Middle Years 

I would like to congratulate our Middle Years students on being polite and respectful. We engage students in conversations all day and I often reflect on how polite our students are. I am also pleased that mobile phones are no longer an issue in myPEC; they are locked away and out of sight and this is good for everyone.

Last week I read an article by Andrew Fuller. He talked about how to increase motivation and what causes loss of motivation in students.

Things that can reignite motivation:

1. Help young people believe in themselves. Use their strengths.
2. Reduce avoidance and lower anxiety. Avoidance can be languishing on the couch or endlessly playing computer games. 
   1.  
      1. Get up, Stand up. When students become anxious, being active is the best place to begin.
      2. Listen to mindfulness apps, this is powerful way to calm the mind. Andrew recommends Mental Stillness.
      3. Rev up. Engage in rhythmical movements. Activities like basketball, dancing, hula hoops, down ball or four-square, drumming, skateboarding, surfing and playing tennis all increase dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter associated with motivation.
      4. Goals are good, and find a system to help reach them. Review, revise and update your goals. Here is an easy system.

Imagine Forwards, Plan Backwards. The best systems involve imagining forwards and planning backwards. You can apply this to almost every aspect of life.

Start by imagining forwards. What do you want to have happen in your future and when do you want it to happen by?

Then plan backwards. What are the steps involved in creating that outcome? Writing down small steps on post-it notes and arranging them into a logical order helps.

I encourage all parents to try the Imagine Forwards, Plan Backwards technique. We will be discussing this process in Mentor Groups over the next few weeks.

Julia Winter Cooke