Join us for our Conversations series.

Wednesday, May 21 1:00 p.m. (CST)
Discussion with a parent successfully using and ILP

Wednesday, May 28, 1:00 p.m. (CST)
Conversation with a teacher who coaches teachers on the use of ILP's

Wednesday, June 4, 1:00 p.m. (CST)
Conversation with a graduation coach

How to transition our kids from the world of school to the world of work.

For the past 30 years attention has been given to preparing kids for the transition from the world of school to the world of work. But, with all the conversation, are our kids really that much more prepared today than their parents were 30 years ago?

Researchers have been looking at this for a number of years. They all agree that two things are true: kids with higher levels of self-efficacy and have earned good grades tend to find employment (and remain employed), and experience higher levels of job satisfaction.

In many ways we expect our schools to do a lot for our kids. We've heaped a lot of responsibility onto the shoulders of teachers and administrators. Of course, we ask them to do a lot because they've said they can do it - and should do it.

However, when it comes to employability, in most states schools aren't required to create a transition plan until children are 16 years of age. By most accounts this is far too late into a child's education cycle to be of real benefit. This is especially true when the student-guidance counselor ratio is 300:1, and these same guidance counselors can only devote one in every five hours to school-to-workplace issues and counseling.

Factor in also the way the world of work has changed. Parents, educators and stiudents have a very difficult time staying abreast of all the work options available today, much less how to prepare.

All this being said, there are some key actions parents can take to help prepare their kids for the 50+ years of work they'll face in their lifetime. And the earlier one begins, the better (but, if you're reading this now and your child is 17 - don't despair, just get started - you've probably done many of these things already).

Collect Information About Your Child.
What are your child's interests right now? What are his/her goals for the future? What skills and experiences does your child need to reach to meet those goals?

What are Your Child's Academic Interests and Abilities?
What are their academic abilities and basic skills? Which learning strategies work best for them? What are the necessary courses they must take to satisfy life goals? What classroom or course adjustments need to be made right now?

Know Their Work Skills.
What are their experiences? What types of career exploration have they done? Need to do?

Know Their Interests and Abilities.
Which extra-curricular activities have they participated in? What are their social interests? Hobbies? Natural talents?

Know Their Level of Independence.
What are their life skills? Self advocacy skills? Level of personal responsibility?

This is a lot of work. But, it's fulfilling work. One of the best ways to help your child through this process is to make sure your assessment is very honest. After all, in our heart we may want our 9-year old to become a doctor and find a cure for cancer, but if she's more interested in writing poetry and fine-tuning her vocal chops (and has little interest in science), we'll serve her better by encouraging her to develop those skills. When it comes to our kid's future, honest assessment serves them best.

And, who knows, when she reads Whitman's "I Sing of the Body Electric", she may develop a new interest in anatomy and find poetry in the mechanics of how the body works.

By preparing her to be a life-long learner, it could happen.

IEM Helpline available!

Having trouble communicating with your child's teacher? Are school administrators being difficult? Is your child having a hard time and you don't know what to do to help? Answers to these questions, and much more, can be accessed via the IEM Helpline. Just call the Helpline anytime during business hours Monday-Friday and an IEM Resource Specialist will get back to you within 48-hours.

Teachers are also encouraged to contact our Resource Specialists, too. Educators will find a wealth of parent-approved resources, ideas and help in providing their students with the best educational experience possible.

To contact a Resource Specialist, call the Helpline at (800) 893-6199.

Quotes from the IEM Employability Survey.

The IEM Employability Survey is going strong. Here are just a few comments we've received:
"I'm seeing a huge gap in general business and computer skills over the past 10 years. Equally important is the basic theme of lack of commitment."

"Too many young employees have the attitude that the rest of their life is more important than the job they're supposed to be doing at work. That attitude comes across in their tone of voice, the follow-through on issues that don't get resolved immediately, and the way they dress and carry themselves."

Click here to take the survey.

Parent Driven Schools participates in the San Antonio Podcamp

By Angela Woodrow

A typical conference room in for an atypical conference. The San Antonio podcamp is billed as an 'unconference'.

Conversation about all things social media and where we are headed filled the two day event.

The education panel that convened on the afternoon of the second day was billed as a "conversation to explore how podcasts are being used in the classroom to facilitate learning". Brad Pearl, a K-12 instructor from Houston ISD school district said it is not so much that the kids are learning how to do podcasts-but they are learning the disciplines of sequence, order, planning and implementation.

They podcast on the classroom context. The pod cast-contrary to popular myth of just random verbal processing-- is a highly crafted and well thought out form of communication.

There is research-knowing about what you want to talk about.
There is critical analysis-knowing why you feel the way you do about a topic or event. There is collaboration with others that you are working with on the final product, and there is the delaine-time management.

According to panel members, the kids love the cool techno factor and teachers love that these at-risk students are showing up to class and are engaged. This teacher uses the pod cast to target each student's individual learning needs. Every aspect of getting ready to podcast can be a specific learning tool moment that strengthens the student's overall understanding of the content material and even more important, an increased level of self esteem. This is a class where you can learn at whatever level you are. And in a classroom full of high-risk students, this is an important element - that is not measured on any standardized tests-let alone fostered or facilitated.

Interestingly, Vija A., the higher education instructor, posed the question of where is all this technology in the classroom going to take us? "So the students know how to use technology-if they do not know how to function as an individual without the technology then we are all lost because of the over-emphasis on technology".

The room full of self described technology geeks, newbie's, and curious individuals who stopped by to see what was going on, all agreed. The consensus was that the ILP (Individual Learning Plan) is an important part of the school plan for the future as it is everyone's responsibility to get the life long learning mode up and running in our work world. Finishing high school indicates you are ready to begin the real learning that will occur for the rest of one's life.

The Individual Learning Plan is a tool that every parent should be instructed on how to craft and facilitate form birth onward. Children should be trained to take care of it as an adult much like we prepare the child for financial responsibility and life balance.

Is this a new concept? No. Is this where the concept of No-Child-Left-Behind, in theory, is right? Yes.

No child should be without an Individual Learning Plan. The first step is to have parents reconnect and use their voice in creating learning environments that support the newest technology, like podcasting, with the very best of what we all need to learn in order to get through the whole of life- courtesy, respect, accountability, self motivation, problem solving skills and critical thinking. For if we all think that the answer to all of life's problems are on a bubble multiple-choice test, or purely in the realm of technology, we will all be left behind.

(To download information on podcasting, blogging, and other technological tools used in the classroom-go to www.podcampsanantonio.org.)