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Reuther Central High School. Safe and Secure Schools 2012-2013 Above the Influence Student Posters. About This Presentation .
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Reuther Central High School Safe and Secure Schools 2012-2013 Above the Influence Student Posters
About This Presentation • You are about to view selected Above the Influence posterslogans written by Reuther Central High School students. Above the Influence is about being yourself and not letting negative influence get to you. Pressure to drink, do drugs or do anything that goes against who you are in order to fit in, is negative influence. • Following each slogan you will find information from our Kenosha County 2010 Profile of Your Youth report and suggestions for parents/guardians on how to continue their positive support of the development of their children.
Asset # 30 – Responsibility 64% of students accept and take responsibility. • So, your teen has entered high school, and soon, she will be off to college or entering the workforce. While you’ve been helping your child to prepare for adult independence and responsibility all along, it’s important to realize that your teen’s plans for herself may be different from what you want. • Listen to your teen’s thoughts about the future. Support and respect his decisions, and offer ideas about what you think he might be good at . Encourage your teen to get involved in the community, and help him connect with other caring adults who can positively influence his development.
Asset # 21 – Achievement motivation67% of students indicate the motivation to do well in school. • Commitment to Learning—Young people need a commitment to the lasting importance of learning and a belief in their own abilities. • Your beliefs about your children’s competence affect their confidence and ability to learn. • If your kids see you reading for pleasure, they are more likely to do so themselves. • Be an advocate for schools to do better. Thank teachers when they provide interesting and stimulating homework and projects. Ask teachers if there are alternatives if they assign a lot of homework that requires memorization. • Don’t expect all of your children’s learning to happen in school. Keep stretching their minds with stories, games, and activities that deepen their thinking.
Asset # 37 – Personal Power41% of students feel they have control over “things that happen to them”. • Encourage family members to point out “victim mentality” comments and “personal power” comments when family members tell about their day. Help your teenagers use “I” messages to take ownership of what happened. Encourage them to use this format: “When you do _______, it makes me feel _______, and so I’d like you to ______.” This builds personal power and also gives teenagers integrity and a sense of responsibility.
Asset #26 – Caring49% of students place high value on helping others. • Volunteer work teaches family members the value of caring and giving back. Many families notice how much closer they become when they start serving together—and how much more they appreciate what they have. Research has also shown that when kids volunteer, they are building up their Developmental Assets, the “building blocks” they need in order to grow up to be caring, successful, resilient adults. • Identify your family’s areas of interest. Talk to your family and determine which issues you are interested in and which activities you would like to engage in. Are you most concerned about low-income people, senior citizens, refugees, or homeless individuals? Or is your family more passionate about caring for abandoned animals or the environment?
Asset #35 – Resistance skills43% of students can resist negative peer pressure and dangerous situations. • Point out to your children that in any situation not making a choice is making a choice—it’s choosing not to choose. Explain how this gives someone else the power to determine what happens next. • Make your home welcoming to your teenagers’ friends. Get to know their friends. Tell your teens what you admire about their friends. • Keep your relationship as a top priority. Even if you are concerned about friends and their influence, do not let your worries drive a wedge between yourself and your child. Work hard to maintain your relationship, even while expressing your worries. When you express concerns, be sure to reinforce your love for your child. Your influence will be greater in the long run if you do what you can to maintain a positive relationship.
Asset # 38 Self – esteem. 51% of students report having a high self – esteem. Invite your teen to keep a positive journal • Keeping a positive journal is easy. Here are some examples: • What are three things I did today that made me feel successful? • Name three things I am grateful for. • Name three reasons I am a good friend. • What was the best part of my day, and why? • Name three people who love and care about me. • What are my three best strengths? • Write a story about a past success, and what I learned about myself that made me stronger as a person. • Identify three solutions to the problem I am having. • How do I aspire to be when the going gets tough?
