Guest Post Provided By: JC Pohl, LMFT
I am so thankful that Lifetouch + Shutterfly was able to help us connect at the WSPTA Conference. What a special day!
As a follow up to my keynote session, I wanted to ask you…
Is every student on your campus connected?
If they aren’t, let’s fix that issue right now!
One of the concepts that I wrote about in my new book, Building Resilient Students From the Inside Out, is the idea of how ONE CHARISMATIC ADULT can serve as the single greatest factor in determining student resilience. This isn’t just my opinion, it is based on time tested research by Dr. Robert Brooks.
CLICK HERE to watch a short video of him discussing his work.
It’s imperative that we intentionally connect every student on campus to at least one charismatic adult. In the book we discuss exactly how to do this. Here is one of my favorite excerpts. I hope it can help:
Step 1 – Create a Student Survey
Begin by surveying your students. Ask them who they perceive to be a trusted and charismatic adult that they can go to with their problems and accomplishments. Using that information, create a wall in your faculty space with a designated place for each teacher. Put all of the students on their respective adult’s wall. In this way, you can raise awareness for your faculty. Make the board large, clear, and easily visible so that it stays at the top of everyone’s mind.
Step 2 – Chart Out Disconnected Students
For those students who do not have an answer, create small cards with their names on them, and place them on a wall to represent students searching for a connection. Even before you take any additional steps, the adults within your school will likely reach out to these students, since the overwhelming majority of those working in education possess an innate and powerful desire to help young people. Simply by raising awareness, you will see a change begin to take place.
Step 3 – Encourage Adults to Connect
Encourage all of the adults within your school to seek a connection with those students who lack a charismatic adult in their life. Keep track of each student, and eventually no student will be left without a positive adult to guide them. Remember that the adult doesn’t necessarily need to be a teacher. I’ve seen students form connections with adults from every occupation within a school.
For example, one of the cafeteria workers from a school I visited in Texas helped a freshman girl turn her high school experience around. The girl had very low grades, and poor attendance for the first half of her year, but the cafeteria worker noticed something was wrong and began talking to her after school each day while the girl waited to be picked up. In time, the girl opened up, began seeing a counselor, and learned to manage the new trials of high school through both professional help and the guidance of her charismatic cafeteria comrade.
It is as simple as that. Survey. Chart. Track. Think you can do it? I hope so. Every student on your campus deserves the opportunity to find their ONE CHARISMATIC adult.
If you want to read more of the book CLICK HERE to download the first TWO chapters for FREE or visit www.teentruth.net/shop to purchase your own copy today! Use promo code RESILIENT to save 25% off your order.
I hope our time together at WSPTA has helped you think about ways you can build resilient students at your schools!
WSPTA note: Thank you JC for spending your Saturday with the leaders of Washington State PTA. Your speech took us places we weren’t expecting to go and brought us together with your inspirational stories and insights!