Love Languages & Goal Revisits Week 4

At Just2 Tutoring, when we host our initial consultation also know as a meet and greet, our intention is to get to know the student and their family. We ask students to describe experiences of success rather than challenges and struggles. We lead them through a discussion of how they might spend their time if they found themselves not obligated to attend school. This is an opportunity for us to find out how students enjoy spending their time and what they best like to do. This discussion offers a window through which we might identify motivations.

The Languages of Love

Our theme for this week as we enter into the month of February is Love Language and Goal Revisits. Love language is a process developed by Dr. Gary Chapman that reveals that each of us primarily speaks with one of five love languages: quality time, physical touch, gift giving, acts of service, and words of affirmation. You will find a love languages survey attached to your students’ CPaL. You know your students best. When you make time this week to discuss this topic, you might ask your student to respond to the survey directly or facilitate more of an interview while using the survey questions as a guide. Either way, it is our objective to identify the ways in which kids feel acknowledged for their efforts and love from the people who care for them. This information can be instrumental in creating an incentive plan that can be the icing on the cake of a successful semester. We bring this and all of the data we have collected to the first progress meeting of the semester and, at that time, guide families in creating agreements that reward productivity and positive academic results as reflected by the student’s goals.

Goal Revisits

Each Just2 Tutoring progress meeting begins will a sharing of student goals. As you know, each student is encouraged to create a quantitative, qualitative and personal goal for the semester. The articulation of goals sets expectations and a measuring tool for what success will look like at the end of May. It is important that each student can describe their goals and the strategies they have chosen to incorporate to reach them.

Progress Meeting Number One

The third week of February marks the sixth week of the semester and the season of Just2 Tutoring progress meetings begins. Much of the work we do is centered around anxiety and stress reduction. It is important to acknowledge that parent meeting can be stressful for both students and coaches. The best way to reduce these symptoms is to plan ahead and know what to expect.

One of the ways we can do this is to work with our students to begin populating the field on the Just2 Tutoring Progress Report. With this document, you may lead your student through a discussion which will allow you and the student to make notes on the topics of:

• The reasons for beginning our work together
• Goal articulation
• Resources for success (please edit as appropriate)
• Skills and strategies on which s/he is working
• Progress made and about to make
• A graphic review of grades (example)
• Stress management
• Success strategies & Distraction diminishment

Having some dialog and notes can facilitate a thoughtful and well-organized meeting and can assist the student and his/her coach in maintaining a posture of leadership throughout the meeting.

Let’s show some love this week and identify that which makes our students feel recognized for their efforts. Thanks for all of your efforts and I look forward to speaking with you on our coach call later this week.

Mike