Did you know that all of these questions can only be answered if your students have HOPE?
- What does your future look like?
- Will you graduate high school? Will you go on to college?
- Can you help others and change the world?
- Can you see yourself being happy and secure?
The science and power of hope is knowing you have the ability to make tomorrow better than today. The good news is hope can be taught.
Students with high hope:
- Will have a positive outlook on the future
- Will be able to set goals that will lead them to a better future
- Believe they will attain those goals and be successful
- Will persevere and push through obstacles and setbacks
How do you teach hope?
1- Teach how to set goals
Goals are measurable end results that lead to a desired future. Many students have goals and visions of the future but more often than not students lack specific steps and timelines to attain those set goals.
2- Teach patients and promote a growth mindset
Growth mindset allows students to believe they can continue to develop skills and talents through effort and persistence. They are also more receptive to feedback.
3- Empower children by identifying individual strengths
If a student can identify their strengths they will be able to use those strengths to attain goals. Inversely they will be aware of what they find challenging and be able to face those difficulties with persistence and hard work.
4- Share stories and experiences of “failures” and overcoming challenges
Allowing students to hear other people’s journeys and see the hard work, setbacks, and success are all part of attaining goals. Hearing from an adult that they admire or look up to can help them understand that challenges are just part of the process and everyone experiences them.
5- Identify that challenges and setbacks are part of the journey towards set goals
Understanding that attaining goals is a series of steps and that the journey to that set goal is just as important as the goal completion. Setbacks are an opportunity to reassess the strategy toward that set goal and that some steps may be more challenging than others and take longer to attain.
How does Hope amplify SEL?
During emotional intelligence education, students properly develop healthy attitudes, learn to manage emotions, create strategies to achieve goals, and cultivate positive relationships. Infusing skills to learn to hope in our SEL curriculum encourages students to work toward a better tomorrow.
When educators teach emotional intelligence along with strategies to nurture hope (My Best Me curriculum), the impact is felt beyond the classroom. Higher hope equates to academic improvement, emotional livelihood, and thriving teachers.