Mrs. Imfeld's 7th-grade Family and Consumer Science Classes recently finished its unit on Managing Daily Living. Areas covered included managing time, health, money and making good consumer decisions. Since this is a topic for all ages they thought they would share some of this information with the community.
Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the pressures of life? When we are overwhelmed, it is easy to lose sight of the fact that sometimes we can do something to lighten our schedules. The key is to remember that we all have the power to change our situations, or our approach to them so we do not feel so out of control. The management process helps you set and reach goals. Mrs. Fawn Fisher, one of Southwestern's school psychologists, shared some good time management ideas with the students. She pointed out that as you get used to managing your time, you will discover that you have more time than you had before. She shared this four-step plan to help you manage your time better:
PLAN
Break big projects into smaller, doable projects.
SCHEDULE
With long projects, do not wait until the last minute. Make a schedule early so you can see how much you have to get done by when.
As you finish each scheduled task, cross it off and enjoy the feeling of accomplishment.
Check your schedule frequently to check for any conflicts you were not aware of.
Weekends are the time to relax and have fun, but scheduling time for fun and responsibilities can keep you from having last-minute panic.
PRIORITIZE
Put your tasks in order of importance, doing the most important ones first.
It helps to do the tough stuff first so you can get it out of the way.
SEEK HELP
If a project seems too big to handle, it is important to ask for help. We all have limits to what we can do.
If you are feeling stressed, talk to someone.
We talked about the importance of sleeping and eating well so you are taking care of your physical health and being more successful in your academic life. Mrs. Fisher shared how important it is for us to "chill out" for at least 15 minutes daily. She also shared the National Sleep Panel's Sleep Study stating that teens need 9 hours of sleep nightly.
We also talked about stressors, and how we should eliminate or change them. Ways to relieve stress were shared, and even how to create the best possible study environments.
Later in the week, Mrs. Jamie Gustafson, M&T Bank manager, shared the importance of managing your money. She shared how banks today are very "techno savvy." The students talked about how they have a variety of incomes from allowances, gifts of money and part-time jobs. Mrs. Gustafson discussed what having a bank account lets you do, various bank accounts, and how banks can help you. Other bank issues covered included how important it is to save money for short term or the future, fixed and flexible expenses, and ideas for budgeting their money.
Several students shared that they do have current bank accounts. Some also noted that they already help pay for their personal expenses (movies, sporting events, hobbies). Many noted that they pay for their phones and their individual phone bills.
In conclusion, Mrs. Gustafson reviewed how your spending practices now will have a significant effect on shaping your future financial security. Effective use of a student budget will help you gain the independence that comes from being in control of your personal finances. She then shared how much they could save over the next six years they have until graduation by packing their lunches versus buying them every day. Then M&T Bank supplied them each with their own personal lunch tote.