Only Persistence Leads to Academic Success
By Dave Goldberg, Guidance Counselor
One of the most vexing problems for any guidance office or classroom is getting students to connect what they are doing now to something they will be doing in the future. This has been true since before Plato's Academy.
Every educator has heard students bemoan that they will never use algebra. This is used as a justification and reason for earning a grade lower than expected. By this pretzel logic, students will never need to understand or use the Magna Carta, read The Aenied, speak Spanish, write expository papers or grasp the Laffer Curve. Heck, why even go to school. It's not as if you'll ever usewhat teachers are bringing.
Too often educators and observers of organizational structure and politics look only at the symptoms of a problem and assign solutions that are expeditious and cost effective rather than effective. The fact remains, that all students will address math, English, economics, etc. in a forthright manner-whether they are interested in the subject or not-and will have to gain some level of mastery. This mandate is unwavering and real. So, educators struggle and use energy and time to work with students who don't enjoy a mandatory subject, or believe that the material is like warm cod liver oil, or think that the teacher is mean or only mildly serious. The fact remains: your child is going to address that class and pass it or he or she isn't going to graduate from this school. A twist on an old saying: you can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink. Well, partner, you can make it awful thirsty.
What we're talking about here is persistence. In a round-a-bout example, currently, only 130 IRHS people have "liked" IRHS Scholarships and Moreon facebook. Really? We enroll 1,900+ students in a socio-economically advantaged area. Along with UHS, CDO, Amphi, Sabino, Foothills, San Miguel, BASIS and Salpointe Catholic, we are the
only shining stars of Tucson's 9-12 education melt down. By now 1,000+ students here at IRHS should have"liked" that page. If you don't have a facebook page, build one just to like that page. Forget "friending" people. Weare your friend.
Alongside visiting with college reps and scoring scholarships using IRHS
Scholarships and More, we need all 1,900 students to really get involved in the ECAP (Education and Career Action Plan). Guidance busted out our curriculum over the past three weeks to sophomores and freshmen. It was exhilarating to see your children get involved. They need to get more deeply involved though. Here is the link:
https://azcis.intocareers.org/materials/portal/home.html
Everyone has got to be more persistent. Persistent in linking what is happening in the classroom as relevant, authoritative, non-negotiable, interesting, future-oriented and necessary. As we look over data from prior years, we know about 45 percent of our students are four-year bound. The other 45 percent are going to PCC and the 10 percent are going straight to work or the military. In order to give your child the best shot at college and career, AzCIS is the platform IRHS Guidance & Counseling uses.
December is now upon us. The first semester is nearly done with just about 15 class days ahead till end of semester. Everyone needs to step on the gas and finish strong, run through the tape, as they say. Message to our seniors, colleges do indeed look at your 7th
term grades and final grades as well. Spring Fever is a vestige of times when school was easy. Spring fever and malaise are an apparition, similar to the Ghost of Christmas Past.Basically, the message from College Tips
is that December-the half-way point-is upon us. Your children have time to reinvent themselves as academicians and lovers of learning, and I'm speaking to all of you, even those students and parents who traditionally don't get involved because you mistakenly believe that we are doing it all. It's like Romper Roomfrom years ago when the teacher would look through the loop and say names and tell you that she saw you. We see you out there, parents. We know your names. You are invited to be part of this school! You are invited to tell your kids that graduating is only one of the goals and that using high school vigorously as a stepping stone to a better life is indeed the reality and not some fiction or an ad man's vision.
Romper Room's NSA experiment.
Have a great Thanksgiving, and, when gathered around the dinner table, be sure to ask your children what they've learned in school this semester. And if they say, "Nothing", tell them to try harder and to stop double-dipping in the chip dip.
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