“The last step in parental love involves the release of the beloved.” -Lewis Mumford Easy words to read; difficult words to carry out in practice. Parents all over the country are preparing for their offspring moves to colleges and residence halls. Roommate assignments are arriving. Shopping trips for new bedspreads, stacking crates, power strips, and…
Grades Don’t Only Measure Learning
Grades are a complex mix of a student’s performance meeting the teacher’s grading standards, managing assignments so they’re completed & returned to the teacher on time, AS WELL AS actually learning the concepts in class. Too often, the last part–the learning & understanding–is the only part that consumes students’, teachers’ and parents’ efforts, when a…
Storytelling Season is Around the Corner
A big part of our business at this time of year is listening to the minds of the young share their life stories as part of their college application process. The autobiographical writing process for anyone is grueling, but the young doing so under the time constraints presented to them as part of the overall…
21st Century Learning in a Globally Connected “Classroom”
Computer technology and the internet is just the latest tool for education and learning. The printing press and cheap, mass produced paper spread learning to the masses. The accessibility of the Bible spurred the need to be literate to read, which in turn began disbursing the Church’s power and let more people begin thinking critically…
Generation Y: Change Agent or Loafing Youth?
“More American Idle than American Idol” is how The Economist (January 3-9, 2009) described the current generation of young adults born in the 1980’s and 1990’s, known as Generation Y. Is this a fair assessment?
Rising Seniors: Talk is Cheap
Why invest many dollars, actual or borrowed, into a college that will expect students to learn, yet holds itself to another standard when it comes to expanding horizons? Rising seniors and their parents who seek a valuable degree, consistently ask us questions about the value of a degree from X college or university over another.…
Teachers Are People, Too
Students can be surprised to see teachers out in the community doing everyday, ordinary tasks–grocery shopping, flying on airplanes, having coffee at the local Peet’s. I know I felt like this as a kid, even when I became a teacher working on staff with former teachers, I had a hard time using their first names…
Guest Post: Being Organized (Consider It The Basics)
Michelle, a trusted friend of the Creative Marbles team and successful business woman, who is always seeking to improve, discusses what it means to be organized and the benefits of searching for order within the chaos of one’s life. ____________ How do you stay organized now? Or, a similar question, would your parents or teachers…
The Soul Connection
Too often its easy to think, “I can’t…I’m not an expert.” Collaboration, however, relies on all-comers. The energy created when everyone is sharing their talents, exposing their weaknesses and openly working together is ripe with potential, of which the consequences are unknown and possibly lasting beyond the group’s time together. “One short week, we put…
Just Because You Can, Does That Mean You Should?
Are we “solving” issues too quickly with medication, or just “kicking the can down the road” only now with more complications for a generation of today’s youth? According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention reports 14% of Americans 12 years and older have been on medications…
“Hidden in Plain Sight” Costs of College
Healthcare is one of those “in plain sight, but not at the top of the list of expenses, yet can be significant in the college budget.” Many colleges require students to be covered by health insurance–either their parents’ policy or an individual policy bought through the university. The recent confirmation of the Healthcare Law by…
Imagination is Not Just for Kids
“If your boy is a poet, horse manure can only mean flowers to him; which is, of course, what horse manure has always been about.” –Ray Bradbury, Dandelion Wine Children see the world through their own eyes. What are we adults doing to nurture their view? And, where, if anywhere, are we not nurturing? What can…
“No Student Loans”: Is that possible?
Don’t want to borrow for college expenses? Some universities across the U.S. are implementing financial aid policies, where no (or limited amounts) of loans will be offered in the financial aid award letter. Knowing the financial aid policy of colleges–before applying–can help a family have dollar amounts to determine the value of a college, given…
Study Abroad: Necessity or Privilege?
Study abroad isn’t simply an opportunity to travel and live in another country. The immersion in a second (or third) culture and/or language can change a person’s views, values, and confidence–as the individual is literally transplanting themselves in a foreign location and learning to thrive. Is study abroad or some international experience becoming necessary to…
SAT & ACT Preparation: A Lesson With “Should” and “Don’t Want to…”
The existence of SAT & ACT prep courses, books, tutors, online questions, etc. shows that with practice a student has the possibility of increasing her/his scores. Yet, when it comes to practicing, who wants to sit down with a 600+ pages thick, 8.5″ x 11″, doorstop looking, test prep book by oneself or in a…