Yes, the new school year is nearly here for most students on the Kenai Peninsula. I hope everyone reading this had a great summer. While I don’t like the idea of losing the ability to go fishing anytime, or just sitting out and enjoying the sun, I am looking forward to the opportunities this new school year brings.
I’m a big believer in the continuous growth mindset. Essentially, this means we should always look for potential areas of growth (improvement), then actively seek out ways to improve. This is a three step process. The first step is to identify an area for improvement. For me, one area identified for this year is communications between Connections and the families we work with. The second step is to identify action items that can lead to improvement. We will be trying a few different things at Connections this year to improve our communications. (Specifics will be forthcoming.) Of course, the third (and most difficult) step is actually performing the action items identified in step 2. Part of the growth mindset is realizing that what we try might not work. If not, then we reevaluate and try again.
A student getting ready for the new school year can follow the same process. A high school student might identify staying current (not getting behind) in classes as a growth area in which they could improve. Many students start a new school year with such a thought. The next step, and the one often overlooked, is to identify an action item (or items) that can move the student in that direction. Perhaps scheduling specific times to work on different classes would help a student stay up-to-date. Parents can play a huge role in facilitating the development and adherence to a growth plan like this. The adherence to the plan, step 3, is the key to success.
Here’s to a new school year. May our growth efforts be successful.