Asset #1 - Family Support69% of students report that their family life provides high levels of support. • Show family members that you care in little ways. Find a new, small but visible thing you can do to show others in your family that you care. Even a note on the bathroom mirror can brighten someone’s day. • Talk about the everyday stuff EVERY day. Don’t wait for “important” conversations to have good conversations with others in your family. Find times to talk together every day. Ask questions like, “What was the best question you asked today?” or “What were the high and low points of your day?”
Asset #28 – Integrity 67% of students act on personal convictions and stand up for their beliefs. • Talk to your kids about what integrity means, and what it means to stand up for your own values. Ask them who they see as having a sense of integrity, and who they think backs down from their values in the face of adversity. • As a family, identify role models with integrity whom you admire. These may include Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King Jr., Mahatma Gandhi, or someone else. Learn about these individuals and how they learned to live a life of integrity. • Applaud and support family members when they “do the right thing, even when it’s hard.” Maybe your child stepped in when another child was being teased. Or maybe your child admitted to cheating on a test—even though she knows the entire class cheated and she was the only one who got into trouble for her honesty. • When someone with integrity admits to scandal or making a mistake, talk about this as a family. Talk about which actions you believe are most damaging and why. With older teenagers, discuss why leaders can be tempted to do the wrong thing.
Asset # 39 – Sense of purpose. 64% of students report “my life has purpose.” • Teens who take on responsibilities, have useful roles, and serve others are more likely to grow up with a sense of purpose and concern for others. They are also more likely to develop the skills and attitudes to take on new responsibilities. Here are some ideas to help you empower your teen to contribute. • Ask your teen to teach you something new. It could be something being learned in school, something related to technology or sports, or a video game that your teen loves. (Then you can play it together.) • Use home projects as learning projects. Whether you’re planning a family reunion, doing home repair projects, or just catching up on chores, have your teen help and learn. (Knowing how to do laundry will be really helpful after leaving home!) • Follow your teen’s lead. Teens often are the ones who recognize problems and want to take action. If teens raise issues or concerns, encourage them to dig deeper, learn more, and suggest ways your family can respond.
Asset # 37 – Personal Power41% of students fee they have control over “things that happen to me”. Nurturing the Mind, Body, and Spirit According to research, families who focus on nurturing the mind, body, and spirit raise kids who are less likely to engage in high-risk behaviors, and are more likely to grow up thriving. • Mind - Abstract thinking becomes more common with older teenagers. They’ll gravitate more to the “gray” areas between the “black-and-white” issues of their early years. They’ll also change their mind about the “grays” to suit their goals and wishes. • Body - If your child is not athletic, help her find a sport or physical activity she enjoys. At this age, kids who don’t excel athletically are tempted to avoid all physical activity. Modeling and talking about the importance of exercise can make an impact long term. • Spirit - Regularly engage your older children in discussion about spiritual topics, but don’t force the issue. Be open to different interpretations of your faith tradition or your child’s interest in a tradition other than your own. Ask questions to clarify, and don’t judge what he or she says.
Asset # 35 – Resistance skills43% of students can resist negative peer pressure and dangerous situations. • Give your child choices and appropriate independence. Helping children see that they have power in their own lives and can influence others helps them be aware of and internalize their own values. • Learn from your children. Your relationship with your child is a two-way street. They learn from you; you learn from them. Be open to what they have to teach you. In the process, they will be open to what you have to teach them. • Cultivate skills to put values into practice. In order to internalize values, teens skills to help her or him be confident in standing up for what they believe and to take actions based on their values. Building assertiveness and resistance skills, as well as skills of empathy, caring, and compassion, all help to reinforce positive values by putting them into action.
Asset # 38 Self – esteem 51% of students report having a high self – esteem. The best way to build a realistic idea of self-worth is to praise your teens based on what they’ve accomplished. • Praise the effort more than the ability. Encouragement is better than praise. • Make praise specific. • Praise has to be sincere. • Praise should be intermittent, not overdone.
Resources used for this document that you have to see. • http://www.parentfurther.com/ • http://www.search-institute.org/content/40-developmental-assets-adolescents-ages-12-18 • http://www.abovetheinfluence.com/ • Developmental Assets: A Profile of Your Youth Executive Summary Kenosha County Schools – April 2010
