HIGH SCHOOL MATTERS: The Secondary Section: January 2016

What is a resolution? A Resolution means something that you strongly decide to do without fail - a firm decision. Every new-year is an opportunity to think about what happened the previous year and what could be done better this year. List of these promises you make to yourself is called “My New Year’s Resolutions”.

Given below are help boxes to help you choose for each type of resolution. Tick one or more resolutions from each category. Atleast one from each category is compulsory.

Category – 1 à Resolutions to help my parents:

1) Whenever my parents ask for help I will say “Yes”

2) I will always eat my food without troubling my parents

3) I will polish my shoes, fill my water bottle, pack my school bag

4) I promise to always be truthful to my parents

Category – 2 à Resolutions to do well in school:

1) I will be on time to school

2) I will complete my work neatly

3) I will never miss my homework

4) I will take care of my things and not touch others’ things

5) I will take turn to answer the teacher instead of shouting

Category – 3 à Resolutions to live a healthier life:

1) I will not eat junk food or drink soft drinks, particularly chips, noodles, pepsi, coke etc

2) I will eat bitter gourd once a week

3) I will eat more vegetables and fruits

4) I will drink at-least 1 bottle of water everyday

5) I will reduce T.V. watching and play more often

6) I will not eat or drink in unhygienic places or road side

Category – 4 à Resolutions to be good to my friends:

1) I will use please, thank you and excuse me whenever I speak to others.

2) I will not make fun of my friends

3) I will share and care for my friends

Category – 5 à Resolutions to protect the environment:

1) I will not pluck plants, flowers or leaves

2) I will not throw trash any and everywhere, will use the dustbins

3) I will not tear off paper or waste papers

4) I will not waste water

5) I will not waste electricity

6) Every happy occasion this year, I promise to plant a tree or grow a small indoor plant

7) Should I gift someone, I will gift an indoor plant

Take two clean sheets of paper write down your five resolutions that you choose to follow. Decorate them and paste one in a place where you can see it regularly at home so that it acts as a constant reminder.

Bring the other to display on your class bulletin board on 06/01/2016.

Note to parents: Please ensure that the child starts immediately and follows the below resolutions without fail the whole year. This will help us enable children emulate the following value based life skills. Parents are instructed to sit with the child and help him/her choose the appropriate resolutions which need to be followed throughout the year.

New Year's Resolution

Erica scribbled her third New Year’s resolution down on her homework sheet and smiled. “Done!”

“Really? That was quick,” her mother said. “Can I hear what your resolution is?”

“I have three,” Erica said. She held the paper up and read, “Do my homework right after school, don’t wait until the last minute to finish my chores, and get an A in math.”

“Wow,” her mom said, sounding a little concerned.

“What?” Erica thought she’d done a great job coming up with resolutions. Why wasn’t her mom happy?

“You know the point of a resolution is to change something in your life for the better and to stick with it. Can you honestly see yourself sticking to these things?”

Erica looked over the list again. “Maybe,” she said with a shrug.

Her mom raised an eyebrow at her.

“Well, maybe not all of them,” Erica said. “I can try my best in math but that doesn’t mean I’ll get an A.”

“Then maybe you should find a resolution that is achievable and something you can

benefit from.”

“Like what?”

“You’ll come up with something,” her mom said, as she started to fix dinner

Erica sat at the table, staring at her list of resolutions. She really wanted to try to make these things happen. It would be nice to have more time in the evenings, so doing her homework after school and not leaving her chores until right before bedtime made sense.

And if she planned some study time in each night, she might be able to get an A in math or at least a B+.

“How could I plan my time better to make these things happen?” Erica thought aloud. Plan! That was the answer.

“Mom!” Erica jumped up from the table.

“What is it?” her mother asked.

“I’ve got it. In order to do all these things, I need to stick to a schedule. So my New Year’s resolution should be to schedule my time after school so I can do my homework, get my chores done, study for math, and still have time to relax.”

Her mother smiled. “I think coming up with a schedule and sticking to it is a great resolution.”

“Me too,” Erica said, and she sat back down to start planning her schedule for the New Year.