I want to share a story about a young man who skated by in high school. He got good grades, played varsity athletics, had lots of friends. He thought he would land a division-one scholarship and pursue a career in forensic accounting–it was smooth sailing ahead.
This kid rarely studied. He cheated on quizzes and tests. He used the tutor’s answer key to fool his parents into believing he was prepared for the SAT. Unbeknownst to his parents, teachers, and friends, the kid hadn’t read a single book throughout high school. He hid behind the façade of decent grades, so no one knew what was really going on.
He had plenty of potential, but years of manipulating the system made it seemingly unnecessary to change his ways. Reality quickly set in when it became clear athletics at the next level was not an option. Forced to rely on his SATs to get into a good college, it was too late, a disappointing SAT score meant far less choices.
Having slept through trips to visit universities and being dragged through the Common Application process, this kid was still lucky: he landed at a small private university in Rhode Island. It was here that all the short-cuts that had worked in high school, failed. Here he couldn’t cheat or talk his way into a better grade. The kid ended up on academic probation. For the first time he realized he had to do the work.
That kid was me.
Soon after receiving the academic probation notice, the lightbulb finally went on. I switched from an accounting major to a major in something I was interested in, history and education. Leading up to completing my Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, I taught high school history and worked several after school programs for at-risk students. I also coached baseball. I always sought out opportunities to help others not fall through the cracks like I did.
In 2019, I opened The Lifing Group (TLG) to follow my dream of helping individuals through school, work, and life, to provide them with a service that I wish I had when I was younger.
As a kid, I didn’t want to listen to anyone, especially my parents. If only I had had someone I could relate to, someone that could have helped me take proactive steps to get my life together.
At TLG, we work with adolescents through adults to help them find their way through life’s inevitable ups and downs. We teach them the skills and traits needed to succeed at school, work, and life, and how to experience the joy of the journey.
I look forward to helping you find your path forward too.
Joel Singer, Ph.D.