefore, whether we
are working with students …, the critical new
essential is believing in people’s potential in such a way that we stop
telling them what to do and teach them how to decide what is the best action to
take or task to do given the standards, the expectations, the results, or the
outcomes.”
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