I have completed my One Minute Meetings with our current 7th graders and it is easy to see some interesting patterns. This year we had eleven students who were brand new to the district. I enjoy my one-on-one face to face meetings with each of our kids to capture a snapshot of their hopes and dreams. Our current students had a very good start to the year. 89.8% of the students responded that their year was either good or great. When I asked for more information, most said they were happy to return to school at the end of the summer and really looked forward to seeing the friends they had missed. Most had happily settled into the school year when we spoke. As a moment in time view of their school day, 87.2% said their day was either good or great.
We like to know what our students' passions (Sparks) are and, as is very typically the case, the majority of our students enjoy playing sports, dancing, or karate and doing art, music or writing. This profile is very typical-our kids love to be active and to create. As we work to improve and create good middle school structure, this data is critical to review and work to implement ways students can spend time every day expressing themselves through a Spark.
Our students set high goals and hope to do well in school. 86.4% of all 7th graders hope to get all A's or A's and B's. I typically follow this question with, "Did you get all A's and B's last year?" This gives me an opportunity to talk about some behavior changes that might need to occur. When I asked this follow up question, 46% said they needed to study more for tests, 28.6% said they needed to turn in homework more regularly, and 21% said they needed to be more organized. I plan to work with 7th graders on a lesson for study skills to enhance this area and to support our students' goal.
Speaking of setting goals, our 7th graders are planning ahead and thinking about the future already. At Whitehall Middle School, 68.3% of our students said they would like to go to a four year college or university and several stated they wanted a masters or doctorate degree, though that was not an option on the survey. 9.9% said they would like to attend a community college for two years, many of them are interested in this option so they can stay closer to home or to save money. 8.1% would like to get a job right out of high school in order to pay their own way, some even said they wanted to take a year off after high school to figure out what they want to do in the future. We saw a slight trend for a "gap year" among our students. The military was a future option for 6.8% and when asked all of them had already decided which branch.
These 9 simple questions provide me with rich useful data for the counseling program. I am able to identify areas where I can support students and address needs throughout the school year. I am grateful to my professional learning network for sharing the framework for this activity and to my colleagues for allowing me to spend a bit of time with our 7th graders. Thank you Mr. Sheesley and Mrs. Henderson for making some time for me and being flexible!
We like to know what our students' passions (Sparks) are and, as is very typically the case, the majority of our students enjoy playing sports, dancing, or karate and doing art, music or writing. This profile is very typical-our kids love to be active and to create. As we work to improve and create good middle school structure, this data is critical to review and work to implement ways students can spend time every day expressing themselves through a Spark.
Our students set high goals and hope to do well in school. 86.4% of all 7th graders hope to get all A's or A's and B's. I typically follow this question with, "Did you get all A's and B's last year?" This gives me an opportunity to talk about some behavior changes that might need to occur. When I asked this follow up question, 46% said they needed to study more for tests, 28.6% said they needed to turn in homework more regularly, and 21% said they needed to be more organized. I plan to work with 7th graders on a lesson for study skills to enhance this area and to support our students' goal.
Speaking of setting goals, our 7th graders are planning ahead and thinking about the future already. At Whitehall Middle School, 68.3% of our students said they would like to go to a four year college or university and several stated they wanted a masters or doctorate degree, though that was not an option on the survey. 9.9% said they would like to attend a community college for two years, many of them are interested in this option so they can stay closer to home or to save money. 8.1% would like to get a job right out of high school in order to pay their own way, some even said they wanted to take a year off after high school to figure out what they want to do in the future. We saw a slight trend for a "gap year" among our students. The military was a future option for 6.8% and when asked all of them had already decided which branch.
These 9 simple questions provide me with rich useful data for the counseling program. I am able to identify areas where I can support students and address needs throughout the school year. I am grateful to my professional learning network for sharing the framework for this activity and to my colleagues for allowing me to spend a bit of time with our 7th graders. Thank you Mr. Sheesley and Mrs. Henderson for making some time for me and being flexible!