Parenting for Student Success with Dr. Kimberly Bradley
Show Notes
Student Success Podcast No. 6, Oct 30, 2013
Today’s Guest: Dr. Kimberly Bradley
Dr. Bradley discusses strategies for successful parenting of successful students. Dr. Bradley shares her personal experiences as a parent of three students, as an involved parent in her children’s schools, and her professional advice as an educator.
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Guest Biography:
Dr. Kimberly Bradley proves the old adage that the busier you are the more you get done. With a doctorate in Christian Education, a consulting firm focusing on technical training for industry and government, a pastor husband and three kids, Dr. Bradley served as President of the Parents’ Association of Archbishop Carroll High School.
Dr. Kimberly Bradley
It all started with one question: “How can I help?” Looking around, she concluded that Archbishop Carroll was much more than “just a school on a hill” — colleges and universities needed to learn more about students graduating from ACHS, and the students, in turn, needed to find out more about the world of higher education. So in 2007, Dr. Bradley was a founding member of a group that established a college fair at Carroll, inviting representatives from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) and opening it to all local schools. Two hundred seniors attended. Three years later, the college fair has expanded to include a diversity of national universities, including Harvard, MIT, Dickinson, West VA University, Hood, Mount St. Mary’s and North Carolina A&T. Over 500 students from grades 9-12 attend from throughout the Metro area. Dr. Bradley is not surprised. She says, “Basically, we need to give our kids opportunity and we need to get our students to think about their future now.”
Dr. Bradley believes fervently in what Archbishop Carroll offers students. First is the academic experience. “Dr. Stofa and the educators here believe that the kids they teach can learn and they must be held to a high standard,” she explains. “The academic community at Carroll believes our children can do it, so they do.” Dr. Bradley also believes in the nurturing aspects of the school. “They love our kids, they support our families. They will assist in any way they can. Carroll has created an environment where all kinds of kids can thrive and grow.”
Dr. Bradley and her husband have three students in the Carroll family. Their son Daniel graduated in 2010. Second son Jeremiah graduated in 2011, and daughter Abigail is a member of the Class of 2014.
Topics Discussed
Congratulations to Abigail for making “Principles list,” the highest honor roll status
why?
Stays on top of h/w deliberate attention to her studies
At recent College Fair: students walking around hearing from colleges that demand a certain gpa
the limits of the gpa
parents always say it, but this is real!
Connecting long term goals to short term choices
long term rewards parents assisting:
taking kids to college fairs
Bromley insists that what parents say to kids matters Kids to listen
Have to prove what you know
can’t just get by being smart
have to do homework
Parents need support
Community raises children
Helecopter parents flying in to save life
Kim doesn’t do the over attentive mom:
the hard lesson child independence
don’t’ want 45 year old stay at homes! empower and equip our children to deal with their sistuations
Holding one’s own child accountable face your issues even a teacher that doesn’t likey mom won’t always be able to fly in to save you
trust but verify
Holding back letting children learn coping skills on their own
Imagining your child in 10-20 years: are you reinforcing that vision?
keeping that standard we hold for young children as they grow older
Relationships with schools and teachers
parents seeing themselves as consumers in relationship with scho[...]
