Why "Rebel to Ruler?"
Teenagers love the stories of rebels in history class, but many of the rebels made terrible leaders later. A rare few knew how to be both: we want to share their secrets with the world. We see a comparison to life. Teenagers rebel, but who is showing them how to lead a successful adulthood?
Everyone is Wrong About Teenagers
We have a fairly shocking, and fairly obvious, thesis: teenage rebellion is universal and good. We don't want obedience. We don't want to make students jump through hoops. We don't scare them with stories about the difficulties of college and careers.
Students should be excited about the future. We give them power: how to make decisions, how to cultivate character, and how to design a happy life. We channel the rebellion into leadership.
Our Mission:
- College Access for All. Too many talented students are left behind. Rebel to Ruler engages and empowers all students, regardless of background.
- More than College: Students today need to learn skills and tactics that will get them ready for a very different, very exciting future.
- Beyond Buzzwords. We combine all of the initiatives that get students ready to graduate: Social and Emotional Learning, Leadership, Character, Equity and Inclusion. They all make more sense when they work with each other.
Decision-Making
We talk about the art and science of decision-making. We need to put this power into the students' hands - the rest of their life will be a product of their choices, so we look at the methods important leaders used to make decisions and apply those tactics and strategies to the college process. It is fun, engaging, and effective.
Courage and Character
We dive deeply into character education, starting with courage as the foundation for all other values. Courage is necessary when making important life choices; we discuss specific strategies for increasing courage. They will be able to use these exciting strategies for the rest of their lives.
Self-Awareness
The root of all change is self-awareness, and the students will have ample opportunities to explore their personalities, interests, temperaments and strengths. We have created a series of diagnostic exercises you will find nowhere else. From a deeper sense of self awareness, the students will find power and direction. And, they love the exercises!
Here is How We Helped!
Kevin was struggling, and then I helped him explore careers. We looked at hotel management... he started researching all the hotels in NYC, and dreaming of managing hotels in beautiful locations around the world. We discussed the leadership skills required to manage a hotel; looked up schools that train hotel (and hospitality) managers. He got serious about school. All through a series of simple Rebel to Ruler exercises. A total transformation!
Kevin
Carla was a good student, but said she "had no idea what she wanted to do." Her academics and diagnostics all pointed to computer science. She said she did not want to do that; but then we read an interview in Rebel to Ruler, and she learned to do deep research on careers, and now her ambition is to be a tech entrepreneur!
Carla
From Rebel to Ruler's Philosophy and Theory of Action
55%! In many schools, 55% of the “college-ready” students do not want to go to college. You could be doing everything right – 95% of your students “college-ready” – but over half the students will resist applying anywhere.
Character education is the backbone of leadership education. Once you discuss character, deeper philosophical skills are not far behind.
Empower the students. It is very simple, actually, though not easy. All of the students want successful, happy lives. All of them. So, we throw them right into the middle of it: we look at a wide variety of careers. We talk to them about career success – which is just a synonym for leadership.
College and career readiness is actually a time for deep philosophical work: defining your values, learning how to make decisions, increasing self-awareness, learning how you learn. It should not be a boring checklist.
- Everyone who finishes this course will not only be ready for college, but will have successful application to college, guaranteed.
- The percentage of private four-year college enrollments will increase dramatically.
Designed for All Students
Getting ready for the future should be a fundamental function of school. We designed (using principles from Understanding by Design, Universal Design for Learning, as well as a few of our own ideas) a powerful process that opens up access to EVERYONE.
What People Say About It
"I've been using Rebel to Ruler for years now, intertwining it with my social and emotional lessons and getting the students to think about college and beyond. The impact has been remarkable."
Michael A. Cooper
School Counselor, NYCDOE, Bronx
Rebel to Ruler dramatically boosted our students' ... acceptances to top colleges because the students were able to document their achievements. He was able to bridge the gap between their backgrounds and the scholastic requirements. My students and I are forever grateful to him for the doors he was able to open for them.
Richard Goodwin
College Counselor, High School for Excellence, Bronx, NY
We Have Physical Books and Are Completely Online
We can work with any school's situation. Our exercises can start working with a simple internet connection and we have a lot of downloadable material that will work offline or with unsteady internet. Whatever your situation, Rebel to Ruler will get your ready.
Contact us if you need more information. We can send you sample lessons to print out or email to your students. We have worked with every level of technology.