Covey expresses the importance of “Education” in his chapter on “Sharpen the Saw.” He wants kids to realize that we need a balanced attitude towards life. As yesterday’s post on living a life of balance stressed, heart, mind, body & soul, you need to keep that in mind when pondering on education. You cannot just focus on one of the four parts of yourself. You need to constantly pay attention to your whole self. Post high school educational admissions offices look for a balance of the following: (page 224 – The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens)
- Desire – How badly do you want to get into this particular school or program? How much do you want this job?
- Standardized test scores – How well did you score on your ACT, SAT, GRE, LSAT, etc.?
- Extracurricular – What other activities (sports, outside work, clubs, student government, church, community, etc.) were in involved in?
- Letters of recommendation – What do other people think of you?
- Grade point average – How well did you do in school?
- Communication skills – How well can you communicate in writing (based on your application essays) and verbally (based on an interview)?
ACTIVITIES:
- Purchase a magazine that has some educational value, such as Popular Mechanics or National Geographic. Or, ask your family members if they have any of these magazines that you could borrow. Then write a report about one of the articles and share with your class.
- Read a newspaper every day. Pay special attention to the headline stories and the opinions page. In groups of 2 or 4, create a skit about an article or headline that intrigues you. Then present to the class. Alternatively, challenge your teacher to hold a class debate on a controversial topic such as Gun Control or The Carbon Tax, you choose!
- The next time you go out with friends or family, visit a museum or eat at an ethnic restaurant you’ve never been to before. Expand your horizons! Write a report and challenge your classmates to do the same. Have Fun Learning!