Spring progress reports are often the worst. These reports reflect the student relaxing after the holidays, which are just prior to semester reports, and the end of the year seems really far away. Academics are often the last thing on their minds and progress reports show it.
Don’t despair. There are still enough weeks remaining to bring the grade up. How? Create a calendar (I use Publisher) for just the weeks left. Write all due dates and test dates including highlighting finals week. Include end of the year performances, rehearsals, sports activities and family events. At first, the calendar may look overwhelming, which morphs into looking manageable, especially when it’s tweaked to fit the all important academic demands. Color coding is a must for academics and can be fun for the other activities. Post the calendar in an obvious location and start checking off completed tasks . This will keep your student on track and help with lots of end-of-year planning.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Success takes courage
Congratulations Matt for getting into the schools you wanted. Well done!
Students like Matt take risks every day both academically and personally; they usually pay off but it takes courage.
Students like Matt take risks every day both academically and personally; they usually pay off but it takes courage.
Quote for today,
“The measure of success is not whether you have a tough problem to deal with, but whether it is the same problem you had last year”
Former Secretary of State, James Dulles
Same idea: I have heard that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.
Living life demands us to be creative, which means taking risks without knowing the outcome. Have a creative and successful day.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Do It!
Today’s quote: “No one ever excused his way to success” by Dave Del Dotto
Excuses promote procrastination, which results in a lot of anxiety. Putting a project off without any feelings of dread, guilt, fear or uneasiness doesn’t happen very often. One or more of these icky feelings are the ones most people describe when they procrastinate or make excuses for not doing a task. I know when I procrastinate, not only do I have to do the project eventually, but I have already wasted lots of time in the form worry and anxiety—it really is easier and much more time efficient to just do the work. The feeling of satisfaction that comes with the accomplishment is the outcome and that is a pretty good way to feel.
To just do it:
• Plan how you are going to accomplish the task—just make a list of what needs
to be done and what materials you need to use.
• Time-chunk so that you are only taking on parts of the task, not the whole thing
• Check completed steps off the list—it feels good!
• Honor the time you have set aside for the project; don’t let anything intrude.
• Celebrate not procrastinating!
Your ideas and comments are very welcome. Please email me at cchristopeher@studydept.com
Excuses promote procrastination, which results in a lot of anxiety. Putting a project off without any feelings of dread, guilt, fear or uneasiness doesn’t happen very often. One or more of these icky feelings are the ones most people describe when they procrastinate or make excuses for not doing a task. I know when I procrastinate, not only do I have to do the project eventually, but I have already wasted lots of time in the form worry and anxiety—it really is easier and much more time efficient to just do the work. The feeling of satisfaction that comes with the accomplishment is the outcome and that is a pretty good way to feel.
To just do it:
• Plan how you are going to accomplish the task—just make a list of what needs
to be done and what materials you need to use.
• Time-chunk so that you are only taking on parts of the task, not the whole thing
• Check completed steps off the list—it feels good!
• Honor the time you have set aside for the project; don’t let anything intrude.
• Celebrate not procrastinating!
Your ideas and comments are very welcome. Please email me at cchristopeher@studydept.com
Monday, March 24, 2008
Desire it, do it!
Anything you desire to do you can do. Anything!
Wayne Dyer
I know this can sound too good to be true. How could this be? I have a healthy amount of skepticism that regularly challenges statements like these—until I see the concept in action. I remember one student, Dylan, who had the passion to be a pilot from early childhood. He lived this passion in every way—how his room was decorated, the magazines and books he read (sometimes just looked at the pictures), the films he watched, the games he played-- all this with the absolute conviction and the detailed, sensory-rich image of one day flying for the Air Force. I knew him because he had a hard time with math and I came to have enormous respect for him as I watched his ups and downs with a subject that was critical to his dream. All I can say is he worked harder than anyone I had ever seen, He put up with the frustrations of progressing in a subject he found defeating, he put hours into doing whatever it took to be able to graduate and join the Air Force and he never quit talking about flying. He is in the Air Force. He passed the tests and is now living his dream. Not all of us have that kind of passion, determination and ability to keep a dream alive even during the most challenging times. Tutors, I and the other students, who came at the same tutoring time as Dylan, watched his progression and were inspired by it. What is your dream?
