Inner Balance
November
Exciting upcoming events at Dawson Middle School to look out for!
Veteran's Day Assembly
Hope Squad Nominations
Helping Hands Day
Christmas is for Children
Career Awareness
Career Planning Checklist: Middle School
Middle school is the perfect time to identify what kind of student you are and where there's room for improvement. You may even want to talk to your teachers about ways you can better your grades. If you wait until high school, it will be too late.
There is simply no downside to getting good grades.
2. Develop good study habits
- A good way to improve your study habits is to figure out how you learn best. For example, if you're a visual learner, flash cards may help you study more effectively. And if you're an auditory learner, it may help you to read your assignments out loud. Knowing how you learn will make it easier for you to absorb new information.
- Good study habits will benefit you long after your school years end.
3. Do your Home work
- Homework is a great way to show that you can get things done without supervision. (When you're part of the working world, many work-related responsibilities will seem no different from homework.) So get in to the habit of doing your homework and finishing it on time.
- Homework is practice.
4. Read books, magazines, and online publications for fun
- Reading for fun also allows you to study topics that interest you but may not be taught in the classroom—maybe skateboarding or gaming. Do some research on your own and stay up to date on what's going on in that field. You never know when a hobby may turn into something more.
- The more interests you have, the more opportunities you have.
5. Get involved in extracurricular activities
- When admissions counselors or employers review your application, your extracurricular activities—sports, music, clubs—give them a glimpse into your character. That's because extracurricular activities require skills you won't necessarily learn in class: teamwork, leadership, responsibility.
- Extracurricular activities can help you strengthen your character.
6. Identify several careers that may interest you.
- Middle school is not too early to begin looking at some careers that may appeal to you. The earlier you can narrow down the field, the more time you have to explore your options and "try them on for size."
- It is never too early to explore some career options.
Here are a few resources to help you get started on your career and college planning
Teens make potentially life-altering decisions every single day. Yet, most teens aren't ever given skills about how to make healthy decisions.
As a result, some teens struggle when they're faced with decisions like: Should I get a job? What should I say to a friend who offers me a cigarette? Should I ask someone out on a date? Is it OK to become sexually active?
Good decision-making skills can set your teen up for success later in life. Additionally, good decision-making skills help teens manage their stress levels better.
Here is how you can help your teen learn to make good decisions in five straightforward steps.
Provide Guidance
The key to helping your teen make the best decisions involves providing plenty of guidance, without overdoing it. Be willing to give input when necessary, but don't be afraid to step back and let your teen make mistakes.
Sometimes, natural consequences can provide valuable life lessons. Just make sure that you're there for your teen when she fails. Help her learn from her mistakes and discuss how to make a better choice in the future.
Identify the Problem
Sometimes, teens ignore problems or blame other people for them. A teen may say he's failing math because his teacher doesn't explain the assignments. Or, he may avoid doing his homework because he's too anxious to face the pile of work he's been avoiding.
So sometimes, it's important to help your teen spell out the problem. Hold a conversation with your teen and gain your teen's input by asking questions like, "What do you think is going on here?"
Brainstorm Options
Encourage your teen to identify her options. Often, teens think there are only one or two solutions to a problem. But with some time and encouragement, they can usually come up with a long list of creative solutions.
Challenge your teen to identify as many choices as possible even if they seem like a bad idea. Tell her to list as many as she can. Tell her to write down her options so she can review them.
Review the Pros and Cons
Once your teen has a list of options, tell her to identify the potential pros and cons of each one. Writing down the pros and cons will help her see for herself which option could be the best choice.
Talk about how emotions can play a big role in decisions. Fear may prevent her from trying something new while excitement may cause her to underestimate risk. Discuss how writing down the pros and cons can help her tackle a problem with logic, rather than base her decision on emotion alone.
Ask your teen to identify which choice seems like the best one. Offer input and guidance as necessary, but try to encourage your teen to make the decision on her own.
Make sure your teen knows that there isn't always a 'bad' choice. Choosing between two good colleges will have pros and cons but both options may be good ones. So while it may be stressful to choose, it could be a good problem to have.
Create a Plan to Move Forward
Once your teen reviews the pros and cons of her options, talk about how to move forward. Identify what steps she can take next.
Also, talk about how to evaluate her choice. It's important to examine whether it was helpful or whether she made a mistake. Examining whether her choice was effective could help her learn and assist her in making even better decisions in the future.
Meet Dawson's Counseling Intern for the 2018-2019 School Year
What does it mean to have a certified HeartMath Coach at Dawson Middle School?
Your Counselor's can help your child boost resilience, composure and clarity!
The HeartMath Building Personal Resilience™ program is a focused and practical program, combining personalized coaching with scientifically validated tools to help your child self-regulate their body’s response to stress and build resilience. They will learn life-long skills you can use any time to increase well-being, personal and academic performance and quality of life experience.
Be sure to contact your child's grade level counselor for more details!
DMS Counselos
Amy Hurlburt
8th grade counselor
amy.hurlburt@southlakecarroll.edu
Katrina Tatum
7th grade counselor
katrina.tatum@southlakecarroll.edu
Website: https://www.southlakecarroll.edu/domain/812
Location: 400 South Kimball Avenue, Southlake, TX, USA
Phone: 817-949-5500
Twitter: @DMScounselors