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Smart Teens Read... What Are You Reading This Summer?
Reading - to most people, it might seem like the antithesis of a summer vacation activity. However, in many ways, summer is the perfect time to catch up on some leisure reading and to read books, articles, and web sites that might help you in the upcoming school year. With this in mind, here are some of our reading suggestions (get our full list of suggestions at the new Educational Advocates blog and add your own suggestions on our Facebook page).
Fiction
Feed by M. T. Anderson: A satiric look at the prominence of technology, Feed tells the story of a boy who, like everyone else in his society, is ruled by consumerism and computer-driven entertainment and trends.
Looking for Alaska by John Green: Called "The Catcher in the Rye for the new generation," Looking for Alaska is a humorous, frank, and realistic look at teen life centering around four rebellious students who attend a private school.
Son of the Mob by Gordon Korman: Imagine a combination of Romeo and Juliet and The Godfather with a healthy sense of humor and you get Son of the Mob, in which Vince Luca, a mobster's son, falls for the daughter of an FBI agent.
Nonfiction
I Know You're Out There by Michael Beaumier: Beaumier, a former personals editor at the Chicago Reader, presents a humorous and occasionally touching look at the people who turn to the personals in the hope of finding love and friendship.
08: A Graphic Diary of the Campaign Trail by Michael Crowley and Dan Goldman: If you are still feeling withdrawal from the end of the 2008 presidential race, this graphic novel allows you to relive the race (with direct quotes from the candidates and from news outlets) and offers some trenchant commentary and pictures.
The Unlikely Disciple by Kevin Roose (recommended by Angela, a current Oberlin student): Attending Liberty University for a semester brings a godless youth to his knees as Brown student Kevin Roose attempts to connect with his God-fearing contemporaries. Roose's humor and fair-mindedness makes his account a fascinating read, and he brings up a valid point that agnostics and Christians alike tend to forget -- whatever people believe (or don't believe), they still celebrate, mourn, worry about, and enjoy many of the same things.
Secret Lives of Great Authors by Robert Schnakenberg: Learn all about Hemingway's anger management problems, F. Scott Fitzgerald's stormy and complicated relationship with his wife (they once arrived at a party on all fours, barking like dogs), and Louisa May Alcott's unrequited crush on Henry David Thoreau. Here is all of the information your teachers may have neglected to mention in English class!
Be certain to check out your local bookstore, Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com, and the public library to find these books and get more suggestions. For those you who like audio books, Audible offers a wide range of books that can be downloaded to iTunes and your iPod. |
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A Networking Approach for College Freshmen
by Mitch Bornstein, Ph.D
With the troubling headlines that 80% of 2009 college seniors are graduating without a job, parents of incoming 2009 college freshmen are increasingly anxious about the job market their children will encounter when they graduate. They know that grads lacking direction or job search skills are at a huge disadvantage competing for entry-level jobs, which are down by 22% this year.
In recognition of this challenging situation, it's not uncommon to see college freshmen trying to secure internships during the school year and in the summer. We recommend that students begin working on career planning by second semester freshman year, specifically by initiating some networking to begin researching potential careers and identifying potential internships.
When we discussed networking with Andy, a freshman at a New England liberal arts college, we heard what we invariably hear, "I don't have a network." To overcome this hurdle, we developed the Comfort Zone concept to guide students in identifying a close circle of well-known contacts that will be a positive first networking experience. The list includes family, extended family, family friends, neighbors, friend's parents, and teachers or professors.
As he filled out his Comfort Zone grid, Andy discovered, much to his surprise, that he had a lot of people he could comfortably contact from all of the above categories. When he prioritized the list and set a schedule for calling, he sheepishly confided that he didn't know what to say. We next developed a brief script, described Andy's objective in calling (to learn about careers and possible internships), and a list of questions to ask.
These career questions included:
- You know me well, what careers do you think would be a good fit for me?
- What careers would you recommend given the economy?
- What do you like and dislike about your career?
- What internship experiences do you think would be good for me?
- Who else would you suggest I talk to about careers and internships?
As an aside, parents always ask if it's appropriate for them to reach out to their networks on their child's behalf. The answer is absolutely. A caveat is how you do it. Too many parents take over completely in response to their own anxiety, especially when their children drag their feet. We recommend that you reach out to your contacts to ask if it's okay if your child contacts them. Then hand the baton over to your child. It's an important growth and learning opportunity for them to learn how to talk to adults about careers.
Mitch Bornstein, Ph.D., is the Founder and Senior Partner of Career Treking LLC, a firm that specializes in providing career planning services for college students and recent graduates. You can contact Mitch at mitch@careertreking.com or visit his website at www.careertreking.com. |
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Educational Advocates now has a Facebook page. Our goal is to build a page that will be fun and helpful not only to high school students, but also to students once they arrive at college.
Please visit the link and become a fan! Don't worry -- you don't have to friend us to become a fan. That way you can keep your personal information separate.
We not only want you to become a fan, but we would also really enjoy getting prom and graduation photos from you, and we encourage you to join or start a discussion on any college-related topic.
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Educational Advocates
1678 Beacon Street
Brookline, MA 02445
617-734-3700
Joan Kelleher Casey, President
jcasey@educationaladvocates.com
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Newsletter editorial staff:
Joan Casey
Terri Suico |
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