BartmasBlurb#34

 

“Should I eat that?”

 

 

Choice = Consequence:

We all make choices every single minute of our day.  My food choices are a simple choice challenge that I face every day. As like many people, carbs are a drawing card to my appetite, Even as I work out and make the choice to stay fit, my appetite is drawn to those stinking carbohydrates! Mt. Dew is a weakness as a beverage, but at least it has orange juice in it. From the time we wake up to the time we go to bed we are faced with choices. Some choices become positive habits and others…like my Mt. Dew can become negative ones. Working out is another facet of our lives many struggle with. It is easy not to take time to exercise, but in the long run that choice is counter productive to a healthy and happy life. Students are faced with these choices also; how can we as educators help them make healthier choices?

No matter what age of student we work with, teaching them to make good choices is paramount on helping them grow into productive members of our society.  From helping a pre-kindergartner make the choice to actually use the toilet, to a high school senior being a responsible digital citizen we have to coach our students in decision-making. I remember the days when teachers would say to me, “Use common sense!” The problem with that statement is exactly what Ben Franklin said, “Common sense is not so common.” I had no clue what I was supposed to do as far as common sense. I did not even have a starting reference point.  

We need to continually use mini-lessons to reinforce good choice making processes.  Everyday we have students making choices.  They weigh the risk and reward, or they are impulsive and do not even think about how their actions will affect themselves or others. Starting the year focused on good choices being an expectation for the school year is a great place to start. Students can create multi-media presentations on choice making. Basketball Jones, a great presenter on choices, uses a quote throughout his assemblies, “Good choice, bad Choice; my choice.”  Teaching and coaching students that they are responsible for their choices will help everyone have a better year!