I was once riding to my family’s hometown, Vidalia, GA, where everyone is your cousin. The trip from Detroit is 12 hours straight down I-75. I fell asleep and when I woke up, we were in West Virginia. My cousin stopped to get some gas and got on the wrong highway going southeast rather straight south. I was furious as the trip to me was intuitively simple, 12 hours straight down I-75. It took us 20 hours to get Vidalia. However, I learned a great lesson, “Many people need a road map to remind them where they are going.” That lesson applies to adults and children equally.

Children-Students need a life road map to their adult destination — their career. Many have no idea which career is suitable for themselves and worse yet, they have no idea that school is important foundation for their career. Before college, military or professional sports, students need to graduate from high school. For us adults this fact seems intuitive. However, students are children, whose mantra in life is folly and play.

Without a road map, they wander from class to class, school to school, playing and trying to find themselves. Their wandering, often, translates into failed classes, behavior issues, truancy and then low graduation rates.. When they finally land at high school graduation, they are 23 years old and forced to get a GED. Every child deserves a road map by the end of the 5th grade, no later than the beginning of the 11th grade to remind them of where thy are going.

With schools reducing the number of counselors, many children will be without a person to assist them create their Life Road Map. Be the first to secure, Follow Your Inner Compass Teen, a Life Road Map program. The program includes a book, online interactive website and motivational sessions for both parents and students. This program can be funded out of your Title I parent involvement monies. Don’t wait!!! Assist your children-students secure their Life Road Map. Help them utilize their teen years effectively. Keep them from wasting 5 years or more trying to find themselves. Encourage your school to bring this program to every student 5th through 11th grade or purchase the book yourself at .