3-2-1 TUESDAYS WITH MS NIV

Issue #236, 14th January 2025

Are you a high school student ready to step into the world of higher education? Are you a parent of a high schooler? are you a mentor of a high school student?

If yes, here are three key areas for reflection that can help guide your/your students’/your child’s college choice decisions:

1. Your genuine academic and career interests – Take time to think beyond just the subjects you get good grades in. What topics make you lose track of time when you’re learning about them? What kinds of problems do you enjoy solving? Consider keeping a journal where you note down the classes, projects, or activities that genuinely excite you. This can help you identify potential majors and career paths that will keep you motivated through college.
2. Your learning and social environment preferences – Think about how you best learn and thrive. Do you prefer intimate classroom discussions or don’t mind larger lectures? Do you need frequent access to professors, or are you more independent? Consider whether you’d be happier at a bustling urban campus or a close-knit residential community. Your daily experience will be shaped by these environmental factors as much as by your classes.
3. Your practical constraints and opportunities – Consider factors like financial resources, distance from home, and specific programs or opportunities you need. Be honest about what student loan debt means for your future, what scholarship options exist, and whether working during college is necessary. Think about special programs like co-ops, research opportunities, or industry connections that could give you advantages in your chosen field.

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Three images of the week

Two Thoughts of the Week

“Opportunities don’t happen, you create them.”—Chris Grosser

“Don’t limit yourself. Many people limit themselves to what they think they can do. You can go as far as your mind lets you. What you believe you can achieve.”—Mary Kay Ash

One Video of the Week

As teenagers prepare to enter a new work world with jobs that don’t exist and can’t yet be imagined, what kind of career advice do we give to prepare the next generation for the unknown? The answer is simple – skip a generation.

Amy MacLeod is a seasoned tech executive, thought leader and trusted advisor to business and public leaders, with 25 years experience in Ottawa’s political and private sectors where she has served as the senior communications executive and spokesperson for multiple organizations. A member of the Mitel executive leadership team, in 2018 Amy was appointed to her current position as the company’s first Corporate Diversity Officer.

An agile business leader, strategic communicator and messaging architect, Amy specializes in translating complex business, financial, and technical developments into global communications programs and messaging frameworks that support strategic priorities. Her expertise spans all aspects of stakeholder communications, both external and internal, from M&A, strategic issues management, corporate messaging, analyst, government and public relations, and executive and employee communications.

Reading with Ms. Meenu: Tip of the week

Presenting Book Choices with a Book Pass as a reading strategy:

For literature circles to really soar, every student must be reading a book that is thoroughly engrossing and just right for them. But sometimes, even when you give them a few days to browse all the possible selections for the next round  of book clubs, not all students do so. And even your most dynamic book talks don’t earn rapt attention when you are blurbing six or eight titles one after another. Doing a “book pass” takes a little more time but guarantees that every kid will sample each possible choice and make a truly informed selection. The process is nothing complicated. It’s just a structured way for kids to read two minutes worth of every available book choice. When we use this activity, we often see kids choosing books they would not otherwise have read stretching themselves into new genres and authors and sometimes hooking up with new combinations of peers.

Here is how I would give structured instruction to my class for the book pass:

When you sit down at a table, grab a book. Don’t fight over them everybody is going to sample each one. When I say “go” start at page 1, Chapter 1, and read as far as you can until I call “stop” in two minutes. Keep reading as fast as you can. When you stop, I’ll give you thirty seconds to fill out the review sheets, so you’ll remember which books you liked and why. Then pass your book to the left and repeat, read, write and pass until you’ve sampled all four books. I’ll be calling out the times to keep you on schedule.

Happy Reading!
Meenu Gera, Consulting home and school librarian and reading guide.

Career assessment, guidance, and placement strategies:

Empowering Futures: Career counseling for Grade 8 Students at our Partner School in Jodhpur:

When our partner school in Jodhpur offered career counseling and planning services to the parents of grade 8 students, Vidyut’s parents were among the first to enroll.

Vidyut began with a career assessment, followed by a career counseling session. While the parents had their end goal in mind and highlighted Vidyut’s strengths, they were also eager to understand what was required to prepare him for studying at one of the world’s best universities. The parent’s humility and willingness to educate themselves and create an environment for Vidyut’s success made the work of our career expert both fulfilling and exciting. 

Case study provided by: Team Fermata, www.fermataco.com

Showcase:

Capstone High School, Hoskote, Karnataka

‘Vijayotsava’ – of Vijaya School Hassan, Karnataka

Vijaya School’s effort to bring Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar to life with a contemporary and bilingual approach was well appreciated in Hassan.

This initiative is an excellent example of how classic plays can be made relevant for today’s students and audiences, especially in a culturally diverse context.

The process fostered teamwork and built confidence among the students involved in the production.

Congratulations to the entire team!

• Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar performed by students

Thrive Beyond School – STEAM education, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh

The activity was Egg Collection Systems and the learning goal of this lesson for students was to understand how various egg collection systems work in both small farms and larger commercial settings. They engaged in hands-on activities to create simple models of these systems, learning the importance of egg safety, cleanliness, and efficiency in farming.

Each child had a unique goal during the egg collection system project of farm hens. Some focused on designing and building, others worked on solving problems, and many aimed to reuse materials creatively. Teamwork and real-life connections made the project a fun and meaningful learning experience!

Dear reader,
I work with the school leadership team as an advisor. I collaborate with teachers as a pedagogical trainer. I help parents as a parenting counselor. I engage one-on-one with students as a personal guide and mentor. This weekly newsletter shares what I read, learn, and experience.

3-2-1 Tuesdays with Ms. Niv is a newsletter you can subscribe to and enjoy your learning journey with me.

From the archives

Many of you have been asking for the earlier editions of this newsletter. I am delighted to note that you are enjoying the content served here. Now, with every new issue, I share a link to the newsletter from the archives. These have been published weekly since July 2016.

Here is the link for – issue#012

https://wordpress.com/post/niveditamukerjee.com/3573

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