Connections CountConnections Count2011 Youth Summit

Wh

o in

spir

ed y

ou

to

su

ccee

d?

My mother is a teacher…

“…educational achievement was always an expectation. I was told from the beginning that I was smart and could apply myself.”M

akin

g a

dif

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-fa

mily

Support D

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# 1

Family support:

Family life provides high levels of love and support

Mak

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iffe

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ed

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tors It was a nun -

“…she taught journalism and made it a point to get us into the community or where a story was happening. That inspiration lead to my career.”

Support

Other adult relationships:

Young person receives support from three or more nonparent adults.

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Mak

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tors My first grade teacher…

“…arranged an overnight camping trip for all of the students and their parents. We slept in cabins, roasted marshmallows, fished and sang songs. It was called Camp Oh-No.”

Mr. Jenkins…

“ …was one of my high school English teachers. He was notoriously strict about his writing standards. I hated him for it. When I got to college and saw how much my peers struggled, I realized how lucky I was for the opportunity to be his student.”M

akin

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Boundaries and expectations

High expectations

Both parent(s) and teachers encourage the young person to do well.

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My mom

“I didn’t understand outlining until my mom sat down with me at the kitchen table to teach me. It was 30 years ago, but I remember it clearly.”

Mak

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fam

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My coach taught me…

• How to prepare – pack my bag the night before school

• School comes 1st – can’t play sports without it

• You have to get along as a whole team to achieve

• Attitude makes all the difference

Mak

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My dad…

“…insisted on family dinners where we always talked about what happened during our days at school. He continues to be present for me…and my son. He is going to take him to ‘kite day’ at his school.”

Mak

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fam

ily

Boundaries and expectations

School boundaries

School provides clear rules and consequences.

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The town librarian

“Saturday story hour at our public library was something we always looked forward to. The small town librarian acted the characters, used puppets, etc., to make the stories come alive.”

Mak

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lib

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Constructive use of time

Youth programs

Young person spends three or more hours per week In sports, clubs or organizations at school and/or in the community. D

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8

“…was my school principal. One year my family coincidentally ran into he and his wife on our way to Florida over a holiday break. He told us that he just missed us so much that he decided to check up on us to be sure we were behaving. I remember him as a hugely invested person in my school experience.”

Mr. TaylorM

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“My first grade teacher, Mrs. Boston, had an old barber chair in her class. We pretended it was a space ship and played “Star Wars.”

Mrs. BostonM

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My 9th grade English teacher

“After my first essay test in high school he wrote on my exam ‘This is the best exam of the class. Have you ever thought about being a journalist?’ And guess what – I majored in journalism in college and worked in the media for 3 years because of him.”M

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High school band director

“My high school band director always asked our best in music and behavior. He really taught us the importance of carrying yourself well and representing the school and ourselves in the best light possible.”M

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Boundaries and expectations

Adult role models

Parent(s) and other adults model positive, responsible behavior.

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Mak

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par

ents My mom

“My mom had a shelf in the living room that displayed a sundry assortment of fourth grade ceramics including a snake, horse head and misshapen vase.”

The library

“No matter where I moved, there was always a library filled with books and a Pizza Hut where I could go to redeem my ‘Book It’ coupon for pizza.”

Mak

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pla

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Empowerment

Community values youth

Young person perceives that adults in the community value youth.

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People in my church

“Without ‘any’ parent involvement the people in my church became a critical part of my feelings of worth and ability to learn. Without first gaining positive interactions with adults it was not a priority to learn. When this occurred, I soared in school and loved to learn.”

Mak

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amily

Constructive use of time

Religious community

Young person spends one or more hours per week in activities in a religious institution.

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My coach taught me…Part II

• Family commitments should come before sports

• Hard work pays off• Leave the gym better than you

found it – pick up your trash and other’s trash

And somewhere in between all those life lessons we learned how to play volleyball….M

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My high school choir teacher…

“…spent many, many hours outside of the classroom working with students on musical performances, school plays, etc. – it provided a place where I felt like I belonged.”

Mak

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My parents…

“…gave me access to other adults who proved to be wonderful life role models. The librarian at story hour, the Girl Scout leader, the piano teacher, the Sunday school teachers, the athletic coaches and their friends in social settings.”M

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English teacher

“I never considered making a career of the English language until an English teacher in college told me that I am a good writer. So I became and English teacher!”M

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My grandma

“She loved to read and her home was filled with books. She taught me to love reading…and gave me the confidence to believe that I could actually be the first person in our family to graduate college – and I was!”M

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Mrs. Campbell…

“…used to stay after school to allow us to work on class projects. The school would be empty and it felt like a special thing for a teacher to do just for me!”

Mak

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Somebody…

“…donated a bunch of circular sequins in different colors to our art teacher. We made a giant, 8 foot Pete’s Dragon for the school art fair in 5th grade. I still have a picture of my 11 year old self in front of a shiny, green dragon.”

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Mrs. Morgan

“At the end of third grade Mrs. Morgan invited the whole class to her home, a REAL teacher’s home. She had horses and I got smart weed rash.”

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The teachers that cared about me

“That’s who I remember – that made me excited about learning. We went to a teacher’s house to bake cookies. I still have a birthday card from my second grade teacher. I remember these kinds of interactions above everything else that happened in school.”

Mak

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My parents’ and aunt’s…

“…expectation that I could excel, would excel and that I belonged in college.”

Mak

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fam

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My mom

“I remember going to the library with my mom to do research for school projects. We were on our hands and knees pulling out books, getting excited about learning new information.”M

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Support

Parent involvement in schooling

Parent(s) are actively involved in helping young person succeed in school.

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My parents

“On parent-teacher night my parents divvied up three different schools and times so they could be involved with all of their kids’ education and have teacher contact.”M

akin

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amily