Wayne Dyer
I know this can sound too good to be true. How could this be? I have a healthy amount of skepticism that regularly challenges statements like these—until I see the concept in action. I remember one student, Dylan, who had the passion to be a pilot from early childhood. He lived this passion in every way—how his room was decorated, the magazines and books he read (sometimes just looked at the pictures), the films he watched, the games he played-- all this with the absolute conviction and the detailed, sensory-rich image of one day flying for the Air Force. I knew him because he had a hard time with math and I came to have enormous respect for him as I watched his ups and downs with a subject that was critical to his dream. All I can say is he worked harder than anyone I had ever seen, He put up with the frustrations of progressing in a subject he found defeating, he put hours into doing whatever it took to be able to graduate and join the Air Force and he never quit talking about flying. He is in the Air Force. He passed the tests and is now living his dream. Not all of us have that kind of passion, determination and ability to keep a dream alive even during the most challenging times. Tutors, I and the other students, who came at the same tutoring time as Dylan, watched his progression and were inspired by it. What is your dream?
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Acts of Kindness
Today's quote for the day is from Mother Teresa. She says: "We shall never know all the good a simple smile can do."
A friend gave me a compliment yesterday and, besides deeply appreciating it, I almost cried because I realized how starved I am for positive gestures of all kinds (this isn’t a plug) and it is not just me. I see the glow come over our students when they know they have done something above and beyond and we celebrate with them privately with a compliment or publicly by suggesting they write it on our “Good News Board.”
A smile given, even to a stranger, seems to lighten up my world and hopefully there’s. I can’t cite the study, but I read that serotonin levels (the feel good hormone)in our brains actually elevate when we act kindly and ALSO just by observing an act of kindness. I feel better already just thinking about it. Have a joyful day.
If you wish to respond, and I love it when you do, email cchristopher@studydepot.com.
A friend gave me a compliment yesterday and, besides deeply appreciating it, I almost cried because I realized how starved I am for positive gestures of all kinds (this isn’t a plug) and it is not just me. I see the glow come over our students when they know they have done something above and beyond and we celebrate with them privately with a compliment or publicly by suggesting they write it on our “Good News Board.”
A smile given, even to a stranger, seems to lighten up my world and hopefully there’s. I can’t cite the study, but I read that serotonin levels (the feel good hormone)in our brains actually elevate when we act kindly and ALSO just by observing an act of kindness. I feel better already just thinking about it. Have a joyful day.
If you wish to respond, and I love it when you do, email cchristopher@studydepot.com.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
"Mean" girls lose
Quote of the day: "The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.”
--Michael Altshuler, personal achievement coach
This quote reminds me that there may be all kinds of negativity around me and how I respond to it is how it will affect my life. There is a lot of power in this realization.
Just this morning a parent was telling me how her 15 year old is trying to deal with other girls nastiness toward her. This is a very common complaint and excruciating to the girl. How to help? Understanding why this happens is a start. Aggression is a given as children reach adolescence, but boys and girls show it differently. Boys act it out through physical ways that are endlessly available to them, i.e. sports, shoving, even aggressive video games. Girls use some of those methods but not as much; their aggression shows up in relationships. Both genders are trying to find out who they are and where they stand in respect to their peers.
My advice to is, when someone says something mean, don’t engage, which is really hard to do when you feel compelled to defend yourself, but anything else only gives the meany more power. Not engaging can mean walking away; yes, the “meany” and friends will probably laugh but that is just empty air. Inside they may feel ashamed on some level—as they should. If you must say something, make it short such as, “that’s mean.” Then walk away.
Please email other suggestions to cchristopher@studydepot.com
--Michael Altshuler, personal achievement coach
This quote reminds me that there may be all kinds of negativity around me and how I respond to it is how it will affect my life. There is a lot of power in this realization.
Just this morning a parent was telling me how her 15 year old is trying to deal with other girls nastiness toward her. This is a very common complaint and excruciating to the girl. How to help? Understanding why this happens is a start. Aggression is a given as children reach adolescence, but boys and girls show it differently. Boys act it out through physical ways that are endlessly available to them, i.e. sports, shoving, even aggressive video games. Girls use some of those methods but not as much; their aggression shows up in relationships. Both genders are trying to find out who they are and where they stand in respect to their peers.
My advice to is, when someone says something mean, don’t engage, which is really hard to do when you feel compelled to defend yourself, but anything else only gives the meany more power. Not engaging can mean walking away; yes, the “meany” and friends will probably laugh but that is just empty air. Inside they may feel ashamed on some level—as they should. If you must say something, make it short such as, “that’s mean.” Then walk away.
Please email other suggestions to cchristopher@studydepot.com
Monday, March 17, 2008
Achieve the Beyond
Today's quote from Seth Godin (writer) for the day is: "You can't win by being more than average."
