Triton Counselor's Corner

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In the last several years, Triton Public Schools and our community members determined 8 qualities that we want every Triton student to embody in their everyday lives and especially upon graduation. The Triton Profile of a Graduate consists of: self-awareness, integrity, critical thinking, dependability, problem solving, resilience, work ethic and communication. As a school counseling and social work team, we’d like to explain a little more about each of these traits and how they can relate to mental health and/or social emotional learning.

March’s Profile of a Graduate focus is work ethic. After our monthly lessons, we hope that students will be able to recognize how valuable it is to have a strong work ethic. Our work ethic is an important part of our everyday life which leads to success. As adults we know that our work ethic is tied to our livelihood. Instilling a strong work ethic in our children now will certainly help them be successful as adults. It’s also crucial to help children and young adults learn how to find a balance between responsibilities and leisure activities.

Creating an after school routine with your child is one step you can take to foster a strong work ethic. First, identify what age appropriate responsibilities you’d like your child to accomplish. Next, determine a set amount of time necessary to complete homework. And last, but not least, identify leisure activities that your child can engage in for stress free enjoyment. Then sit down with your child and create a schedule that includes those three areas and works with your family schedule. That’s the easy part, now the hard part is to help your child stick to that routine! Provide positive praise when they accomplish their tasks and have conversations with them when they do not. As we know, there are often obstacles that come up that prevent us from following through on responsibilities, so help them identify the obstacles they encounter and brainstorm ways to overcome them. Establishing an after school routine will certainly take some time, practice, and a lot of patience, however, you will be helping your child develop habits which lead to a strong work ethic that will benefit them for their entire life.