Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Never crush anyone’s career dreams (Excerpt, 99 Motivators for College Success)




CAREER PATH MOTIVATOR
#4

Don’t let anyone crush your dreams.  However, the riskier your dream, the better your backup plan must be.


QUICK STORY BEFORE PICKING A CAREER PATH

Never crush anyone’s dreams.

When I was a little kid, I dreamed about playing professional basketball.  In third grade, we had to write an essay on what we wanted to be when we grew up.  I wrote that I wanted to be 6’10” and play in Madison Square Garden.  When the teacher handed back my paper, she laughed out loud and said: “You can’t do that!”

That was the first time someone had crushed my professional dream.  The teacher may have been right about the 6’10” part, but this molder of young minds lacked the understanding of what negative reinforcement can do to little kids.  She also lacked the understanding that height isn’t everything for a basketball player.  Teachers, especially in the impressionable K-12 years, are my personal heroes.  Yet they need to be dream builders, not dream destroyers.  It’s healthy to discuss rational backup career plans, but why spoil youthful exuberance which could flower into the unexpected?

            Postscript:  When I was 25 years old, I got to play one-on-one with 7’4” center Mark Eaton of the Utah Jazz, that year’s NBA Defensive Player of the Year.  I’ll leave the game results to your active imagination.

This story is the basis for Motivator #4


99 Motivators™ for College Success
© 2012 Perry Binder, LLC



Thursday, April 19, 2012

99 Motivators for College Success book: High School Graduation Gift


This book is not just for high school and college students - it's also for their parents, as a guide to the pressures facing students in college life, classes, and career choices.


Main Sections:
I. Motivators for Success in Picking a Major or Career Path (Motivators 1-33)
- Quick Stories Before Picking a Career Path
II. Motivators for Success in the Classroom (Motivators 34-66)
- Quick Stories from the Classroom
III. Motivators for Success in Adjusting to College Life (Motivators 67-99)
- Quick Stories for College Life

Other Sections include:
- Read the Contract! (and other Lessons)
- Graduation
- Epilogue: L.I.G.H.T. B.U.L.B. Moments for New Professors and Teachers
Appendix:
- How to Study for Straightforward Multiple Choice Questions
- How to Approach "Application" Multiple Choice Questions
- How to Write a College Essay Exam Answer
- Bonus: How to Write a Law School Essay Exam Answer
- Books that Motivate Professor Binder