Acorn Chronicles

Nutt's To You...Written from Experience

The day always comes

On Friday August 5, 2022 we did what millions of parents have done. We got in the car without our 18-year old son and drove away, leaving him to begin […]

The Power of “AND”

One simple word can make all the difference. AND. By definition, “and” is a conjunction which ties together two words, clauses or concepts that are intended to be taken together. […]

I probably shouldn’t say this…

“I probably shouldn’t say this.” Then don’t. Then ask yourself the following questions: Will what I say next add value to the conversation? Will what I say next solve a […]

Words Matter…Time to Tell My Untold Story

I haven’t shared this story with many people. But, now seems like the right time to do so. Seven years ago, I attended a prominent, week-long executive leadership institute for […]

Too Smart for Our Own Good?

Dear Smart People, Smart People Think They’re Right, but the Most Effective Entrepreneurs Assume They’re Wrong, by Jeff Haden is definitely worth the read – and not just for entrepreneurs. […]

H.O.P.E. for Humanity

Expecting or desiring something to happen is the basic tenet of hope. As a kid, you may have hoped for a special Christmas present; hoped the boy you had a […]

Is “Good Leadership” Redundant?

Shouldn’t the word “leadership” stand on its own? Why do we qualify “leadership” with the word “good” or “bad?” I’ve been wrestling with this leadership question. If “bad” has to […]

Be a Good Follower

Being a good follower is as equally important as being a good leader. Most people play both roles, leader and follower. Being good at both will make a difference, especially […]

The Paradox of Beliefs

Beliefs–what a person holds to be true or real, whether true or real–are the basis of a powerful paradox of the human existence. A classic tale that demonstrates this is […]

Broken – But Not Forgotten

Yes. That is a picture of my trash. It is filled with garbage, discarded food, dust bunnies and debris from sweeping the floor, and even Buddy’s poop, the rescue dog […]

Yes! College Students Are Entitled

A common complaint among college faculty and administrators is about the audacious expectations of some (albeit not all) college students. These expectations get translated as “students are so entitled these […]

To React or Respond? There’s a Big Difference

Each day presents opportunities to make choices about how to react or respond to a person or situation. Commuting to or from work, shooing kids out the door to get […]

Beliefs of College Students: Survey Results

The results of a survey I recently conducted to validate 17 proposed beliefs of successful college students are provided below. Each of the beliefs can be tied to growth mindset […]

Changing the Student Success Narrative in Community Colleges

Community colleges are open admissions institutions, providing everyone with access to higher education. Everyone. And it should stay that way. Unfortunately, and probably unintentionally, with the focus now on completion […]

Do To, Do For, or Do With Students

When it comes to how people interact with each other, there are four degrees of relationship along a continuum – each with an increasing level of engagement and effectiveness. 1st – You […]

Students “Don’t Do Optional”…Or Do They?

Today’s conventional wisdom (driven by research on student success and completion) has community colleges believing that “students don’t do optional.” This belief has perpetuated many of us to focus on two primary tactics […]

Real Life, Real Challenges

According to a September 2011 report by Complete College America, 75% of community college students are commuters, often juggling multiple priorities (families, jobs, school).  As such, non-traditional students are the […]

Finish What You Start

Think of something you’ve started. A diet, exercise program, home improvement project, a class, a relationship, a do it yourself project. Why did you start it? What compelled you to begin? Did […]

Buckets of Students

Who are community college students? Certainly we see students from across the continuum — from students who are not “college ready” to those who could’ve attended the top universities but […]

Incomplete Completion Agenda = Policy + Process – People

Policy + Process + People = Outcomes Community colleges across the United States have been working hard over the past several years to figure out how to get more students […]

Tragedy? Really?

A few years ago the tabloids went crazy because it was presumed that Brad and Angelina’s twins had Down Syndrome.  Horrors! I will always remember standing in the check-out line […]

Except When She’s Not

With only the best of intentions, people will say, “Rachel is always so happy.” True.  Except when she’s not. People with DS have a full range of emotions and emotional […]

A Thousand Times Over

Before Rachel was born, but after DS-Day (when we knew for sure that extra chromosome indeed existed), I simultaneously wanted to know everything I could about DS, and I wanted […]

More Alike Than Different – Or Not

It sounds right when you first say it…”more alike than different.”  People with Down Syndrome are more like you and me than they are different than you and me. OK. […]

It Is “Down” – Like “Up”

People often mistakenly refer to Trisomy 21 (the medical term) as Downs Syndrome. Not so.  It is Down, like Up.  Trisomy 21 (Down Syndrome) is named after Dr. John Langdon Down […]

Down Syndrome Awareness Month

Faces of the 2015 DSAH Calendar See the beautiful girl in the lower left corner? Yes.  That’s the one.  Miss September. Rachel Ann Nutt She’s the girl who forever changed our […]

A Lighting Bolt Moment

It’s rare that you hear something so powerful that it stops you in your tracks and pushes everything else out of your head in that moment.  But, that very thing happened […]

Do the Right Thing…Anyway

That a leader will have to make difficult or controversial decision is inevitable.  Good leaders will explain their reasoning.  But, every once in a while a decision has to be made […]
Scroll to Top