7 Habits of Highly Successful Teens

7 Habits of Highly Successful Teens

By: Sean Covey

For teens, life is not a playground, it’s a jungle. And, being the parent of a teenager isn’t walk in the park, either. In his book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens, author Sean Covey attempts to provide “a compass to help teens and their parents navigate the problems they encounter daily.”

How will they deal with peer pressure? Motivation? Success or lack thereof? The life of a teenager is full of thought issues and life-changing decisions.  As a parent, you are responsible to help them learn the principles and ethics that will help them reach their goals and live a successful life.

While it’s all well and good to tell kids how to live their lives, “teens watch what you do more than they listen to what you say,” Covey says. So practice what you preach. Your example can be very influential.

Covey himself has done well by following a parent’s example. His dad, Stephen Covey, wrote the book The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People, which sold over 15 million copies. Sean’s a chip off the old block; and no slacker. His own book has rung in a more than respectable 2 million copies sold. Here are his seven habits, and some ideas for helping your teen understand and apply them:

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Successful Students 7-8

Successful Students

7-8

7. … understand that actions affect learning. Successful students know their personal behavior affect their feelings and emotions which in turn can affect learning.

If you act in a certain way that normally produces particular feelings, you will begin to experience those feelings. Act like you’re bored and you’ll become bored. Act like you’re disinterested, and you’ll become disinterested. So the next time you have trouble concentrating in the classroom, “act” like an interested person: lean forward, place your feet flat on the floor, maintain eye contact with professor, nod occasionally, take notes, and ask questions. Not only will you benefit directly from your actions, your classmates and professor may also get more exited and enthusiastic.

8. …talk about they’re learning. Successful students get to know something well enough that they can put it into words. Talking about something, with friends or classmates, it’s a proven learning tool. Transferring ideas into words provides the most direct path for moving knowledge from short-term memory. You really don’t “know’ material until you can put it into words. So next time you study, don’t do it silently. Talk about notes, problems, readings, etc. with friends, recite to a chair, organize an oral study group, pretend you’re teaching your peers. “Talk-learning” produces a whole host of memory traces that result in more learning.

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High school Graduation

          Summary/ Reflection:  High school Graduation- pleasure OR pain? Have you really thought about the things you are doing that will later on will affect your future. Many students don’t appreciate the opportunity education brings them because some students all they can think of is "I'm too cool for school" like really?  Have you really thought about yourself and what your future might hold for you if you don't graduate from high school? It is really hard to see students that really care about school, i know that someday they will regret it because it is hard to live a good life without graduating from high school and continuing your education. Not only our teachers want to see us graduate but also our parents it’s a pleasure that you give yourself after all the hard work but it can also be a pain if you don't do the require things you are supposed to do during school; it is always good to start doing the right things at the beginning then regretting all the things you could have done at the beginning. We have to take life seriously and start making wise decisions about our future.

     

Successful Students 5-6

Successful Students

5-6

5.  Don’t sit in the back of the room. Successful students minimize classroom distractions that interfere with learning.

Students want the best eat available for their entertainment dollars, but willingly seek the worst seat for their educational dollars. Students who sit in the back cannot possibly be their professor’s teammate (see no. 4). Why do they expose themselves to the temptations of inactive classroom experiences and distractions of all the people between them and their instructor? Of course, we know they chose the back of the classroom because they seek invisibility or anonymity, both of which are arithmetical to efficient and effective learning. If you are trying not to be part of the class, why, then are you wasting your time? Push your hot buttons, is there something else you should be doing with your time?

6. ….take good notes. Successful students take notes that are understandable and organized, and review them often.

Why put something into your notes you don’t understand? Ask the questions now that are necessary to make your notes meaningful at some later time. A short review of your notes while the material is still fresh on your mind helps you to learn more. The more you learn then, the less you’ll have to learn later and the less time it will take because you won’t have to include some deciphering time, also. The whole purpose of taking notes is to use them, and use them often. The more you use them, the more they improve.

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Successful Students 3-4

Successful Students

3-4

3. …ask questions. Successful students ask questions to provide the quickest route between ignorance and knowledge. In addition to securing knowledge you seek, asking questions has at least two other extremely important benefits. The process helps you pay attention to your professor and helps your professor pay attention to you! Think about it. If you want something, go after it. Get the answer now, or fail a question later. There are no foolish questions, only foolish silence. It’s your choice.

