by Bob Bourgault | Aug 28, 2016 | Blog, Habit of the Week
Being dependable, honoring commitments, keeping promises, accepting your strengths and struggles, and accepting natural and logical consequences – these are the habits that make us responsible people. When we are able to use our abilities to respond to the challenges in life, we take control with confidence. I think that when we tell our children to be the best version of themselves, we encourage response-ability.
I applaud the parents who encouraged their children to participate in the local production of Fiddler On The Roof. They provided an opportunity to have the children prove to themselves that they truly have the ability to respond to the challenges and opportunities that life avails. This event may become a highlight of their year! Thank you for the encouragement you gave me to be and become a more encouraging parent. Helping our children to understand the they do have ability to respond to so many aspects of their young life is truly capacity building and a powerful enabling of personal efficacy.
Here are 5 responsibility building tips from a mother of eight children:
- Model it: do your best to be on time, clean up after yourself, do what you say and say what you do.
- Assign it gradually: scaffold age appropriate chores and activities within your family.
- Let them observe what happens if someone isn’t responsible: strategically stop doing something that they expect you to do just so that they can experience how responsible adults usually are.
- Play the scenario game: write 10-20 typical scenarios regarding opportunities to be responsible
- No bail-outs: let your child face the natural and logical consequences of irresponsible behavior.
We can also practice responsibility the AACA way:
“If you mess up, ‘fess up.” – Author Unknown
“Never point a finger where you never lent a hand.” – Robert Brault
“Quit making excuses. Putting it off. Complaining about it. Dreaming about it. Whining about it. Crying about it. Believing you can’t. Worrying if you can. Waiting until you are older. Make a plan & just do it.” – Nike
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by Almond Acres | Aug 26, 2016 | News
–On Friday, Aug. 12, Almond Acres Charter Academy (AACA) held its 5th annual Meet the Teacher Picnic for the 2016-2017 school year. Over 165 students and their families gathered in the grassy quad to enjoy a picnic dinner and meet their child’s teacher. “In addition to meeting their teacher, this event allows an opportunity for new and returning families to be introduced to the entire Almond Acres staff and connect with one another.” says Development Director, Bill Cody.
Almond Acres Charter Academy started the new school year on Tuesday, Aug. 16. AACA is accepting requests for enrollment for K-8th grade and the form can be downloaded on the AACA website www.aacacademy.com. If there is space available, students can enter immediately. If the grade level is at maximum capacity, students will be placed on a waiting list and notified if space does become available.
AACA is hosting two campus tours, Thursday, Sept. 1 and Thursday, Sept. 8 from 8 to 9:15 a.m. For more information, visit the AACA website at www.almondacres.com or call the office at (805) 467-2095.
Via: Paso Robles Daily News
by Bob Bourgault | Aug 15, 2016 | Blog, Habit of the Week
We held our Shared Start program today under the colors and theme of the Olympic Spirit. It is best expressed in the Olympic Creed: “The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well.” The victory of every athlete in the Olympic games is not that they win a medal, but that they have the courage and persistence to be and become the best athlete they can possibly be. They trust their coach, their body, and most importantly, they trust that the time and effort put into their sport will make them a worthy competitor at the games. Trusting in self is essential to success at any level.
Our habit of the week is Trustworthiness. It is true that we ought to be trustworthy to one another and should expect it in return, but there is another important angle to being trustworthy. We must trust ourselves to use the gifts and talents that we are blessed with and to let our natural talents guide us through our day so we can live fully and achieve all we are capable of. Helping our children to develop this inner sense of confidence and courage leads to a personal sense of efficacy that grows the best version of our children. In an article from About Kids Health the author explains some key things we can do to help our children develop self efficacy.
Help your child fail again and fail better.
- Body: help your child set realistic, short term goals
- Mind: praise effort, not ability
- Heart: praise honesty
- Soul: name your child’s strengths
These are excellent tips for growing great kids! I think that it is as simple as loving our children well. 🙂
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