Helping Our Kids Prepare for Life and College
At Bert Corona Charter School, we tell our students that during their time with us, they need to learn how to become a CRACLL (pronounced “Crackle”). It’s an acronym that stands for College Ready, Active Citizen, and Lifelong Learner. We define these as our learning outcomes for our students and see them as a promise to our families. Through our partnership with our parents, we strive to help our students gain skills they will need to be ready for college. We push them to engage in their communities. We also work to instill a love of learning because we want students to be lifelong learners. These outcomes were part of the reason I first applied to work at my school. These are also life values and skillsets that I am working to teach my own daughter. Parents can help develop these skills all year.
Helping Our Kids Become College Ready
Helping kids to be college ready does not mean that we need to push them to levels of rigorous learning beyond what they do in school. At home, it can take many forms, like family or independent reading time, learning a new skill, or exploring career opportunities online. Parents can push a college-oriented mindset by visiting local universities and colleges with your kids, even from a young age. Parents can also discuss the idea of going to college and talk about careers kids may want to explore. When kids feel supported by their parents, they are more likely to attend college as an option for themselves.
Active Citizenship Begins at Home
Active citizenship starts at home and in our own communities. Kids need to take responsibility for their own space by helping maintain the house and helping out family members. They may help take care of younger siblings or an older grandparent or other family member. As kids get older, it’s great to help them expand their responsibilities beyond their home. Parents can talk about current events with their children and help them develop their own opinions about politics and world events. Parents can help kids find opportunities in their community to develop an outward focus and a greater sense of empathy. Kids are, by nature and developmentally, ego-centric. Helping kids understand others’ needs will ensure they become caring and helpful adults.
Nurturing Lifelong Learning
The most productive people I know are lifelong learners. They love to learn new skills and to figure things out for themselves. They are perpetual do-it-yourselfers, creators, and sponges for new information. The great thing about kids, is that they are this way naturally. At some point in their development, we ask them to follow the rules and just do what they are told. Some kids may lose their sense of curiosity and creativity when becoming more compliant. We want to encourage kids to try new things, learn new skills, and engage in activities that stretch them to be a better version on themselves. This school year is the perfect time to make this push.
Over the next few months, engage with your kids about what is going on in the world. Have conversations about the world around them. And make sure you always push them to explore something new. Helping kids to become a CRACLL will ensure a wonderful and productive school year of fun, learning, and development.
Dr. Kevin Myers is an Executive Administrator for YPI Charter Schools and the Principal at Bert Corona Charter School. He has served the Los Angeles community as a teacher, administrator, and grant director for over 20 years. He has a passion for developing teachers and educational leaders to engage in the challenging work of bringing equity to our schools and our communities. Dr. Myers has developed an expertise in supporting underserved communities, building effective and cohesive school leadership teams, and engaging parents to uplift their communities through engagement at their children’s schools. He wrote his dissertation on teacher self-efficacy and job satisfaction and is a strong advocate for supporting and working with teachers to build a strong and successful school community. In addition to his work at YPI Charter Schools, Dr. Myers is also a faculty member at Cal State Fresno and works with student teacher candidates to earn their credentials as they work through the CalState TEACH program.