College Ready

Sharing strategies for student success, college readiness and academic coaching


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Something for your Sunday. You are Free to Fly.

We are all free to fly. Education gives us wings. We each have the power, the ability, and the freedom to fly. What we need is the belief.

Free to fly

This is why I write so much about the power of our beliefs. As educators, we need to closely examine our own beliefs. We need to know that we are showing up each day to do our best for all of our students.

For our students, sometimes, we need to get them to understand that we (teachers) will believe in them, until they believe in themselves. Until they believe that they are free to fly.

A child is not the place he or she was born, the amount of money they have, or the books they have read. The opportunity gap leads to a self-esteem and a belief gap. Often, the biggest obstacle first-generation students face when it comes to college success is not passing a class, or acing a test, but actually believing that they belong. Right here and now. In college.

Mentor a student. Help them believe. Change a life.

Thanks for reading.

xo~Lisa

aka, The Happy Teacher

The 20 Habits of Highly Authentic People

As part of my June challenge, I’m spending the month reflecting inward. This article from MindBodyGreen was a powerful reminder of how we can all (self included!) live a more authentically happy life. Build each other up. Spend time with yourself. Notice the beauty all around. Smile at a stranger.


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Maya Angelou, the World’s Teacher, Dies at 86

Saying goodbye to one of your teachers is not an easy thing to do. You don’t always meet a teacher in a classroom. Sometimes, you meet a teacher in a book. That was Dr. Angelou. A teacher to anyone who opened one of her books and read even a page of her beautiful words. The world’s teacher. 

Rest in peace Maya Angelou. Thank you for your amazing legacy of words & action, for leading the way, & for sharing w/ us your powerful philosophy that, “when you know better, you do better.” 

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Dr Angelou on Doing What You Love: “You can only become truly accomplished at something you love. Don’t make money your goal. Instead pursue the things you love doing and then do them so well that people can’t take their eyes off of you.” 

On StoriesThere is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” 

On SuccessSuccess is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.” 

On Survival: “My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.” 

 


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24 Quotes for Living a Happy Life, from Dr. Seuss

Let’s face it–all the best quotes come from Dr. Seuss! I think I could comfortably say that everything I ever needed to learn, I learned from him. Kindness. Respect for the Earth. Tolerance for people who are different than yourself. Treating the smallest among us as equals. Loving yourself.

I thought I’d share this collection of inspirational quotes now, since it is commencement time and young people are graduating, from Kindergarten to college. You can’t beat the timeless advice of good ole’ Dr. Seuss. There’s something here for EVERYONE. He’s the original guru!

All the best quotes come from Dr Seuss--he's a guru.

My favorite little tidbit…the one I hold near and dear to my heart? “A person’s a person…no matter how small.” What about you? Do you have a favorite quote from Dr. Seuss? Let us know in the comments.

You can order this print via Momo Prints on Etsy. 

A Love Letter to Teachers…or…What a Teacher Does

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Happy Teacher Appreciation Week to all of you amazing educators. Thank you for guiding, mentoring and inspiring students every single day. For the smiles you share. The hugs you give. The belief you have that every single child needs just one caring adult who believes in them. Thank you for being the change. You make all the difference.
With love and admiration~~Lisa
#ThankATeacher

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What a Teacher Does

Encourage, Influence, Guide, Inspire…and so much more.

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Hemingway on the Writing Life

Writing, at its best, is a lonely life.~~Ernest Hemingway.

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 What do you think–does writing have to be a solitary pursuit? 

 

Writer’s Say Saturday

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Writer's Say Saturday

Great advice from Hunter Thompson


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Find Your Happy Today

My happy is:

In the classroom, connecting with students. Forget About What Everyone Else Thinks And Says

The “Aha Moments” when that student finally puts it all together.

The struggle that finally leads to success.

A little creek with some big rocks for sitting on and thinking.

The path, the journey, and sometimes the destination.

A cup of coffee with a friend.

Pages of a book, sometimes filled with notes I’ve made.

Smiles of children that are my heart beating outside of my body.

Writing just one word that makes a picture.

Finding beauty along the way.

What’s your happy?

If it makes you happy, go for it.xo~Lisa

“Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence.”  -Aristotle

“The purpose of our lives is to be happy.” Dalai Lama

 

Any little thought will do. Peter Pan

 

 


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April is National Poetry Month. What Makes Your Soul Sing?

Hope makes my soul thing.

April is National Poetry Month. In honor of one of my favorite poets, here’s one of my favorite poems. 

April is National Poetry Month. Here's a little bit of hope in the form of Emily Dickinson. Hope is a thing with feathers. Always.

Emily was a very wise woman. Hope is always the thing. In education and in life!

What’s one of your favorite poems or poets? Let us know in the comments. It would be amazing to start a list of Word Artists here! 


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Mavericks, Outsiders & Rebels. Wise Words on Writing

Getting to the “heart” of writing. Here’s why outsiders, rebels and mavericks make the best characters. Some advice from writer Isabel Allende, who knows a thing or two about good writing:

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