Fall 2006 Volume 3, Number 3

Back to School Success

Parents spend an estimated $14 billion on new clothes and school supplies to get their children ready for the new school year. What happens after the new school clothes are dirty, and the book bag is torn and the pens are lost?

Accent On Success®, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to helping children succeed, has developed a list of rules to promote success in the new school year.

Top 10 Rules for Success in School (and in Life)

1. No vision = no direction. Write down what you want to accomplish in the first month of the school year.

2. Don’t find fault; find a solution.

3. Minimize the bummer words, no, can’t, won’t, never, maybe and if. These six words can hold you back from reaching your full potential.

4. Learn how to set and achieve goals and how to use these principles in the classroom.

5. To get ahead in life--learn more, do more.

6. Use the “I’ll Make It Happen” words: yes, I can, and I will.

7. Eliminate excuses.

8. Ask yourself every day: Did I give my best effort to today’s activities?

9. Help others.

10. Enthusiastically take action on your dreams.

When students develop an “I’ll Make It Happen” attitude, it will positively impact their attendance, class participation, personal decision making and overall academic achievement.

These top ten life skills will help students take more responsibility and will make a long-term difference in their performance in the classroom, in the workplace and in life.

Reprinted with permission from www.teachingmoments.com