Helping Kids Succeed – Alaskan Style!
Practical Suggestions for Building Assets in Your Child
Asset # 12- School Boundaries
Asset # 12 — School
Boundaries Schools set clear rules and consequences for student
behavior 46% of youth surveyed by Search
Institute have this asset in their lives.* *Based on Search Institute surveys of
almost 100,000 6th to 12th grade youth throughout the United States What are Assets? Assets are 40 key building blocks to
help kids succeed. Like a dream catcher, assets are the supporting threads
in a young person's life that can keep away harm and invite goodness.
INSIGHTS One of the
universal rules of teaching is that, "It is easier to begin the year
being strict and then loosen up, than it is to start the year loose and the
tighten up." This universal rule applies to all aspects of the school
environment. Rules and
consequences establish the culture of a school. What are the rules for kids
when they leave the door of their home to begin their journey to school?
What are the rules when they first step on school grounds? How about when
they enter the main door of the school building? What are the rules about
walking down the hall to their classroom and rules about sitting at their
desks? Certainly
parents and families support these rules and limitations, however, every
adult in the school needs to intentionally create the culture of the school
environment. Every adult needs to consistently state the rules, explain
that the rules are there to establish the culture of the school, and then
personally model the behavior they are expecting. What is the
culture of your school? Do you know it? Do your kids? Do members of the
community? The culture of a school is often the difference between success
and failure for many kids. What can you do to either sustain the healthy
school environment you have or to improve it? News You Can Use School
boundaries are associated with: ¥ Higher Academic Achievement ¥ Higher Intrinsic Motivation for Success ¥ Reduced Frequency of Drinking Alcohol ¥ Reduced Frequency of Drinking to Excess It is one
thing to set school boundaries, it is quite another to have children and
youth abide by them. Research on
what connects children and youth to the rules and boundaries is clear. It
is bonding. Bonding to
the people in the school who enforce the rules and set the limits. How does
bonding occur? Quite simply actually. It happens when people look for the
unique talents and individual characteristics of each child and youth.
These people then provide opportunities that grow the talent and give a lot
of positive encouragement to the child/youth along the way. By doing
this the kids will connect to the adults. Only after
this connection occurs, can kids more readily embrace the rules and
limitations of the school culture. Simply said
- the foundation for all school boundaries is "relationships".
Are you forming relationships with the kids in your school? Quote: When working
with children and youth — The typical
adult tells. The
effective adult explains. The superior
adult demonstrates. The great
adult BONDS. Derek Peterson This newsletter and
other asset resources are produced by the Association of
Alaska School Boards’ Alaska Initiative
for Community Engagement (Alaska ICE)
316 West 11th Street Juneau, Alaska 99801 Tel: (907) 586-1486 Fax: (907) 586-1450 Email: alaskaice@aasb.org