Seeing the Finish Line
Dear student, congratulations you have made it halfway through your school year! This is a great accomplishment, and I know it may be difficult to have the motivation to continue and finish, but this is where you can begin to see the finish line. Hang in there! There are many perks to finishing high school that will serve as the foundation for the rest of your life.
“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.” —Dr. Seuss
The Benefits
There are multiple benefits to completing high school, whether it be the JumpStart or Core4 Pathway:
-Higher Income
On average, people who earned a high school diploma earn approximately 23% more money per year than those who do not (NCES).
-Great Resume Builder
Bosses love high school graduates! Not only are they looking for a good knowledge base, but bosses love to see potential employees who were able to commit to their education for four years.
-Military Service
All branches of the United States military require that applicants have a high school diploma or equivalent (GED, HiSET). The military also requires that applicants recieve a passing score on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB), which can be taken for free during your junior year of high school.
-Needed for Four Year Universities
Four year colleges require applicants to hold a high school diploma or satisfactory completion of the HiSET exam. GEDs will not get a student into a four year college without first completing two years in a community college, with possible remedial classwork to complete.
Staying Motivated
There are two types of motivation, extrinsic and intrinsic, and it is important to determine which type works best for you.
-Extrinsic means you are externally motivated by physical items, such as incentives and rewards.
-Intrinsic means you are internally motivated by accomplishing a goal and feeling satisfaction in that. (Psychology Today)
If you are struggling to stay motivated to continue school, there are many things that can help you increase your motivation once you have learned your motivation style.
Goal-Setting
One way to maintain motivation is to set both short and long term goals. Setting close, realistic goals is a great way to increase your intrinsic motivation to finish. Short term goals include things like finishing assignments by the deadline, completing a novel, completing a college application, making a list of job opportunities after graduation, etc.
Your short term goal should add up to one major long term goal. For example, a short term goal of completing assignments will get your closer to your long term goal of graduating.
Goal setting not only helps you stay on track with your responsibilities, but helps you also better understand what you have accomplished. You will feel so much more empowered when you look back at all of the things you have done throughout the day...week...month...YEAR!
Self-Care
Sometimes staying motivation also means doing less.
Above everything, make sure that your are taking care of yourself. A healthy brain makes the best grades, a healthy body has the best attendance, and a healthy mind feels the most refreshed.
Take time to nurture yourself at nights and on the weekends by ensuring you are getting adequate sleep, bathing regularly, eating nourishing foods, and unwinding in your happy place.
So, Go On, GET!
Let's go guys, this is your time to shine. Get out there and finish your diploma because you are WORTH IT!
You deserve an education that you are proud of, an education that will lead you to great places. You have the power today to say "I will finish!".
References
Annual Earnings by Educational Attainment. COE - National Center for Educational Statistics. (n.d.). Retrieved January 17, 2023, from https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/cba/annual-earnings
Sussex Publishers. (n.d.). 5 Ways to Motivate and Encourage Seniors. Psychology Today. Retrieved January 17, 2023, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/communication-success/201503/5-ways-motivate-and-encourage-seniors#:~:text=Being%20goal%2Doriented%20can%20instill,finishing%20a%20cup%20of%20juice.