Do Our Students Have the Soft Skills to Suceed?
Dear Raider Nation,
Welcome back from Spring Break! I hope that you enjoyed some extended time with your favorite Atholton student. It was nice stepping away from school for a bit to refresh and recharge before we prepare for the final marking period of the 2023-2024 school year. If you have never experienced a 4th marking period in high school, get ready because it goes by in the blink of an eye. It won't be long before we're sending off our seniors and then wrapping up the school year for our underclassmen.
As our seniors prepare to leave the "hallowed halls" of Atholton High and set off into the "real world," I pause for a moment to reflect on whether our students are ready for the next step. College acceptances are coming in and employment plans are being made, but the real question to consider is whether our students have the soft skills to succeed.
At the first senior class meeting of 2024, I chuckled at the fact that some students struggled to sit quietly through a 30 minute meeting, but the truth is that the self-restraint to not talk to the person next to them or jump on their cell phone is something our students still need to work on (many adults too). I feel like this skill is a must-have for success beyond high school, but it didn't even make the Forbes magazine top ten in-demand soft skills. Maybe the assumption is that employees already have some of the basic skills needed for employment? Either way, here is what employers are looking for (and what we need to be cultivating with our students):
- Strategic Thinking
- Negotiation
- Persuasion
- Presentation Skills
- Critical Thinking
- Mentoring
- Emotional Intelligence
- Innovation
- Financial Management
- Resilience
School plays a major role in helping to build some of these soft skills, but so too do the experiences students have outside of school. How are you helping your child build these soft skills? Maybe you can have them deliver a presentation to their younger siblings on getting a job and saving for college? It's definitely something for schools, families, and society in general to plan for as we prepare our young people to enter the work force.
Sincerely,
Nick Novak
Principal
UMD Latina Pathways Event
The UMD Chapter of Latina Pathways invites Atholton High School sophomores, juniors, and seniors to our virtual Networking Night! We are providing the opportunity for these students to learn more about college, and their future interests from alumni and current college students. This event will be hosted on April 11th, 2024 from 6:30pm - 7:30pm on Zoom. Please see the letter below for more information.