Jan 03 2023

Parenting Is a Long Game

Parenting is a Long Game

I had really good parents. Thankfully, I still ‘have’ them, but I intentionally used the past tense to focus on the formative years. My parents loved me, loved each other, taught me right from wrong, and gave me trust even when I sometimes did not deserve it.

This may surprise some of you then when I share that when I left high school as an Honors Student with a full academic scholarship and a myriad of leadership accolades that I turned into, at times, a person I was not always proud of in college and even as a young professional. [Read more…]

Phil Caposey

PJ Caposey is a dynamic speaker and a transformational leader and educator. PJ began his career as an award-winning teacher in the inner-city of Chicago and has subsequently led significant change in every administrative post he has held. PJ became a principal at the age of 28 and within three years was able to lead a small-town/rural school historically achieving near the bottom of its county to multiple national recognitions. After four years, PJ moved to his current district, Meridian CUSD 223, as superintendent and has led a similar turnaround leading to multiple national recognitions for multiple different efforts.

PJ is a best-selling author and has written 8 books for various publishers. His work and commentary has been featured on sites such as the Washington Post, NPR, CBS This Morning, ASCD, Edutopia, the Huffington Post, and was featured in a Global Leaders Forum thinkpiece alongside the likes of General Petraeus and General McChrystal. He works in the Education Department of two universities and in a myriad of capacities with the Illinois Principal’s Association including Principal Coach and author of the first complete stack of MicroCredentials offered in Illinois.

You can find him on most social media platforms with the handle @MCUSDSupe or his name PJ Caposey. His website www.pjcaposey.com also archives many speeches, blogs, podcasts, and articles for your review.

www.GenParenting.com

Dec 21 2021

Learn to Parent Adults in College

My husband and I headed back to Berkeley a year ago after EJ completed his last set of finals. We were picking him up for the last time to complete his final school semester at home. Was college already coming to an end for him? We collectively decided to complete EJ’s final semester at home in Los Angeles. The move back home made the best financial sense.

When your child leaves as a senior in high school and returns as a senior in college, expectations and parenting shifts tremendously. My husband and I had to learn how to step back and reset boundaries for ourselves and our young man. Nothing could prepare us for how much he had grown, developed, and changed in three years. It is tough to be clear about expectations without smothering my adult child. Having him home for the holidays was fantastic, but we had to make some agreements and set new rules for how we would coexist in this new young adult season. [Read more…]

Yvette King-Berg, College Readiness

Yvette King-Berg, is the Executive Director of Youth Policy Institute’s Charter Schools. She was the former California Charter Schools Association Vice-President of School Development and Outreach-Southern California. Ms. King-Berg has over thirty years of experience working with teachers, students, parents, and organizations in a variety of positions including Director, Assistant Director, Curriculum Advisor, Bilingual, and Title 1 Coordinators, classroom teacher (K-12) in Pasadena and LAUSD. She has been married for twenty-three years, and is the proud mother of her son, EJ, who attends UC Berkeley.

May 05 2020

My College Son Thrives When Sheltering in Place!

E.J. is now in his third year at U.C. Berkeley as a college senior. He has chosen to continue his life at the university in the Bay Area during the coronavirus pandemic. My first reaction to his decision was panic because I wanted my son to return home where life would be safe. My son convinced me that his decision to continue to shelter in place at the university was best because he was used to studying in his college residence while continuing his studies online. [Read more…]

Yvette King-Berg, College Readiness

Dec 03 2019

College Students Work to Explore Careers

Last summer EJ completed an incredible job of self-discovery as a camp counselor in a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (S.T.E.M.) summer program at Stanford University. He worked with middle and high school students who were guided to the program through their parents’ selection or were returning campers who were passionate about the program.

What Students Can Learn Through Career Jobs

EJ found that it was easier to work with the high school students who were focused on exploring a career in S.T.E.M. occupations. These students were more engaged in the program and had more confidence when participating in various activities. Through these wonderful and challenging experiences, my son learned the following: [Read more…]

Yvette King-Berg, College Readiness

Nov 12 2019

Keeping Balance in My Daily Life

Last summer, I made a commitment to expand my own personal growth when I discovered that I would not have my college son living at home during the summer break. When reviewing the list of activities that I planned to complete during the summer, I found the following mixed results:

I increased my exercise routine by walking at least three times a week. Now I am focusing on moving and exercising daily. I am also committed to finding a friend to walk with to increase my exercise goals throughout the school year.
Although I read many work-related books, I still have not found the time to enjoy leisure reading. I plan to find more time for relaxing with books in the future.
As a commitment to make time for visiting friends, I walk every Saturday that I am home with my cousin. On Sundays, I started meeting a friend for coffee. I am also participating in a series of leadership seminars in northern California and plan to see friends when traveling.
I continue to take the time to be a kid for a day with my spouse. We traveled to Chicago and bicycled along Lake Michigan. We took leisurely walks along the Santa Monica Pier. We visited Northern California and Camarillo for added play dates this fall season.
Finally, I excelled at getting my house organized for another school year. I cleaned out my kitchen cabinets and one of my bathrooms. I gave away over 10 sacks of papers, brochures, and collectibles. And I donated over 100 professional books to the library or gave them to teachers.

[Read more…]

Yvette King-Berg, College Readiness