Gregory Saunders - Podcast Host and REALTOR®’s Post

Here is my latest article -- If you are a senior in high school or a parent of a senior -- this advice is for you!

I wish you way more than luck. Graduation season - the time of year that school board directors shake a lot of graduating seniors' hands! The funny thing is, hardly any of the students or families have any idea who we are. The emotions, excitement, Elgar, and aspirations for the future fill the air - and long-winded speeches, well-meant advice, dramatic eye-rolling, and open-mouthed snoozing. It's ALL of the traditions of a graduation. Amid all the advice given to graduates, there is one commencement speech that I make sure to revisit annually - David Foster Wallace's famous "This is Water" speech.  Wallace's speech is a poignant reminder that true freedom and fulfillment come not from external achievements, but from cultivating awareness and conscious choice in how we think and experience the world around us. He challenges graduates to break free from the "default settings" of self-centeredness, automatic judgments, and unconscious blind spots that so often cause frustration and unhappiness. Instead, Wallace calls for continually exercising the difficult work of adjusting our natural defaults - looking for new perspectives, considering others' unseen struggles, and being present to the "capital-T Truth" that lies in the most mundane moments. As he states, "The really important kind of freedom involves attention and awareness and discipline, and being able truly to care about other people and to sacrifice for them...every day." If you haven't listened to or read "This is Water," I highly recommend it as a challenging yet inspiring call to live. I'd love to hear your thoughts as well! What commencement speeches or advice have stayed with you over the years? My second graduation reminder to myself is linked in the comments. https://lnkd.in/eXjvjbrY

It's commencement season, and I just attended one for the first time in a long time. It made me think back to my own. My commencement speaker was Joseph R. Biden, at the time the senior senator from Delaware. I confess I really didn't remember his remarks. However, I did remember some of the address from the previous year, when I was an usher and got to see the proceedings. That year the speaker was Sherry Lansing, then the chairman and CEO of Paramount Pictures. I linked to the commencement address below. (Actually, it's to a commencement speech given years later at another school, but the remarks are basically the same.) She made many points, but the one that has stuck with me most is — enjoy the process. She told the crowd that she often spoke to new graduates and asked them what they wanted to do. To which they respond, I want to do what you do. To which she responds, But what do you want to do right now? Of course, there can only be one studio head at a time, and that's a tough job to get. Lansing makes the point that from her entry level work, she always loved what she did. Enjoy the journey. I love the point because we often have little control over a destination that might be decades away. But we have more control over what's immediately in front of us. And we might not get to that big destination we had in mind. Someone else gets the gig. Recession happens. M&A happens. Life happens. If we put all the focus on the destination and don't get there, for any number of life-happens reasons, the risk is that all we have to show for it is a long, frustrating slog. But if we enjoy the process, then at least we still have all the good stuff up that happened along the way, regardless of the outcome. https://lnkd.in/gCPrwwzs

Can we call everyone back for a commencement speech when they hit 30? It’s graduation season, and I love a good commencement speech! Whether it’s Jim Carrey telling us to do what we love because there’s a chance of failure even on the “safe” path, Jerry Seinfeld on the importance of humor in life, or retired four star General, Stanley McChrystal’s message about leadership, service, and lifelong learning. There are so many wise words spoken…but they’re spoken too soon! They can’t possibly mean much to college graduates. They don’t know what they don’t know. They haven’t found out how challenging life can be. The advice has nowhere to cling to. I’m sure there a few kids who have seen adversity, and it's awesome that they've made it to graduation. But the challenges won’t stop there. They haven’t had kids. They haven’t lost their job when they have a mortgage and their family depends on their income. They most likely haven’t had a life threatening illness yet. If nothing else, most kids don’t know what they want to do when they graduate and it takes a few jobs in their twenties to learn what they like and don’t like. Can we call everyone back after they've had a few years in the 'real world'? Perhaps the historian, or whoever arranges the Ten Year High School reunion could bring one of these speakers as a draw to encourage everyone to show up. Or, like me, they could occasionally go down the YouTube rabbit hole of commencement speeches at any age, and see if there are pearls of wisdom that resonate now, when they didn’t before. What do you think?  Does this worldly advice come too early?

Starting the High School Placement Process There are many ways to prepare for the high school placement process - from working with your High School Placement Counselor to taking advantage of shadow days. Learn what options are available and take the stress out of the process: https://lnkd.in/gxNNCgwd The 'Heart of the Matter' blog is inspired by the Sacred Heart difference.

"The best education does not happen at a desk, but rather engaged in everyday living - hands on, exploring, in active relationship with life." - Vince Gowmon 🔄 Repost this post

"The best education does not happen at a desk, but rather engaged in everyday living - hands on, exploring, in active relationship with life." - Vince Gowmon 🔄 Repost this post

🎉🌟 Let's celebrate #CTEMonth 2024! 🌟🎉 At CCCAOE, we're proud to champion education and workforce success for all! This month, we celebrate Career Technical Education and its profound impact on shaping futures and empowering individuals. Check out this inspiring CCCAOE "Tell Us Your Story" video featuring - Lizabeth Ramirez from Bakersfield College: https://lnkd.in/gBfGbkYs CCCAOE's project, Tell Us Your Story, serves to celebrate our members who have powerful stories by asking these questions: 1. What initially brought you to Community College? 2. Where did you go to Community College? What was your pathway or course of study? 3. How has your community college and subsequent career experience changed your life or your family’s life? 4. Tell us a time when you faced a major obstacle to success in your pathway and how you overcame it. 5. Was there an instructor/mentor that helped guide you through? 6. What insight or support did they give you to help you succeed? 7. Tell us one exceptional or outstanding thing about the campus where you studied or currently work. CCCAOE's mission to advocate for education and workforce success is fueled by our core values: C.A.R.E.E.R.S - Collaboration, Advocacy, Responsiveness, Equity, Empowerment, Relevance & Rigor, and Service. Join us as we strive to create an education and career path for everyone at any time. Together, let's make a difference! #CTE #EducationForAll #CareerSuccess #Careers4All #CCCAOE 🚀🌟

One opinion not mentioned in the video I'd like to add is that Dual Enrollment is a pathway that deserves more focus for high school students. I think it's a better choice for schools to offer and for students to take over AP classes, offering real college experience and credits. Watch Mission College's video to better understand Dual Enrollment as a beneficial step in a student's academic path. Let's encourage our students to embrace opportunities that elevate their learning and future prospects. #DualEnrollmentAdvantage #EducationalChoice #StudentSuccess #MissionCollegeInsight #FutureReady

Are you the first person in your family to go to college? Or maybe you're still on the fence about jumping into the unknown. As part of our celebration of joining the First Scholars Network, we put together a list of 10 Tips and Tricks you should know as a first-gen student. https://ow.ly/xoRp50QtHAY