Curating resources & sharing stories to empower teacher & student ownership, wonder, and daring.
Over the last several months we’ve been interviewing members of sororities and fraternities and sharing their stories here on our blog. It can be fun and eye-opening to read different experiences of different organizations at different schools, whether you’re also involved in Greek life, considering Greek life, or just wanting to learn more about Greek life!
I’ve done multiple series on personality testing and how to use it in the classroom. I believe you should have access to multiple different tests and resources because one test will be more beneficial and easier for one teacher, while another test will make more sense to someone else. You can read more on Myers-Briggs, The Child Whisperer, and Enneagram here.
Now I’m ready to start my new series on a new personality typing! The True Color personality test is just another way to understand your mind as well as others’. It gives four different colors, gold, orange, green, and blue. Based on the personality you match with, it can give you insight into your day-to-day decisions and even into which careers are common for your personality type.
I really like this PDF that you can use in the classroom to print off and let your students use to test their color personality. Once they’ve figured out which color they are, they can also learn more about themselves and their peers. This is also a cool video showing some history on personality typing in general and some background on the True Colors Test.
Stay tuned for weekly blog posts on each color personality typing and how you can learn about it further and use it in your classroom.
Holiday book lists should never stop at just picture books! And yes, picture books can be read to secondary-aged kids as well. However, chapter books are just as important to read in your classroom as well. Here are a few Valentine holiday books to read to your older class this love season! To read my Valentine’s day picture book recommendations, head here.
Not only is Valentine’s day a great time to celebrate a holiday in the classroom, but it can also be a great segway into learning more about feelings. Here are a few picture books to use in the classroom during this time.
Our annual scholarship is due in a few short months, so we can only hope that scholarship applicants are gathering everything they need to submit their final project.
Do you know what goes into choosing scholarship winners? A lot more than you think! Hours and hours of reading, re-reading, crowdsourcing from everyone in our company, and even late-night chats with family members discussing each individual applicant and what their project entails. Oh, and more re-reading of applications. Yes, that’s right. Every single application gets picked over, analyzed, and discussed, we take each application very seriously and everyone is considered, it’s not just a skim read of all of the information and picking and choosing what sounds good. When I say that we pour hours into this, I am very serious about it.
So what exactly is it that we are looking for in your scholarship application? You can read an overview on our scholarship page, but here’s a deeper dive to help you see our thought process.
1) The quality & quantity of work already completed
We want to see a quality project that has been given time and effort, meaning there is a large quantity of information we can see and read. Your project is your baby, you’ve put so much time and effort into it, but we know nothing about it! Paint us a picture of exactly what you’ve been working on, how you’ve achieved it, and your why behind starting the project in the first place. If it’s written well, we can hear the passion behind what you’re doing. And spoiler alert: we also pay attention to correct grammar and punctuation. It doesn’t need to be perfect, but it is something you should be mindful of when submitting.
2) The potential for future long-term impact
Unless you are selected as the top winner winning the $5,000 grant toward your project to continue funding it, you are not required to continue your project after you have received your scholarship. However, we are more likely to choose the winners based on the likelihood of a continuing project that will keep impacting the community in a positive way.
3) General community relevance of the project
Your project can be just for your school, your school district, or even more widespread in your community in some way. However, it needs to directly impact those in your neighborhood. Meaning, if you’re creating materials or resources for a third-world country, you will need to find a way to tie it back into your community. That can be by them volunteering to help with your project or having it impact them in some way, too.
Finalists may also be asked for proposals on how they would use the $5,000 grant if selected as the top recipient, and the more specific those plans, the better (especially if they involve plans to seek additional funding or perpetuate the fund toward your project in the long term).
Once we’ve narrowed it down to our top projects, one final question to help us pick apart the final winners is based on how you answer our question about the $5,000 grant. It also helps us choose the grant winner as well. If asked this question by our team, take it very seriously!
Other things we are looking for while choosing the winners:
Completion of the project- If we have to track down your project information, pictures, videos, etc., it can be a red flag. Make sure all of your information is completed and in the final submission.
Organization of project- If it’s jumbled and hard to pick out the information, it can be easy for us to overlook the project and not spend the time picking through all of the minute details.
The passion- Again, we can tell in your submission how passionate you are about the subject based on how you present it to us. Show us your passion! Tell us what got you started with the project you are working on and what’s driving you to continue working on it.
Take these tips and put them into your final project. I promise by doing so will help your application shine above the rest.
Today we are doing a quick spotlight on Phi Alpha Delta, a prominent law fraternity. The foundation of their organization began in 1897 when the Law Student League was formed. The actual fraternity of Phi Alpha Delta wasn’t formed until 1902.
Phi Alpha Delta is deeply rooted in service. Not only to one another, but they believe in service to,
The community,
The Universe and
To all.
Being a fraternity that focuses on law, they are constantly holding events for members centered around law, such as pre-law conferences, mock trials, leadership events, and more. These are great opportunities to network and get your foot in the door for any law internships or job opportunities.
Phi Alpha Delta’s motto is, Philos Adelphos Dikaios – “Love of Humanity and Justice for All”
So you made it through rush week and bid day, and now you’re all settled into your new sorority or fraternity.
But, what if a few weeks, months, or even years go by and you don’t feel like your choice is a good fit anymore? The good news? You don’t have to stick around. The majority of the organizations out there are on your side, and if you realize it’s not for you anymore, they will support you. You may still have financial obligations per the contract signed, but that doesn’t mean you have to stay physically!
A few tips to remember if this is something you are struggling with:
Be honest with yourself. Really dig deep into your thoughts and feelings on the situation and honestly think about how you’re feeling about the whole situation. Do not just guilt yourself to stay because “someday it’ll get better” or “things might change.”
There is no financial responsibility that is greater than your mental health. Leaving your sorority or fraternity may come with a financial burden of fees for leaving or still having to pay your yearly dues even though you’ve left. However, this should never be a reason to stay in a situation taking a toll on your mental or even physical health. If you’re having a hard time balancing everything and leaving your organization is what needs to happen, then it needs to happen.
It could possibly disqualify you from joining another organization within the same school. By walking away from one fraternity or sorority, it could mean losing out on the opportunity to join another at the same school. However, if you’re transferring colleges altogether, you can often join a new organization at your new school.
Be honest with your organization’s president throughout the process. It can be a good idea to confront your president about your worries, concerns, and problems early on. This could mean the difference between staying within your sorority/fraternity or leaving! It will also make it easier to carry out your leaving process if that’s what you ultimately decide to do, no one will feel blindsided.
In the end, your happiness and overall well-being is the most important thing here. Make the best decision for you.