The 7 Habits of Highly Effective High School Students
Practicing the strategies from Stephen Covey’s book, “7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” with your high school student can be an important learning tool as they embark on their journey to adulthood. These habits can benefit them not only academically, but in their personal lives as well. Whether your child plans to attend college or jump right into the workforce after their secondary education ends, these habits will provide a solid foundation for whichever path they choose.
Habit #1: Be Proactive
With this first habit, the key is to teach your young adult they are the master of their fate. Their direct actions will yield positive or negative outcomes, so they need to do their best to take charge of their decisions. Peer pressure can be especially influential during this time, so it’s important to model for your child how they can make responsible choices now as they prepare to enter adulthood.
Is there an area your child is working to improve? You can set a small goal with your child and assign a completion deadline. For example, if the goal is to achieve a perfect score on their next test in 30 days, you can help your child navigate the types of decisions they should make over this time period to achieve this goal.
Habit #2: Begin With the End in Mind
For this habit, Covey recommends discussing your young adult’s career goals and mapping out together how they can begin to put plans in place to make their goals a reality. Research internships or after-school activities in their field of interest. Encourage your child to talk with family member, neighbors and mentors to gather additional information and feedback. Ask your child about their five-year plan and how they envision their life will look in the future.
Habit #3: Put First Things First
With technology we can have most things at the push of a button, and it may cause us to grow impatient with waiting to receive a reward. You can provide a real-world example of how you prioritize your responsibilities by showing your child your calendar or planner. Have a discussion with them about how they manage their own time.
When it comes to completing daily assignments and homework, your high schooler should be able to manage their time effectively. Check in and provide help when needed but set the expectations for them to handle their time independently. If they procrastinate to complete a project and come to you in a rush for assistance, you may need to let them deal with the consequence of a low grade or a reprimand from an instructor without coming to their rescue.
Habit 4: Think Win/Win
Habit #4 is about having a positive attitude with every outcome. It’s looking for the silver lining even in challenging situations. If your child has a task that gives them anxiety, help them to take an optimistic approach with completing the task. Assure them that even though the task is less than ideal, they can tackle it with a positive perspective. Help your child focus on the skills they have to gain from the project or completion of the task, such as improving their public speaking skills or learning a new topic, rather than focusing on if they make a mistake.
Habit #5: Seek First to Understand, Then Be Understood
Listening to understand and not simply listening to respond is a valuable skill that most of don’t always practice. As a parent, note what you observe about their listening skills. Do they provide nonverbal cues that confirm they are listening? What areas may need improvement?
Habit #6: Synergize
Habit #6 is all about working together in harmony to achieve the best results. You can demonstrate this habit by letting your child work with a study partner or with a sibling. Your child may be more advanced in a certain area and be able to assist while the study partner may be stronger in another. In partnering with another, they will learn about the spirit of collaboration and the exchange of information. If there’s no study partner around, Mathnasium is waiting with qualified instructors to step in and provide that support and collaboration with your child.
Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw
Teach your high schooler that you can’t pour from an empty cup. They must take care of themselves to be effective for others. This will be vitally important as they grow and their responsibilities increase, making it harder to find time for themselves. Try to demonstrate this practice as well, be it through physical activity, short naps or meditation. If they see you working constantly at home or work with no time for rest, they will begin to model those same habits.
Use these habits to drive family discussions with your child about their current and future academic and personal goals. Studying these habits provide a unique opportunity to relearn your high schooler’s point of view as they form their own opinions. They may be growing, but you still have a great deal of influence on their lives.