4. …learn that a student and a professor make a team. Most instructors want exactly what you want: they would like for you to learn the material in their respective classes and earn a good grade.

Successful students reflect well on the efforts of any teacher; if you have learned your material, the instructor takes some justifiable pride in teaching. Join forces with your instructor, they are not an enemy. You share the same interests, the same goals-in short, your teammates. Get to know your professor. You’re the most valuable players on the same team. Your jobs are to work together for mutual success. Neither wishes to chalk up a losing season. Be a team player!

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Study for Multiple exams Part 3

Study for Multiple

Exams

Part 3

English, math, foreign language tips: Practice—especially foreign language. It is hard to succeed in a foreign language class if you are just showing and doing the work. But if you are in your room and look at objects and try to say them in the language you are learning it actually helps. Or if you send a simple text to a friend think about it, can you translate that to German or Spanish? These are the little things that will help.

Here are my final words of wisdom for students who want to get better grades in college: Time management and organization are better grades in college: Time management and organization are critical key factors to success in college. And never be afraid to go ask your teacher for help. They have office hours for a reason-use them!

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Study for Multiple Exams Part 1

Study for Multiple Exams

Part 1

How I study for multiple exams, deal with multiple projects: Really it is my time management that I explained above. If I see I have multiple things due or study for all at the same time I spread out my time beforehand. For example, if I have a test Monday, and 2 tests Tuesday then I will study for my Monday test Thursday and part of Friday. Start studying for my next test on the second Tuesday test on Saturday as well and part of Sunday. Then Sunday night I can review for my Monday test because I already studies for it. When that test is over I can begin reviewing for the other tests. My overall study method: I try to break it up over several days or at least two. I get bogged down if I try to pull an all nighter.

How I’ve overcome an initial bad grade: if I received a low grade I probably knew it was coming because I didn’t prepare properly or I didn’t use the right study habit for that class. I usually try to go over what I did wrong and sometime discuss with the teacher what I can do differently on the exam or what they suggest I do for studying for the next exam.

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Sarah's Academic Success Story Part 2

Sarah’s Academic Success Story

Part 2

My test study method: I have different strategies for different types of tests or subjects. For me, any type of math is exceptionally difficult so I had to spend extra time on that. I would go back through the homework problems focusing on the problems that I had extra difficulty on. Many times I would ask the teacher for any additional study materials they could provide. If it was a class that required memorization or applying concepts I would create a sort of study guide for myself many times focusing on what were key focal points in the class. If I knew there were going to be essays I would try to take the terms and apply them to an example or create different questions on the concepts focused on throughout the semester.

My time management secret: I always always always carry a planner with me. I even use different color highlighters to show what each event on my calendar is for. For example, pink is personal, yellow is school, orange is work, blue is for appointments, and green is for my sorority. Although I use white-out frequently, I can see in bright yellow that if I have always been amazed at how early I get things accomplished but that is really all I do.

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Sarah's Academic Success Story Part 1

Sarah’s Academic Success Story

Part 1

Time management became a key factor in my study skills for college. In high school, there were times I was able to study for an hour or two the night before a test and get away with it. This was not the case in college. I made sure in college I was prepared for each class. Sometimes that meant writing out the terms for the chapter we read (even if when it isn’t required) to better understand them. That way when the midterm or test comes around I was able to understand what I was studying. I started taking excellent notes in class in college. I may have done this in high school, but in college I started typing up the notes after class. This helped me remember what I just went over in class then when I had a test one week later I was more likely to remember then as well.

My overall study method” Structured, one thing I learned was I had to adapt or change my study method according to the class. I couldn’t study for a Religion Class the same way I studied for a Finance class. But making sure I had enough time to study for each class—even if it meant carrying a planner with me at all times was a big part of success.

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Work Together Part 2

Work Together

Part 2

English, math, foreign language tips: For math, all I can say is do the problems assigned. It is the only way to practice and that’s really all it is for math. It’s the same for chemistry; if you do the practice problems you will understand the material so much better because those subjects are not just memorization like history, you need to be able to apply what you have learned in practical situations. As for English, I am no longer taking it, but I would say to leave yourself plenty of time to write essays and papers. They take time to get all the information out of your head and onto the page, so don’t leave them until the last second.

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