A new school year is already well underway, and students may be experiencing a slew of changes and adjustments. Whether they transitioned back to campus, moved up to a new school (elementary to middle school or middle to high school) or are at a brand-new school altogether, school is a large part of students’ lives during this stage in their development. As they adjust to the new school year, Apex Leadership Co. offers the following tips to help them develop learning patterns and the characteristics needed to become the leaders of tomorrow.
Motivate — After spending all day in class (or behind a computer screen), students may have little motivation to go to soccer practice, read three chapters or study for that big test tomorrow. School helps to build perseverance… but it’s not always easy to summon the motivation to do the things they’re supposed to do, when the things they want to do — go outside and play or chat with friends — seem so much more enticing. It takes persistence and continual motivation. But where does that motivation come from?
Apex Leadership Co. experts suggest students create a daily or weekly agenda to help them keep track of their requirements, and then break down their goals (for example getting all As and Bs on the next report card) into manageable pieces. This could be creating 30-minute blocks of study time each day to forming a study group with friends to help keep one another accountable. Parents can help encourage students to stay motivated with rewards for achieving their goals.
Inspire — Parents and teachers can help inspire the leaders of tomorrow with small actions today. Being inspiring doesn’t require big actions — the smallest efforts can make a big difference and can go a long way towards inspiring students. This could be something like taking some time out to help a student with a big project or homework assignment or doing something in one’s own community, such as volunteering or donating to an important cause.
Change — Change is never easy, but when it comes to leadership skills, change is a big part of that development. Change is a constant in youth’s lives as they are growing and becoming more mature, making new friends, moving on to more difficult topics in school — the changes keep coming! But it’s important that students have the tools to understand that first, change doesn’t have to be scary or bad and two, change is an essential part of life and to their development into the leaders of tomorrow.
As a parent or guardian, making little changes in one’s own life can help children see and understand by example that changes can be positive and exciting, too. And change can often lead to… betterment of one’s life in many ways.
Improve — That leads to improvement! Wanting to improve doesn’t mean something isn’t good enough, it’s about the desire to be one’s best self. Whether that means improving on soccer skills with some practice and additional coaching or improving test scores by spending more time studying, getting a tutor or asking more questions in the classroom, there’s always room for improvement!
Apex Leadership Co. encourages parents, teachers and guardians to help students develop leadership skills with these simple tips.
