When it’s time for kids to move to college, it might be more complex to let go than you think. A lifetime of “taxi-ing” to every soccer practice and tournament in Timbucktoo, emailing teachers daily, tutoring homework, staying up late to put the clothes in the dryer ” ‘ cuz I gotta wear that shirt,…
Author: Jill Yoshikawa, Ed M, Partner of Creative Marbles Consultancy
Jill Yoshikawa, EdM, Harvard ’99, a seasoned, 25 year educator and consultant, is meticulous in helping clients navigate all aspects of the educational experience, no matter the level of complexity. She combines educational theory with experience to advise families, schools and educators. A UCSD and Harvard graduate, as well as a former high school teacher, Jill works tirelessly to help her clients succeed.
Reading Does Not Make You a Nerd
It’s summer. Hot (read: reason to stay inside). No school (read: students have LOTS of free time, for which their parents’ intentions and their own intentions may differ). So, its the season for numerous media articles lamenting “summer slide” or students “forgetting” the academic information from the previous school year to features of popular…
Being Special in a Sea of Special
Wow. In a time when it seems every 5 year old knows what “self-esteem” means, David McCullough Jr. reminded us of our basic human equanimity. “…even if you’re one in a million, on a planet of 6.8 billion that means there are nearly 7,000 people just like you. ” Boy, that either fries your hide…
Standardized Testing: The Good, The Bad and A Hmmmm…Moment
Bob Schaeffer of FairTest, an organization committed to a fair use of standardized testing in K-12 schools and college admissions, recently spoke with Creative Marbles about assessments. Our conversation reminded me of questions I’ve been asking since I was a beginning teacher, “How do we know (i.e. grasp clearly in the mind) what another has…
What’s Unemployment Got to Do With Picking Colleges for Application?
Forecasting job prospects based on location of the college is another criteria for prospective applicants and their parents to consider, before deciding to apply. If unemployment in general is high in a particular state, does a student and family want to invest their limited capital and 4-5 years of effort in a college, when they…
Financial Aid 101: Are You Financially Literate?
Paying for college seems out of the ordinary, given the total amount, which creates the “wake-me-up-from-a-dead-sleep-gasping-for-air” feeling. However, with some foresight, families can approach college expenses together and with less nervousness. Art Baird, Creative Marbles CEO and financial aid expert, and Jill Yoshikawa, Partner of the Educational Division at Creative Marbles, recorded a recent conversation…
College Reputation: The Inheritance of Graduates
A recent promotion (see below) on the University of San Francisco’s Facebook page got me thinking about the reputation of the college in relation to career prospects, especially since many students (and their parents) seek college degrees for greater future job security.
Will the $10 Billion Deficit in Pension Obligations Affect the Quality of UC Education?
The perfect storm: increasing numbers of qualified high school graduates for UC admissions, baby boomers maturing to retirement, who were promised generous pensions–which UC administrators did not fund for 20 years starting in the early 1990’s–and current reductions in state funding for higher education–all put pressure to increase tuition–while at the same time real wages…
“Careers, college majors, financial security…oh, my!”
Here’s an updated database showing average salaries in the Sacramento region can help prospective college students and their families in making decisions about majors and careers. The database is an easy way for teens (who by age are limited in experience) to be exposed to the diverse range of jobs, within their interests and talent.…
College Application Advice for Rising Seniors & Their Parents
“OMG, I’m going to be filling out college applications in the fall!” Rising seniors (and their parents) can react on a scale, somewhere between total avoidance and frenetic activity to get it all done. Here’s a few tips to prepare for Fall applications:
Low SAT Score = Total Failure? NOT
“If I don’t get a high score on the SAT (or ACT), I’m never getting into college, then I’ll be a total failure, all these AP classes will have been for nothing and I’ll be homeless!” Many of the juniors and seniors (and their parents) we advise sense some variation of this stress–which is a…
“College is too expensive” or Is It?
Multiple kids maturing to college age, shrinking retirement funds, loss of home equity, loss of personal wealth, plus annually rising college tuition and costs…no wonder middle class families are concerned about financial aid. When families assume all children will graduate from college, the question is, “What is the family’s collective (this includes all siblings, not…
“I Don’t Get It”: How Teens Ask for Help
Getting help isn’t as simple as asking the teacher, although usually the first suggestion parents make when a teenager doesn’t understand the assignment. Teenagers may not have been taught to identify the problem, to know what exactly the student is asking. Then, there’s the humbling of oneself to admit there’s a lack of knowledge (not…
What’s Planted in the “Garden of Your Mind”?
Mr. Rogers, an oldie but goodie, teaches us once again….