It's been a busy month with lots o' fun, and I'm excited to recap what we have been up to and how students + families can share time with family this upcoming holiday season to practice important, long-term social habits! Being PRESENT with our family this season is the best PRESENT!
Come up with a family strategy to set aside technology in order to connect with family at dinners & gatherings.
Plan conversation starters or topics that students can use to learn about the lives of family, and ask questions that might help them to learn about college & career paths. Remind them to use OPEN questions that start with Tell Me About! The habit of seeking stories from others is not only a strategy for connection, but a life-long habit for learning.
When speaking to your teens this holiday, practice putting away your OWN technology and making eye contact with them. Presence is the best PRESENT this holiday season!
Here's our December Recap!
Wednesday Morning & Eugene LeadHERship
We wrapped up our final class, focusing on social skills before our Digital unit with SOCIAL SKILL BINGO & learning tips and tricks for talking with adults! We discussed the difference between OPEN and CLOSED questions, and the magic THREE words they can use to create real conversation "TELL ME ABOUT..." .
Questions to ask her:
What percent (hint, out of 100%) of how others experience you is your WORDS, TONE & NON-VERBAL
Where are the Eye Contact Zones: Serious, SOCIAL, and Uncomfortable/ Judgmental
What does an authentic smile include?
What are CLOSED conversation starters?
What are OPEN conversation starters?
Who would you like to learn from this Holiday Season, and what questions can you ask of them?
HS Prep
We wrapped up our final session on Time-Management and Academic Organization with Test Prep Strategies. Students broke into groups and explored different strategies: Be the Teacher, Active Study, Study Cycle, Environment + Focus, and Time + Calendar. We also talked about micro-habits and just making small efforts to use systems for planning ahead and proactively organizing time.
Questions to ask your student:
How are you using your planner? Even if they are looking at it and not opening it, I'm happy! The best habits are created through small ,incremental growth and with no shame.
What Test Study Strategy did your group have? What did you learn?
What Test Study Strategy did you learn about that you would like to practice applying?
How can we best support your academic organization + time-management goals?
Wednesday & Thursday Afternoon Leader + LeadHERship
As we head down the final stretch of our year together, we wrapped up our Dining Etiquette session with review, and moved our focus to the Etiquette of Public places: Parks, Movie Theaters, Restaurants, and Friends' Homes. This exploration is very important, as our LeadHERs & Leaders look to a future where they have more independence in a community, and an understanding + plan for what type of responsibility they want to exercise when on their own with friends.
Questions to ask your LeadHer/Leader:
What Non-Verbal skill can you use over the holiday to connect with family?
What "Tell me About" Question can you use to learn from a friend's parent or family member?
Tell me about an Out and About etiquette point that you learned, and look for them to apply it: Parks, Movie Theaters, Restaurants & Friends' Homes.
Think about using your influence to help your friends to use their best skills and language when in public. What will you do if you don't feel people are using their best skills?
What is our safe word if you would like us to come get you in a situation where you feel uncomfortable or unsafe?
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