March Madness started a couple of days ago and College Basketball fans all around the country are rejoicing.  But for many parents of Junior High and High School students, “March Madness” has a different connotation.  It means that report cards and College acceptance/rejection letters are here.

Anxieties are high for both parents and teens.  Some parents are really mad because their teenager’s grades are not up to “standard” and they will spend the majority of the evening yelling about studying or homework. Some teenagers are mad because they know they will be in hot water and can’t understand why they can’t or need to do better. However, the bottom line is this March Madness for those parents means extra money will be needed for tutors, test prep classes, study books and aids.  The teenagers will have punishments or reduction of free time and/or extra curricula activities.  In general, many people are just turning off the TV sets and video game consoles, with the hopes that doing all of these things will bring about the desired result of academic success.  Unfortunately, time is running out for this school year and parents have exactly three months to “put the house in order” to achieve set academic goals.

If you are one of the lucky ones, your teen has brought home a glowing report card or is going to his/her dream college.  I would like to offer my sincere congratulations to those students for their academic success.  You probably don’t need to read any further.  However, my guess is that you probably should.  While having a child who gets good grades or obtains entry into the school of their choice is great academic success, it is not always a given if there isn’t a strong foundation or a sense of self directed learning.  In life there will be some challenges or limitations that will impede one’s success, and quite honestly, it is in understanding our own limitations and addressing our personal challenges that we will be able to grow.

For the rest of us who are concerned with how we are going to assist our children in achieving success, we need to take a step back before we spend another dollar. Today, we are all are faced with so many more challenges and opportunities than past generations. Parents should get a true assessment of our teenagers’ driving core motives and learning styles to better assist in the development of skills for self-directed learning.  Most importantly, in this global society with blended cultures, our teenagers must take a more comprehensive and inclusive approach to their own educational and life goals.

Teenagers are better served academically when parents take a holistic approach with students and provide them with the having the right tools and supports. A critical goal of parents should be developing teens to have a strong character with a clear understanding of their driving core motives and personality traits.  Youngsters, who cultivates this mindset effectively accentuate their personal strengths and reduce their limitations.  Furthermore, understanding these concepts creates a supportive foundation for teens to accept the challenges of effective effort. Meaning, people get smarter when they work hard.  In addition, by creating fulfilling relationships with their teachers, classmates and other educators who will assist them in achieving self-directed learning teenagers who are on a mission to develop their own intellectual capacity through self-directed improvement based on knowing their strengths and limitations will achieve academic mastery.  These well-rounded students will boost their confidence and develop greater ownership over their academic and professional goals, by increasing their investment and motivation in school.

The perfect assessment tool available to understand one’s driving core is Dr. Taylor Hartman’s, “The Color Code.”  Using this tools with teens and parents will help them become more productive, create closer and more meaningful relationships within the family, with educators.  Additionally, this tool has the potential to reduce conflicts, minimize stress, foster independence, increase teamwork ability and encourage a sense of social-emotional freedom.  Being able to explain why you do what you do is the first step in taking responsibility for one’s own life.  How powerful is that!

A whole new world will begin to open up for both you and your teenager.  Youngsters will be able to begin a dialogue about the challenges they face with ease and build peer networks with confidence focusing on others with similar academic and professional goals.  With a newfound confidence your teen may recognize that having a quality of life means more than just achieving academically.  Understanding his/her driving motive core can help them to appreciate having a strong sense of character, as well as encourage being a positive, contributing member of his/her community.

So parents, before you drop that bundle of cash on tutors and study aids, find a Color Code professional to discover your teen’s Color Code.  By the way, while you’re at it, take the Color Code personality assessment for yourself and learn why you do what you do too!  Cheers to March Madness… both in the lives of teens and parents, and in the world of basketball.

Karen L. Booker, CIT
The BeBe Group President
Certified Independent Color Code Trainer

Karen Booker, a New Yorker, is a lifelong learner with over thirty years of experience in the real property management and business services specializing in, policy analysis and operational diagnosis, and Community Education and Outreach. Ms. Booker is a Certified Independent Color Code Trainer and Instructional Technologist, and holds a MS in Urban Affairs, Policy Analysis and Professional Management from New School University She is currently working on a PhD in Applied Management Decisions with a concentration in Leadership and Organization Change.