Are you celebrating College and Career Readiness in your school this month? Are your students doing anything special for College Week right now or College Signing Day on May 4th?
College and Career Readiness: The Celebrations!
College Week , College Signing Day, and the Reach Higher movement are dynamic events and activities that bring awareness to the mission of inspiring students across the nation to continue their education after high school. All of these events are enthusiastically endorsed by the American School Counselor Association. College Signing Day is one of the main events of the #ReachHigher movement spearheaded by Michelle Obama. All of these events make May extra special in terms of College and Career Readiness, but of course it is a topic that needs to be addressed all year long! So, whether you need ideas for your May college celebrations, information so you know what College Week is, or just some dynamic College and Career Readiness guidance lessons, I’ve got you covered with this May post on College and Career Readiness!
College and Career Readiness: Motivating and Educating Students
This time of year, students are so busy trying to battle (or embrace) Spring Fever and pass their state tests, that future college or career plans may be the last thing on their mind! For this reason, it is super important to share helpful information and motivational anecdotes with students. Depending on your class demographics, this might look like one of the following activities (linked to free resources for each activity):
- communicating the school’s requirements for passing their current grade or class
- sharing with students what tasks they need to complete to obtain college admission or employment
- reading stories of other students who have succeeded in entering the college/career world
These types of discussions will get your students thinking about and planning for what they will do after high school. And this even applies to our elementary folks- in my school district, all our 5th graders now have to have a Personal Graduation Plan or PGP (PGP definition link here and PGP example link here to find out more, if you’re interested).
College and Career Readiness: The Resources!
I don’t know about you, but this time of year, I am feeling super ready to jump into all my spring school counseling activities in order to start wrapping up the school year. So, for my spring jump, I have tons of resources on college and career readiness that I roll out to students and staff alike. As we all swing into the second half of the school year, students start looking to matriculate to the next grade or even to college. This moving-forward time of year is both exciting and stressful for our students. For that reason, I’ve provided a comprehensive resource list to help you guide your students to and through the college and career whirlwind.
College Signing Day Activity Kit– TONS of fun and fabulous activities to celebrate this special week leading up to College Signing Day.
Drowning in Debt– Fab article from TeachingTolerance.org to share with your MS/HS students on the dangers of college debt.
My Future’s So Bright, I Have to Wear Shades – My own College and Career Readiness guidance lesson to use with your classes! It even includes a career interest inventory!
Big Future– This is such an amazing website with tons of college and career info as well as student interviews describing their experiences with getting to and through college!
Studentaid.ed.gov– Another amazing site sponsored by the US Department of Education with tons of free downloadable college and career resources for student, parents, and educators.
Mahalia Mouse Goes to College, by John Lithgow
When I Grow Up Hardcover, by Al Yankovic
CollegeWeekLive – a free site where students can explore various colleges, talk to admissions reps and current college students, and get advice on test prep, essay writing, and financial aid!
Newsy & Noteworthy
My newest group counseling book has finally arrived! Get Your Group On: Multi Topic Small Group Counseling Guides, Volume Two includes three different 8 session group counseling guides on stress management, academic achievement and grief & loss. Click on the link below for more details or to order your copy today!
Get Your Group On Volume 2! Order Your Copy Today!
That brings me to the end of May’s counseling post. Please leave a comment because I’d love to hear what you do to build College and Career Readiness for your students! Catch up with me again next month when I discuss helpful tips for interviewing and job hunting in the counseling world!
In the meantime, you can find out about my latest promotions, free stuff, or counseling adventures by following me on my School Counselor Stephanie Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest pages!
wow nice information.thanks for sharing….