as teens your children are being asked to make some very important decisions!

As teens your children are being asked to make some very important decisions!

Teenage Years• Bridge childhood and adulthood

• Time for self-assessment, career planning, and personal development

• Filled with high expectations and great responsibility

Today’s Program is:

Healthy, Happy, and Successful!

Goals for the Program

• To begin creating a partnership with you to ensure your child achieves success

• To explain Keys to Student Success• To inform you of some tools and

resources to help your child make good decisions

• To discuss creating a school “culture” that focuses on student success

Keys to Student Success

• Stay in school and graduate • Improve academic performance• Focus on reflection and personal

development• Create Success Teams and Success

Plans• Learn and practice the decision-

making process

To Achieve Success in School Your Child Needs to •

• • ••“Go”, physically and mentally•Get help as soon as they

need it•Be involved•Finish what they start

Cultures of Student Success• Embrace a strategic developmental

“personalized” approach as core strategy

• Emphasize respect, responsibility, independence, and integrity

• Engage school staff, students, parents, employers, and community members as stakeholders

Cultures of Student Success• Encompass all career activities, programs,

and resources to achieve student success • Embrace the entire student population

focusing on academic and career success • Students acquire and utilize effective

decision-making skills • Provide reflection opportunities to

continuously assess changing interests

Cultures of Student Success• Support the use of individual Student

Success Planners • Access school and community

support systems to help students create “success teams”

• Reengage students who fall behind in credits, skills, and/or attitude toward learning

Helpful Tools for Your ChildIt’s Your Decision for Teens workbook includes:

•Personal Development Checklist•Success Team Inventory•Middle School and High School Planners•Over 100 Reflection Questions•Decision-making Charts

Success Planner Topics• Personality traits• Obstacles to success• Values and goals• Communication and

interpersonal skills• Interests and hobbies• Job skills• Accomplishments• Important documents

• Aptitudes and learning styles

• Plans after graduation• Career exploration • Career assessment

results• Developmental tasks• Work experience• Standardized tests

Success Team Inventory Topics

• Determining educational and vocational goals

• Academic issues• Extracurricular activities• Overcoming potential obstacles• Health and wellness• Personal circumstances

Healthy, Happy, and Successful

• Isn’t this what we want for our children? • If so, we need to work together to

improve your child’s chances of success?• Critical that we help them make good

decisions in the important areas of life • Bad decisions end up with bad results,

and bad results are what we want to avoid for your child

Healthy• Physical, emotional, and psychological

wellness• Smoking, drinking alcohol , abuse of

prescription and illegal drugs, obesity, eating poorly, and no physical exercise

• Bad choices will significantly influence how your child feels about self and life

• Take time to evaluate health and wellness

Happiness is based on•••

•level of satisfaction with outcomes of decisions made along the way

•on your child’s (the decision-maker) most important needs and wants

•results of “big-ticket” decisions

Success Results When•••

• A person is satisfied and feels proud about the outcome of their decisions

• Your child feels confident and satisfied with the outcomes of their decisions

What Your Child Needs to Do

• First, need to learn and practice how to make and implement good decisions

• Need to accept responsibility for making their own decisions• Have to start process early to gather

information about self and opportunities• Be aware that making good decisions

increases the probability of being satisfied

What You Need to Do• Help your child make decisions the

right way, carefully and thoughtfully• Encourage child to stay on track• Discuss personal development tasks

they have done and still need to do• Discuss reflection questions and be

aware of child’s changing interests• Assist in putting choices in to action

Big-Ticket Decisions Ones that shape a person’s future

• Education• Field of Study• Career• Environments

• Relationships• Leisure Activities• Health & Wellness

As a teen now is the time your child should start tothink about. . .

•initial life decisions•educational and career

choices

When it comes to decisions, there are

three kinds of students.•Clueless•Pretending•Pretty Sure

Unfortunately, there is

an assumptionthat teens will simply know how to make

decisions when asked to do so.

In reality. . .making a good decision is a process and one that takes time and effort!

Start TODAY . . .by helping your child learn how to use an

effective decision-making

process.

Decision-Making Process

Define the Decision

Define the Decision


Define the Decision Evaluate Needs and Wants

Evaluate Important Needs and Wants

Important Criteria(Needs & Wants)

AlternativesChoice A Choice B Choice C Choice D

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.


Compile a List of Realistic Alternatives

Define the Decision Evaluate Needs and WantsCompile Alternatives

What if your child is

choosing a majoror a career path?

Have them start by getting off on

the right exit.

Get off the

right exit!


Investigate Alternatives

Define the DecisionCompile Alternatives

Evaluate Needs and WantsInvestigate Alternatives

Find the right

street!


Determine Best Alternative




CurriculumLocation/EnvironmentQuality of AcademicsCost ($5,000 to $15,000)Financial Aid (Scholarships)

Size (7,500 – 12,000)Class SizeCo-op/InternshipsFacilitiesRecreation/Clubs

Decision Making: CollegeImportant Criteria(Needs & Wants)


1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

CurriculumLocation/EnvironmentQuality of AcademicsCost ($5,000 to $15,000)Financial Aid (Scholarships)

Size (7,500 – 12,000)Class SizeCo-op/InternshipsFacilitiesRecreation/Clubs

X X . XX . X XX X X .

X . X .

. X X XX X X XX . X . X . . XX X . XX . X .

90% 50% 70%60%

Decision Making: CollegeImportant Criteria(Needs & Wants)


1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

Salary/BenefitsEnvironmentPeopleActivitiesChallenges/ProblemsLocationPsychological RewardsSecurityGrowth PotentialAutonomy

Decision Making: JobImportant Criteria(Needs & Wants)


1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

X . XX . X XX X X .

X . X X . X X XX X XX . X . X . X X

X X X . X X

60% 50% 90%70%

Salary/BenefitsEnvironmentPeopleActivitiesChallenges/ProblemsLocationPsychological RewardsSecurityGrowth PotentialAutonomy

Decision Making: JobImportant Criteria(Needs & Wants)


1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.




Determine Best Alternative Establish Plan

Establish and Implement Your Plan





D E C I D E

Establish Plan

Good or Bad Outcomes?

The results of your child’s decisions will determine whether he or she will be

satisfied or dissatisfied with their life!

Right or Wrong Choices?Success or Failure?

Remember ••••Good outcomes will result when your child utilizes

good decision-making skills.

Make an effort.Invest the time.Use the process. See positive results.

Encourage Your Child To….

You’ll Be Glad They Did!

Thank you for attending!

as teens your children are being asked to make some very important decisions!

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