Holistic Readiness for Students

1. Holistic Readiness for Students Mia Bradford, Middle School Outreach Coordinator EMERGE-HISD

2. Participants will: Define holistic readiness. Identify key developmental aspects for effective programming. Identify the challenges our students face and what areas they need to develop in. Highlight strategies to target certain areas of development. OBJECTIVES

3. What does holistic awareness mean on your campus?

4. What’s missing? “Many college access initiatives rely on youth having already developed the personal resources, such as motivation and a college-going identity, that will enable them to benefit from programmatic resources. What is missing from current efforts is attention to helping youth develop these personal resources and internal capacities”.

5. What’s missing? • Savitz-Romer believes “in order for young people to set future goals, make informed choices, and succeed once in college, they need opportunities that support their holistic development”. • This is especially true for those students that are not self-motivated or don’t see themselves as college material. How is their college going identity established and what supports are in place for them to develop it?

6. What’s missing? • Bouffard believes that “few institutions and efforts have harnessed this need to build agency, or what Reed Larson has described as initiative, “theability to be motivated from within to direct attention and effort toward a challenging goal.” According to Larson, initiative or “agency” involves three factors that work in concert: intrinsic motivation, or the drive to do something and invest in it for its own sake; engagement in the activities and environments of one’s daily life: and commitment over time even (or especially) in the face of challenges and setbacks.

7. Discussion • What are some of the misconceptions we might have about the skills our students should have acquired by now? • What are some of the challenges a lower SES, single parent, homeless or hungry student may face? • What are some of the challenges a student from a higher SES household with college educated or even immigrant parents may face?

8. Privilege Walk Activity

9. Privilege Walk Debrief • How did this exercise make you feel? • What were your thoughts as you were doing it? Where do you think your students are on this spectrum? • What have you learned from this exercise?

10. Developmental Milestones • Age/Grade Social/Emotional Physical Cognitive

11. 40 Developmental Assets for Adolescents (ages 12-18) • www.search-institute.org • How do we promote these assets on our campuses? • Counseling Lessons, 1:1’s and Small Groups!

12. Support is the foundation Fu Fueledschools.org

13. Empowerment Food for thought: How many of us often give our students a solution? Peer Leaders

14. Boundaries and Expectations Food for thought: Place yourself back in the age group you work with, what was important to you at that time? LIFE IS NOT FAIR!

15. Compromise Reflection Activity • Have a student define compromise. • Explain why compromise is necessary. • Have a student volunteer and give you a brief scenario where the parent asked them not to wear something or they could not go somewhere and they got upset and spoke back to their parents. • Have the other students write down ideas for a compromise that might resolve the issue. • Have the students interview adults in their life and ask them what rules they had to follow, what seemed fair, and what didn’t and what happened when they did not follow the rules? Also, have them ask if there was anything positive about the rules? • Adapted from: Too Stressed to Think? A Teen Guide to Staying Sane when life makes your Crazy By Annie Fox, M.Ed and Ruth Kirschner pages. 76-77

16. Compromise Reflection Activity HW and Follow up • HW: Have the students interview adults in their life and ask them what rules they had to follow, what seemed fair, and what didn’t and what happened when they did not follow the rules? Also, have them ask if there was anything positive about the rules? • Follow up: “Take It Into the Real World”: An “all or nothing: attitude usually increases stress and prevents conflict resolution. The next time you’re in a head-to-head conflict, flex. Instead of thinking you have to get your way or win at all costs, consider a compromise…”

17. Guiding students to meaningful activities. • Are students aware of the many activities you have on campus? Are they encouraged to try something new or try something on their bucket list? Is involvement a part of your 1:1 conversations? • What community after-school and weekend programs are available to your students? Are you partnered with any Community Based Organizations? • Are students encouraged to volunteer? Many can start with their religious organizations. • Connect with your feeder pattern high schools about summer program opportunities offered to all grade levels.

18. Internal Assets

19. Decision Making According to Hossler, there is a “three-step college choice decision-making process, which includes predisposition, (developing postsecondary aspirations and college-going goals), search (identification of possible post-secondary opportunities), and choice (selection of appropriate college).” www.practicalmoneyskills.com

22. The Power of Messaging

23. Growth Mindset Worksheet • From nerdynerdynerdy.com • A great tool to use during a 1:1 with a student as you encourage them to use every experience as a learning opportunity. • A great book to read is “Where You Go is Not Who You’ll Be by Frank Bruni

24. Any questions? Mia Bradford, mbradfo2@houstonisd.org