Helping Kids Succeed Alaskan Style!
Practical Suggestions for Building Assets in Your Child
Asset # 21- Achievement Motivation
Traditional Ways to Promote Asset # 21 Let your
children know what you expect of them, and praise them
when they do what you expect. Kluti-Kaah Remind your
child daily that school is important. Savoonga Recognize
and honor cultural differences. Shishmaref Invite
Elders or local residents into school to teach the cultural history. Copper Center To Build Asset # 21 Parents and Extended Family Can . . . Always be
learning something yourself, and show your children
what it looks like to be committed to learning. Tenakee Talk with
your children about how their effort in school now will
give them more choices in life later on. Think of real
people or characters they know and notice how their past
effort or lack of effort affected their life. New Stuyahok Be
supportive and helpful if your child is struggling. Help to
problem-solve. Don't just assume your child isn't trying hard enough. Petersburg Learn things
with them. Turn school projects into activities
you can do with your child. False Pass Celebrate
with a special dinner when one of your children
accomplishes something special. Elim
Asset # 21 Achievement Motivation Kids are motivated to do well in school 63% 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.
Words of Encouragement As a recent High School graduate I remember the night of my
school's graduation ceremony. I cherish the memory of walking across the
gymnasium to receive my diploma. I was elated; I'd made it. And, to add to the whole
experience, I had most of the community in the audience celebrating my
success with me. To each one of us graduates, that was our night. We
claimed it as our celebration. Currently as a sophomore in college I look back and wonder,
"What motivated me to do well in school?" My family comes to mind first. My parents intentionally
encouraged and supported me. One tradition we held was every quarter, after
report cards were sent home, we would go out for a celebration dinner at
the restaurant of my choice. During dinner, we would discuss the events of
the world, the events of my life, and the events of the family. My family
was proud of me, and they let me know it. My parents built a bridge between themselves and the school by
communicating with my teachers and coaches. They attended school activities, from concerts to sports
activities. There was also a bridge between me and the community; from the
Rotary Club, City Council, newspaper, School Board, and others. I felt connected and that connection seemed
to propel me toward further and further success. As far as external influences, my teachers challenged and
inspired me. I was not often required to do "busy work" and my
teachers created an interesting learning environment. I wanted to learn and
it was fun and rewarding for me to do so. All my success can't be credited to my environment, because
something in me wanted to do well; I wanted to succeed. I had goals in mind
and looked towards those goals. I knew I would attend college. I had
expectations for my life. I had dreams. One of the principle ideas of my motivation is celebration. When I succeeded, we celebrated. (Maybe it is because when I
succeeded, WE had succeeded - the family, the community, everybody!) Celebrating the successes in life can be so simple. It need
not be money or gifts, rather just a sincere acknowledgement of one's
accomplishments. Those little milestones kept me going and motivated me to
reach farther, jump higher and keep on going. Are you doing enough to
celebrate the young people in your life? Jennifer Loesch, Former Alaska ICE
Project Developer Research Some rather
obvious research findings about achievement motivation - the desire to do
well in school - are the improved attitudes in students towards school, an
increase in higher grades and test scores, as well as a more positive
attitude toward schoolwork. Perhaps some findings that aren't as obvious
are that students who desire to learn often have better communication
skills, improved mental health and lower levels of risk behavior. Here are
some other positive findings associated with
Achievement motivation: Increased high school completion (Brooks-Gunn, Guo & Furstenberg, 1993) Increased enrollment in college (Wilson-Sadberry, Winfield, & Royster,
1991) Increased positive perceptions of school and of teachers (Entwistle, Kozeki, & Tait, 1989; Jessor
et al., 1995) Increased school effort (Goodenow, 1992) Increased goal setting and positive expectancies for success (Hay, 1993; Harter 1982) Research has
found that the more people who positively contribute to a student's desire
to do well in school, the better a student will do. From the ages of about
6 - 18, students spend most of their time either at home or school. The
environment they learn in will affect their future outlook.
By creating a positive learning environment in both places, a student is
more likely to succeed. Quote: "A
young person's commitment to learning is strongly influenced by
relationships with family, peers, and others, as well as by the school
environment." "Education
is far too important to be left wholly to the educators." Alaskan
School Board Member 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