School looks different this year due to COVID-19. Because of that, promoting student accountability in and out of online and in-person classrooms is more important than ever.
Wondering how to keep your kids accountable for their schoolwork?
Read our blog post below, or watch a replay of our Facebook live here:
For those who prefer the bullet points, here are the three accountability steps I encourage all parents to enforce as well as what I encourage students of all ages, minors and adults alike, to implement into their school schedules:
1) Define accountability
2) Understand unaccountable people only hurt themselves
3) Keep track of assignments, test dates, projects, etc.
4) Decide between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation
Keep scrolling to read the full blog post.
Struggling with accountability? Is your child?
Well, I'm hoping to shed some light that will make this year easier for both you and your child. Teachers aren't physically capable of breathing down students' necks this year, and I know there are a lot of parents not equipped to take on the role of employee, spouse, caretaker, and teacher.
So, I want to help :)
If you have a specific need that I forget to mention in this article, I'd love to talk to you and help set you and/or your children up for success. Just call 913 - 938 - 6344 Mon through Sun 10 am to 9 pm CST.
My name is Jessyka Coulter, and I tutor students in upper elementary, middle school, higher school, college, and even graduate school. I know how to develop accountability strategies for students of all ages.
The first step is to define accountability. If you don't know what accountability is, there is no way for you to learn how to be accountable. Being accountable means more than getting straight As or perfect scores on tests and projects. It means students know what to do and when to do each task without having someone hold their hands the entire time.
This year students have to be more accountable than ever, no matter whether they want to be or not. Teachers aren't able to check in with each student individually every day, let alone have students do different tasks each day based on a previous day's attendance or assignment completion.
During remote learning, teachers are on Zoom at specified times, and during hybrid schooling, different schools have different plans and methods for instruction. Students need to know and follow the plan for each day in order to stay accountable.
Alright, let's move onto step number two. The next piece of accountability isn't sugary sweet, but it's important. Students who aren't turning in their work, going to class, studying for tests, etc. are only hurting themselves, not anyone else. Teach your kids that, and they're likely to be more accountable.
Help your child realize not passing algebra 1 freshman year means he or she will have to retake the class next year which means the elective he/she was really looking forward to is no longer possible since his/her schedule has no room.
Help your kids understand that by choosing not to learn how to read or comprehend what they read will prevent them from reading comic strips and other fun books, let alone get a job in the future.
Accountability comes from within. Every person, children and adults alike, and every student, elementary and graduate alike, has to decide accountability is important and worthwhile. If you don't think it's important to be accountable, the only person being held back is yourself.
After defining accountability and determining its importance, the last step is implementation. I love to-do lists and agendas/planners. Have your child (or you) write down the assignments that are due each day as well as place the dates and deadlines of important projects, essays, and tests on a calendar in the planner/agenda. This will help keep you on task daily as well as help prepare you for upcoming assignments so you know when to study as well as how much time to budget to large tasks on a day to day basis.
If you prefer a more technologically advanced to-do list, try out cell phone notifications on the in-phone calendar. Or, set up Google alerts through your Gmail account. Decide how many reminders you need as well as when those reminders should populate - 2 weeks before the deadline? 1 day? 12 hours?
Whatever you choose to use as your medium for reminders, knowing what to do and when is the heart of accountability.
The last piece of advice I have for you about accountability deals with motivation. Are you intrinsically or extrinsically motivated? I ask because motivation plays a large part in accountability.
If you're intrinsically motivated, accountability may come more easily because it matters to you personally how you do in a class, on a project, etc. whereas people who are extrinsically motivated need outside motivation such as money or rewards in order to want to do well.
When deciding how to fix your accountability problems or your child's, take motivation into consideration. Your oldest child may care more about his end grade in his English class versus allowance while your youngest child is sure to complete all of his homework if his allowance increases.
I have done other videos about reward systems and goal setting. Make sure to check out my Facebook business page here or my YouTube channel here to watch the replays.
Learning accountability at an early age is ideal. It's important for students to stay accountable as they get older because responsibility and accountability go hand in hand.
Teach your child, or let me tutor your child, the importance of having a plan to get work done on time. If you don't, or you let him/her forget, there are likely to be many academic and professional problems down the road.
School year 2020-2021 doesn't look like a typical school year. I know that, you know that, your kids know it, your kids' teachers know it, and so does everyone else.
Being accountable at the level this school year requires may be new to many students. Learn the importance of accountability, and then develop a system. A daily check-in may be required in the beginning, but with work, a family meeting every Saturday may eventually be enough.
Still need help? Join my Facebook group called Students Aiming for A's to get all of the educational support you need to get through school here. Or, give me a call at 913 - 938 - 6344.
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