Monday - September 30, 2019

It's finally here...what you've been waiting for...the final habit...(and homecoming week, too...I guess)

Habit #7 is SHARPEN THE SAW!

Excerpt from Sean Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens...

Do you ever feel imbalanced, stressed-out, or empty inside? If so you're going to love Habit #7 because it was specially designed to help you deal with these problems. Why do we call it "Sharpen the Saw"? Well, imagine that you're going for a walk in the forest when you come upon a guy furiously sawing down a tree.

"What are you doing?" you ask.
"I'm sawing down a tree," comes the curt reply.
"How long have you been at it?"
"Four hours so far, but I'm really making progress," he says, sweat dripping from his chin.
"Your saw looks really dull," you say. "Why don't you take a break and sharpen it?"
"I can't, you idiot. I'm too busy sawing!"

We all know who the real idiot here is, now, don't we? If the guy were to take fifteen minutes to sharpen the saw, he'd probably finish three times faster.

So what do you think this habit is all about? Have some thoughts and then I'll tell you what the author says.

Friday - September 27, 2019

RIDDLE FRIDAY!!!!
No googling, no blurting, no bloogling, no glurting (you know who you are)!

What flies when it's born, lies when it's alive, and runs when it's dead?

Wednesday - September 25, 2019 / Thursday - September 26, 2019

CAREER PREP CLASSES

Read the article linked below and respond to the prompts that follow.

Science Confirms It: Social Media Hours Are Majorly Bad for Teens

1. Copy and paste the most concerning statement from the article.

2. After reading this article, will you change your social media habits? Why or why not?

3. Overall, do you believe that social media apps improve the lives of teenagers? Explain.

MARKETING CLASSES

Read the article linked below and respond to the prompts that follow.

Here’s what email marketers can learn from Morning Brew’s expansion

1. Copy and paste a sentence or two that explain how Morning Brew's marketing approach is uniquely effective. 

2. What are native ads? Why do native ads on MB work so well?

Tuesday - September 24, 2019

MARKETING CLASSES

Read the article linked below. Give your thoughts and tell me how you might incorporate this information into a SWOT analysis of Facebook.

CAREER PREP CLASSES

Read the article linked below and answer the questions that follow. 

Avoiding College Scams

1. What three scams were identified in the article?

2. Why do you think even tech-savvy young people might fall victim to scams like these?

Monday - September 23, 2019

Habit #6 (that's right, we are almost finished) is SYNERGIZE.

Synergy is about celebrating differences, teamwork, open-mindedness, and finding new and better ways of doing things. When it comes to differences, are you a shunner, a tolerator, or a celebrator?Wait for me to define those classifications. Then, assess your openness on the table below. Be honest.

	SHUNNER	TOLERATOR	CELEBRATOR
Race
Gender
Religion
Age
Dress

Now, how can you become a "celebrator" in each category?

Friday - September 20, 2019

RIDDLE FRIDAY!!!

Thirty men and only two women, but they hold the most power.

Dressed in black and white, they could fight for hours.

Who are they?

Wednesday - September 18, 2019 / Thursday - September 19, 2019

ALL CLASSES
I feel like most of you are "over" the habits already. But I'm not letting you off the hook that easily. These are game-changers. Even if you only make one change, adopt one new habit, it can have an important and substantial impact on your life. Look back over the habits we've covered so far.

Which one do you NEED in your life more than the others?

Have you done ANYTHING to adopt this new habit? If so, what? If not, why not?

What will you do going forward? Is there a second habit you need to adopt? Really think about it.

7 Habits Recap:

1. Be proactive (don't make excuses; don't blame others; take control of your life)
2. Begin with an end in mind (envision who you want to be, what you want to accomplish, where you want to go)
3. Put first things first (set priorities; eliminate time-wasters, earn your play time by getting things done first)
4. Think Win-Win (it's not all about beating others; sometimes we can support each other, enjoy the success of others, etc)
5. Seek first to understand (be a better listener!)

Tuesday - September 17, 2019

MARKETING CLASSES

Read the short Morning Brew story linked below. Also follow the link to the Ed Sheeran story at the bottom. Read that one, too. Then answer the question that follow.

For Latest Tour, Madonna Wants More for Less

So a question for musicians is should I play to smaller crowds and charge more, OR should I play for larger crowds and charge less. What factors need to be considered? How would you make such a decision. 

CAREER PREP CLASSES

.

Read the article linked below. Then respond to the prompt that follows. 

Job interview fast approaching? Try these 6 preparation tips

Make a bulleted list of all the tips given in this article. 

Monday - September 16, 2019

ALL CLASSES

Habit #5 is SEEK FIRST TO UNDERSTAND, THEN TO BE UNDERSTOOD.