I used to think "more than average" was a win and I wish it still was. Helping students succeed in school so that they can choose from various colleges or career paths has taught me that "not just more, but above and beyond average" is the new yardstick. But, don't despair. When our children and students "believe, they can achieve." Help your child see the achievability of their dreams in practical ways. Research what it takes to be a pilot, veterinarian, Broadway star and then make a plan. Break the plan into manageable and time appropriate chunks and then work it (until a new dream may come along). To go “beyond,” take it a step further and teach your child to visualize achieving their dream including all the steps along the way. Help them see the "A" on the algebra test that will lead them to the grade that will lead them to the GPA that will lead them to the college that will result in acheiving the goal they only once dreamed about. Most important, include all the emotions that go along with even the small successes. Just dreaming is an intellectual exercise, dreaming, seeing and feeling what we want brings the achievement closer to reality.
I used to think "more than average" was a win and I wish it still was. Helping students succeed in school so that they can choose from various colleges or career paths has taught me that "not just more, but above and beyond average" is the new yardstick. But, don't despair. When our children and students "believe, they can achieve." Help your child see the achievability of their dreams in practical ways. Research what it takes to be a pilot, veterinarian, Broadway star and then make a plan. Break the plan into manageable and time appropriate chunks and then work it (until a new dream may come along). To go “beyond,” take it a step further and teach your child to visualize achieving their dream including all the steps along the way. Help them see the "A" on the algebra test that will lead them to the grade that will lead them to the GPA that will lead them to the college that will result in acheiving the goal they only once dreamed about. Most important, include all the emotions that go along with even the small successes. Just dreaming is an intellectual exercise, dreaming, seeing and feeling what we want brings the achievement closer to reality.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Budget Cuts Scaring our Kids
Throughout our state, teachers, administrators, classified personnel and students are starting to fathom the reality of the “pink slip” and what it mean. In other words, most everyone is scared. We adults understand that the pink slip frenzy is supposedly necessary to seamlessly make staff and program changes that may or may not be needed for next year. The students, on the other hand, are sure they are losing their “favorite teacher” or the sports or theatre program they have connected to with their whole heart. Their emotions are raw with fear and anger; they need help dealing with the unstable academic climate that surrounds them.
How can we help them? We can reassure them that there have been no final decisions yet and if there are changes they find devastating, we will walk through them together. They need to know that our district administrators are making decisions based on how to best benefit the students. This may not “seem” to register, but it can’t hurt. The challenge is to defuse the negativity the children and teens are hearing and feeling as they listen to news stories, overhear or hear directly about their teacher concerns or get caught up in the student rumor-mill. Whenever the subject arises, and it will often, try to empathize with them without reinforcing their fear. Like most serious subjects we talk to our children about, it is best to follow their lead as to how much detail to go into. Sometimes I find myself over-explaining because I have overestimated their concern. Given a child’s worry I might say, “Yes, Mrs. X may not be at school next year and that is sad, but no one knows if that is true so let’s just appreciate her while she is here and keep good thoughts for her in mind.” These are words that are appropriate to my family; most families have their own ways of reassuring and talking through fears. The important thing is that the talk happens and not just once. Every rumor will need to be addressed, some more seriously than others. Be sure to stay informed, write your legislators and vote.
This blog doesn’t allow reader comments, but I would appreciate hearing what other readers are thinking about the subject. Email or call with your thoughts and I can pass them along as an entry.
How can we help them? We can reassure them that there have been no final decisions yet and if there are changes they find devastating, we will walk through them together. They need to know that our district administrators are making decisions based on how to best benefit the students. This may not “seem” to register, but it can’t hurt. The challenge is to defuse the negativity the children and teens are hearing and feeling as they listen to news stories, overhear or hear directly about their teacher concerns or get caught up in the student rumor-mill. Whenever the subject arises, and it will often, try to empathize with them without reinforcing their fear. Like most serious subjects we talk to our children about, it is best to follow their lead as to how much detail to go into. Sometimes I find myself over-explaining because I have overestimated their concern. Given a child’s worry I might say, “Yes, Mrs. X may not be at school next year and that is sad, but no one knows if that is true so let’s just appreciate her while she is here and keep good thoughts for her in mind.” These are words that are appropriate to my family; most families have their own ways of reassuring and talking through fears. The important thing is that the talk happens and not just once. Every rumor will need to be addressed, some more seriously than others. Be sure to stay informed, write your legislators and vote.
This blog doesn’t allow reader comments, but I would appreciate hearing what other readers are thinking about the subject. Email or call with your thoughts and I can pass them along as an entry.
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