I am going to share with you two tips I have learned from my own life experience and being an educator for the past 27 years. So - yes that makes me old. However, it also means I have a great deal of experience that I am using to share these tips.
Here are 2 of my top tips for success... here at school and in life in general.
1. Always be willing to learn.
You may think this is obvious. Or you may disagree. But it is a key to life whether you are in school or if you are 82 - and any age in between. I am not talking about just learning through a text book or at school but truly learning.
And I'm going to add a part B to that tip. Be ready to learn and then sometimes unlearn or relearn.
I love learning. You may know that about me or may have read it in an earlier blog. Learning is a life skill and sometimes we close our minds to learning and just say "I can't" But for our own well-being and the well-being of those around us we need to turn that around and say "I'm going to try to learn this. I just don't know it yet. I can do this."I recently learned to Skype and face-time. I know... simple things in your world. But they were kinda of weird, scary and useless and really "why would I need this skill?" However, my nieces and nephews are all far away and if I want to talk to them I need to know. I mean - what teenager wants to talk on the old touch-tone phone?
So I have learnt.
Simple?
Maybe? in your world.
But remember - I'm old. I went to university when I typed all my papers on a typewriter (Do you know what that is? Do you have any idea how tedious this was? ) I was pumped when finally they came out with a typewriter that allowed you to write one whole line before hitting enter and it printed it on to the page.
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| http://www.iretron.com/blog/posts/ technology-flashback-the-electronic-typewriter/ |
Think about that. I had to type 20 page papers one word at a time directly on to my sheet of paper. And if I messed up something or wanted to change something I couldn't just back space. Sometimes it meant retyping the whole 20 page paper. Think about that.
So yes - Learning how to Skype and Face-time - SCARY. WEIRD. POSSIBLY USELESS. But I did it.
I did it because learning is important. It is important for our whole lives - not just our school lives. And it's important that we have an attitude that says we can learn it even when it seems hard or challenging.
2. Safety First!
Okay - I know. Why is the guidance counsellor talking about safety? Well - because it is important. Whether we are talking about personal safety in daily tasks, internet safety, emotional safety or physical safety - Safety is important.
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| https://www.amazon.com/ Sunbeam-63019-Mandolin-Kitchen-Slicer /dp/B000I17AFY |
Small personal example because it's good to remember it only takes a second to make a bad decision that can affect our safety - in every one of those areas mentioned.
One morning, I was quickly putting together a potato casserole. I was using my mandolin - handy kitchen device with a safety guard. I sliced my first potato using the safety guard. And then, brilliantly, I decided I didn't need the guard for the second potato.
It was a spit second decision. I'm sure you can guess the end of the story. But let me just give you a picture and you can fill in the dots.
Small, quick decisions, sometimes have little or no impact on our lives. Sometimes those decisions can cause consequences that are minor, inconvenient or a nuisance. Sometimes decisions about our safety, that seem like minor decisions at the time, can have huge impacts that may last a lifetime and leave scars on our body, our mind and/or our heart.
So I am asking you to think safety first:
- before you send a text or snap chat
- before you send a picture
- before you consume an illegal substance or over the counter meds
- before you get in a car with someone under the influence or before you drive a car under the influence (never ever do either of these - please)
- before you cross the street (make sure you look both ways)
- before you put yourself in a situation you can't get out of safely
- before... and the list goes on but I'll add one
- before you use that mandolin slicer without the safety guard... 😎
Those are my top two tips today. They may change. You are free to take them or leave them. However, I want you to know this. Each and everyone of you reading this has so much potential. You have the power, skills and abilities to make a difference in the world that is positive, helpful and good. You may not always feel that way. But you can make the choice to leave a positive mark on this world. I can't wait to see what you do with your lives - whether you are 16, 18, 25, 47, 68 or 93!
