Lifes Lessons...advice on what you've done well, would do different...

I'm an elementary school teacher and I'm trying something new this year. I want to have a 15 min. block each day to teach life lessons where I give advice or share stories etc. that will help them succeed in life. Things you don't normally learn in school like explaining what college is like, how to take notes, looking back on my life I would've liked to play an instrument etc. I only have about a month worth of ideas. Could you help and share anything you wish you had learned when younger, things you regret doing and would change, or something you started doing that changed your life or helped you succeed. Remember this is upper elementary so please be appropriate.


Lifes Lessons...advice on what you've done well, would do different...
How old are these kids? Since I've seen words like shock and angry parents and whatnot, I'm wondering if you could have some sort of container that the students could put questions in. You could explain what types of questions would or would not be appropriate then when it's time for that particular lesson, draw one out and address it. That would also give the more shy kids an opportunity to ask their questions because no on would know who had asked which question.


Good Luck =)Lifes Lessons...advice on what you've done well, would do different...
You might want to make it a once-a-week thing, that way, you have time to come up with something good, and the kids have something to look forward to on a given day of the week.





I am 17 at the end of this month, going into my senior year in September. Advice I could give to those kids?





-Always be yourself


-Don't drink, do drugs, or have sex in high school. It only causes more problems on top of the lot you'll likely already have


-Get involved. You'll hear it a million times going into high school, but find activites that you really enjoy. I got involved in yearbook and theatre, and now they are my favorite things. I didn;t get into them until me junior year of high school, so its never too late.


-You have to respect and love yourself completely before you can expect anyone else to


-Never have any regrets. Things always develop into what you have now, and theres probably some part of it thats good. Change is a good thing, mistakes are good things, as long as you learn from them


-If you think you are in love in high shool, and want to have sex to show that love- don't. It shows more love to respect yourself and the other person and keep your...';urges'; in check.





If I think of more I'll add them later. Talk about Puberty and Sex. Kids that age will love hearing about it, even if it is a lecture.
To work with the End in mind. ow do you want o be remembered by your loved ones? Don't you want them to be able to say good things about you, such as you were a great friend who was always there, A caring daughter, loving sis, hard worker etc?





-When it comes to school I noticed a lot of students have an attitude that what they're learning will not apply to ''the real world';. Little do they know, having a good GPA, volunteer work and being in clubs (school clubs) will really make a difference when applying for a job.





-FINANCE! A lot of adults are suffering right now because they weren't educated about finance early on. It can really make or break your life. they need to realize how important it is to save, to get a job with benefits, to get insurance of all kinds (home,car,etc.) and to be mindful of debts. Too many families are suffering because they are unprepared.





-It's important to get to know yourself the best you can. Develop a relationship with yourself first, especially before adding someone else to the equation. Many are unhappy because they are confused about who they are, where they are going, and what they want. It's good to try and establish this early on. You can't depend on anyone to come and make your life better. Jumping into a relationship will not fix problems deep within. It is important to love yourself before you can expect the next person to; and when you do, relationships of all kinds flourish.





EDIT:Ooops. Ok I just noticed the grade you were referring to. I was thinking junior high/high school, sorry.
Great idea!!! I think for me the most important thing I've learned in life is that no matter what I've done (good or bad) the choices have been mine and they have made me who I am today. In other words, I can be disappointed in some choices I've made but even if they were the wrong choices- I've learned from them in some way.





Aside from sharing your experiences what I found was a great thing to do (I taught 5th grade so this might or might not work depending on your grade, but you say upper elementary) is I would give them a Quote of the Day (these are so simple to find now with the internet- there are entire sites devoted to quotes for all occasions and meanings), the kids had a notebook to copy the quote down in, then they had to write what they thought it meant and then apply it to their lives.





For example, the Quote of the Day might be ';If life gives you lemons, make lemonade.'; They have to write in their Quote of the Day book what they interpretted this and then give an example of how they made lemonades (i.e. 'I had to go to my grandma's for a week this summer but I made the best of it and made a new friend while I was there' or whatever). I gave them about 15 mins. to do this as part of their morning warm-ups and then we shared our meanings and stories with the whole class. It was a great way for the kids to gain insight about themselves as well as see that they weren't the only people to experience _______ (whatever the Quote of the Day dealt with).





Have fun and enjoy! This is a great age group and so fun! I miss it a lot!
obviously you don't have children of your own. this is a little to heavy for elementary school children. maybe high school, but not elementary age children.
Show and Tell. Come up with a 'cooler' name and I think it would be a hit. I remember loving show and tell, but we only did it in k and 1st grade.


Is DARE still around or another simular drug education program?


Bring in leaders from the community as guests like a fireman, policeman, ect.


Education about different things like... what to do if someone asks you to take drugs, what to do if someone touches you in the wrong place, what to do if there is an emergency. A guest from 911 would be awesome!





I am not sure that what college is like is really the best idea.


Remember that you are also treading on very thin water when you start giving advice. What are you going to do when a child goes home telling them you told them to do this or that and the parent doesnt like it. I am not really sure thats what you mean, but thats what the word advice implies.
As a fellow teacher, but of adolescent behavior, I dont feel very enthused about your new lesson plans. Of course, learning things like note taking and college is helpful, the undeveloped mind is very moldable, if you will, and the advice you are sharing can possibly invoke a fear or unwillingness to grow up into these things.





But teach as you will....





-Devin
I wish I would've got madder when I got C's in high school. But I just shrugged it off...





But I was very good at making new friends. New students feel so alone their first year of school and I think kids should be more welcoming and not stare...