Kamau Mahakoe received recognition from the University of Chicago when she was nominated for the prestigious Outstanding Educator Award (2014): "For excellence in teaching and mentorship, the University of Chicago recognizes the distinguished work of Kamau Mahakoe, Outstanding Educator." "The Student's Master Plan" should be in every student's bag, on every teacher's desk and on every parent's nightstand. An honest, comprehensive and pertinent compilation of gems and guidelines that every student - young or old - can relate to. Kamau Mahakoe has homeschooled her four biological children four nearly two decades and has been a private tutor to other students for over a decade. During this time, she has observed, listened, guided and been guided by the habits and antics of her beloved charges. Inspired by the words of a man who stressed the importance of education all his life, Marcus Garvey, Kamau keeps insisting that "All life must be a useful plan that calls for daily serious work. Not just any old plan. A useful plan. Not just any kind of work. Serious work. Daily." The essays were written by Kamau over the years as presentations that she read to her students each morning during their fifteen-minute motivational sessions. As Kamau says, "We are all students of life and we will all be students for life." We all could use some motivation. Here it is