Habits Can Be Good

In Make a habit/break a habit from Seth Godin's Blog, Seth Godin shares,

“If you’re trying to help yourself (or those you serve), the most effective thing you can do is create long-term habits. They become unseen foundations of who we will become.”

I know that if I can create a good habit and keep track of it, I’m more likely to do it.

I’ve been logging in my food now for about 1085 days now. I want to keep my streak so I’m very religious about logging in my food every day! I know that if I break this running streak, I’m probably not going to be as careful about logging in my food.

I record my steps, distance and sugar intake every day in my bullet journal. This keeps me on track of my exercise and sugar.

When my goal one year was to read the bible cover to cover, I followed a strict schedule and didn’t miss a day. By having this habit, I was able to meet my goal.

I post my annual goals at the beginning of every year. Then every month I review my goals and I think that helps me to meet my goals at the end of the year.

If I can help my students create good habits, it will help them be successful in the classroom.

I have a routine for the class that the student learns to follow all through the year.

I start off with a 5-minute journal writing session while I go about and collect homework that should be sitting on their desk. During this time I’m also able to take attendance and deal with any administrative duties before teaching my lesson.

I usually have a whole class lesson introduction. Then I might break the students into small groups or individual work. They know I will move around the room and help those that need it. About 10 minutes before the end of class, I get the students back into the whole group and have them go over what they learned and ask them to share. I might go over important things I want them to remember. The last 5 minutes of class is giving out homework, papers, and having them clean up around their desk.

I think it helps my students know the routine and what to expect. This helps them focus on new learning and helps them feel comfortable and safe.

What habits do you help your students learn? How do you do this? Please share.

Photo by Drew Beamer on Unsplash