Donna Connolly

BA Philosophy

Donna Connolly taught for several years with LAUSD teaching ESL and with Burbank Unified School District as a substitute school teacher. As a substitute, she had the opportunity to teach many subjects and grade levels. After the birth of her first son, Donna left the workforce to become a full time mom. As a stay-at-home mom, she spent little time at home. For three years, Donna sat on the Scholarship Board at Mission College and worked briefly as the Executive Director and fundraiser. She has volunteered in the field of education and with community organizations, writing posts for education blogs and Letters to the Editor. Donna decided to pull her oldest child out of public school and homeschool. It's been an exciting and wonderful new adventure. As a homeschooler, Donna has taken her love of learning, teaching experience and passion for history and developed a course for HuckleBerry! She is a UCLA graduate with a degree in Philosophy, and believes the number one goal of any instructor is to instill a love of learning in the students he or she is honored to teach.

A Game Plan for Teens

Class teacher: Donna Connolly

Ages: 13+

Location: In Person in Valencia

Homework: Small projects to complete for next class

Type of Class: This class is a Standalone. Students that attend this class and do the homework do not need to do additional learning outside of the class to learn this subject.

PreReqs: Must be able to use a computer to do research and have a cell phone to be successful in this class.

Materials: Materials will be provided

Class Description:

Developing a game plan for after high school is not easy and the sooner students begin, the less stressed they will be in their senior year of high school. To feel confident about future choices, students have to assess their talents and interests, and also determine the training and education they will need to match their talents and interests. If they choose to go on to college, they will need to know how to select the right place to attend, apply, and then think about scholarships, grants, and/or loans. A Game Plan for Teens covers all of this and more, effectively preparing students for post-secondary education.

Three Example Lessons:

Assessing Talents and Interests - Students LOVE taking quizzes about themselves! In this unit, students will participate in classroom activities geared towards helping them discover their talents and interests. They can share with the class, and expand their knowledge of how they see themselves and how others see them too! This knowledge will help them make better choices about what they want to do with their future.
Applying to Colleges - This lesson will focus on the application process. Students will identify the benefits of applying to a range of schools. Small college? Ivy League? Mini-Ivy? Liberal Arts? What colleges send the most kids to medical school? Law School? What colleges have excellent science programs? Landscaping? YES! There are many paths for students, so we'll not only look at colleges but we'll also look at non-standard choices that are actually becoming more acceptable! Students will practice completing college applications and writing model entrance essays.
Money for College - Students will determine the differences between scholarships, grants, and loans. Students will identify scholarships, grants, and loans available from colleges, technical schools, the government, and the private sector. Let's also look at the ROI of colleges! How much debt do you want to take on? How long will it take to pay that off? How can you start working now to help gain scholarships?

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Donna Connolly