Ask yourself, "Which of the five poor listening styles do I have the biggest problem with?"

1-spacing out?
2-pretend listening?
3-selective listening?
4-word listening?
5-self-centered listening (judging, advising, probing)

Which one did you choose? Why do you think you do that?

Now try to go one day without doing it.

Friday - September 13, 2019

RIDDLE FRIDAY!

Fill in the blank....

1 3 5
2 4 _

I bet this one drives you crazy!

Wednesday - September 11, 2019 / Thursday - September 12, 2019

CAREER PREP CLASSES
Read the article linked below and respond to the prompt that follows:

Now Hiring: Walmart Targets Teen Workers With Expanded College Benefits Program

List FIVE benefits to participation in Walmart's Live Better U program.

1.

2. 

3.

4.

5.

MARKETING CLASSES

Read the article linked below and respond to the prompt that follows.

McDonald’s Would Like Robots With That

Talk about this decision by McDonald's in terms of the 7 functions of marketing. Which function is at work here? Also, explain what McDonald's is trying to do relative to its competition.

Tuesday - September 10, 2019

MARKETING CLASSES
Read the article linked below and answer the questions that follow.

VW's Got a New Look...and New Cars

1. Which function of marketing is this article talking about? Explain. 

2. Why did Volkswagon redesign it's logo? Thoughts on the new look?

CAREER PREP CLASSES

Read the article linked below and answer the questions that follow.

4 Resume Blunders That Could Be Costing You a New Job

1. Which one of the errors listed do you think is the most egregious (look it up)? Explain.

2. Should your resume look the same for every job to which you apply? Explain.

 

Monday - September 9, 2019

ALL CLASSES

Habit #4 is THINK WIN-WIN

You are NOT doing it right if you engage in any of the following "think win-LOSE" behaviors:

1. Using others emotionally or physically for your own selfish purposes
2. Trying to get ahead at the expense of another
3. Spreading rumors about someone else
4. Insisting on getting your way without concerning yourself with the feelings of others
5. Becoming jealous and envious when something good happens to someone close to you

Choose one of the below steps to becoming more of a WIN-WIN type of person and explain why you chose that step:

1. Pinpoint an area of your life where you most struggle with comparisons. Perhaps it's with clothes, physical features, friends, or talents. Work to let it go. Realize we all have strengths. Appreciate and respect those strengths in others without comparing or competing!
2. If you play sports, show sportsmanship. Compliment someone from the opposing team and mean it.
3. Form a study group ahead of a challenging test and work together to bring everyone's grade up.
4. The next time someone close to you succeeds, be genuinely happy for them instead of feeling jealous or threatened.
5. Think of a person you think is a model of WIN-WIN. What is it about this person that you admire?

Friday - September 6, 2019

It's riddle Friday.  As always, no discussing, NO GOOGLING. and if you've seen this riddle before, zip it!

A team of scientists discover a body which has been frozen in ice for thousands of years.  They are able to remove a large section of ice containing the body, and they bring it back to a laboratory for closer inspection.  As they remove ice and are able to examine the remains, it is clear that this is the body of a man.  And further, one scientist exclaimed, "Oh my God, this is the body of Adam, the world's first man!"

How did he know?

Wednesday - September 4, 2019 / Thursday - September 5, 2019

MARKETING CLASSES
Read the article linked below. Write a couple of sentences to sum it up and a couple of sentences giving your opinion. Be ready to share.

NatGeo’s ‘Activate’ wants to inspire global activism—and reinvent P&G marketing—with Pharrell, Common

CAREER PREP CLASSES

Read the article linked below. List your favorite three ideas for making money. What would you do with an extra $500 per month?

9 ways to make money as a teenager, from summer jobs to online work

Tuesday - September 3, 2019

ALL CLASSES

Habit #3 is PUT FIRST THINGS FIRST.

This one is easily the hardest habit to live. It's all about prioritizing. Each week you have to decide which are the most important things for you to accomplish. Don't neglect any important area of your life (family, friends, academics, extra-curriculars, etc.). Plan to do the most important things in all of those areas. Once you knock those off, you can do some of the silly things we do to occupy ourselves.

Here are five of Covey's suggestions for you. Choose ONE of them. Copy and paste it into your bellringer document. Then explain why you chose that step.

• Set a goal to use a planner for a month. Stick to your plan.
• Identify your biggest time-waster (games, Netflix, social media?) Commit to cutting back.
• Are you always being asked to volunteer, and you ALWAYS say yes? Next time, say no when it's the right thing to do.
• Study a little each day for an upcoming test INSTEAD of waiting until the night before.
• Think of something you've been needing to do for a long time, but have procrastinated. Get it done.