Self Advocacy

There are lots of goals that I have for you during your 4 years of high school.  Obviously, I want for you to pass your classes, earn your required End of Course testing points, and graduate on time with your class.  But, here is the reality... that is the bare minimum of my goals for you and my real goals for your life and for how you grow and develop throughout high school, would be far more detailed (and truthfully, individualized).  I want you to learn to be a strong self-advocate.  I want you to develop strong and healthy coping strategies.  I want you to develop a love for learning and be excited about who you are becoming every day.  I want you to develop a goal for your future and come up with a plan for how you will make that a reality.  I want you to learn how to trust yourself and how to know when you can trust others.  I want so much more for you too... but for today, let's talk about being a strong self advocate.

Perhaps you don't even know what being a self advocate means let alone how you would go about doing it.  It means that you know yourself.  You know what you need, how to ask for help and how to work to get your needs met.  Realizing that you have the capability to create positive change in your own life by using your voice to speak up for yourself is important not only while you are in high school, but for the rest of your life.  For many students, asking for help can be intimidating.  We don't always like to admit that we don't know something or that we need more help and yet we are all human and need support.  There is no way that we could be expected to know and be good at everything at all times.  That is an unrealistic goal and can set you up for failure.  When you take the control and power to ask for help on your own rather than waiting and hoping that someone will notice that you need help or having your parents reach out and talk to your teachers on your behalf, you will gain the confidence that your voice matters and that asking for what you need is valuable.  Being a self advocate allows you to take charge of your life, speak up for yourself, control your own resources, and accept support on your own terms.  It can be daunting at first to realize how much power you have, but it is a game-changer in your life.  So, I hope every day you will try to take a small step towards advocating for what you need.  Ask a teacher a question that you don't understand, set boundaries with friends or family members who might be taking advantage of you, or seek clarification on something you feel is problematic in our school, community, state or world.  You have the power to change lives - the most important life that you will change is your own as you stand up and become a strong self advocate.

The following articles are NOT specific to being a good self advocate, but they are a variety of personal/ social articles that I have been compiling that I thought might be helpful to many of you/ your parents.  Enjoy reading them... but most importantly, get a good night's sleep tonight as I am looking forward to seeing you tomorrow and hearing about your Thanksgiving break!

How to help teens have good romantic relationships

How to talk to kids about sex and consent

Helping Girls with Unwanted Sexual Attention

How can we help kids with self regulation

How to help kids deal with rejection

What’s the difference between anxiety and worry

How to help kids who are too hard on themselves

6 breathing techniques that calm your brain and body instantly

Resilience is about how you recharge not how you endure

How to de-stress in 5 minutes or less according to a Navy Seal

How to help your brain perform in a crisis

How harnessing the positive side of stress can change student mindsets

Better Sleep Equals Better Grades in College