Reuther Central High School
Safe and Secure Schools 2012-2013
Above the Influence Student Posters
About This Presentation
• You are about to view selected Above the Influence poster
slogans written by Reuther Central High School students.
Above the Influence is about being yourself and not letting
negative influence get to you. Pressure to drink, do drugs or
do anything that goes against who you are in order to fit in, is
negative influence.
• Following each slogan you will find information from our
Kenosha County 2010 Profile of Your Youth report and
suggestions for parents/guardians on how to continue their
positive support of the development of their children.
Asset # 30 – Responsibility
64% of students accept and take responsibility.
• So, your teen has entered high school, and soon, she will be
off to college or entering the workforce. While you’ve been
helping your child to prepare for adult independence and
responsibility all along, it’s important to realize that your
teen’s plans for herself may be different from what you want.
• Listen to your teen’s thoughts about the future. Support and
respect his decisions, and offer ideas about what you think he
might be good at . Encourage your teen to get involved in the
community, and help him connect with other caring adults
who can positively influence his development.
Asset # 21 – Achievement motivation
67% of students indicate the motivation to do well in school.
• Commitment to Learning—Young people need a commitment
to the lasting importance of learning and a belief in their own
abilities.
– Your beliefs about your children’s competence affect their confidence and
ability to learn.
– If your kids see you reading for pleasure, they are more likely to do so
themselves.
– Be an advocate for schools to do better. Thank teachers when they provide
interesting and stimulating homework and projects. Ask teachers if there are
alternatives if they assign a lot of homework that requires memorization.
– Don’t expect all of your children’s learning to happen in school. Keep
stretching their minds with stories, games, and activities that deepen their
thinking.
Asset # 37 – Personal Power
41% of students feel they have control over “things that happen to them”.
• Encourage family members to point out “victim
mentality” comments and “personal power”
comments when family members tell about their
day. Help your teenagers use “I” messages to take
ownership of what happened. Encourage them to
use this format: “When you do _______, it makes me
feel _______, and so I’d like you to ______.” This
builds personal power and also gives teenagers
integrity and a sense of responsibility.
Asset #26 – Caring
49% of students place high value on helping others.
• Volunteer work teaches family members the value of caring
and giving back. Many families notice how much closer they
become when they start serving together—and how much
more they appreciate what they have. Research has also
shown that when kids volunteer, they are building up their
Developmental Assets, the “building blocks” they need in
order to grow up to be caring, successful, resilient adults.
• Identify your family’s areas of interest. Talk to your family
and determine which issues you are interested in and which
activities you would like to engage in. Are you most concerned
about low-income people, senior citizens, refugees, or
homeless individuals? Or is your family more passionate
about caring for abandoned animals or the environment?
Asset #35 – Resistance skills
43% of students can resist negative peer pressure and dangerous situations.
• Point out to your children that in any situation not making a choice
is making a choice—it’s choosing not to choose. Explain how this
gives someone else the power to determine what happens next.
• Make your home welcoming to your teenagers’ friends. Get to
know their friends. Tell your teens what you admire about their
friends.
• Keep your relationship as a top priority. Even if you are concerned
about friends and their influence, do not let your worries drive a
wedge between yourself and your child. Work hard to maintain
your relationship, even while expressing your worries. When you
express concerns, be sure to reinforce your love for your child. Your
influence will be greater in the long run if you do what you can to
maintain a positive relationship.
Asset # 38 Self – esteem.
51% of students report having a high self – esteem.
Invite your teen to keep a positive journal
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Keeping a positive journal is easy. Here are some examples:
What are three things I did today that made me feel successful?
Name three things I am grateful for.
Name three reasons I am a good friend.
What was the best part of my day, and why?
Name three people who love and care about me.
What are my three best strengths?
Write a story about a past success, and what I learned about myself that
made me stronger as a person.
• Identify three solutions to the problem I am having.
• How do I aspire to be when the going gets tough?
Asset #1 - Family Support
69% of students report that their family
life provides high levels of support.
• Show family members that you care in little ways. Find a new,
small but visible thing you can do to show others in your
family that you care. Even a note on the bathroom mirror can
brighten someone’s day.
• Talk about the everyday stuff EVERY day. Don’t wait for
“important” conversations to have good conversations with
others in your family. Find times to talk together every day.
Ask questions like, “What was the best question you asked
today?” or “What were the high and low points of your day?”
Asset #28 – Integrity
67% of students act on personal convictions
and stand up for their beliefs.
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Talk to your kids about what integrity means, and what it means to stand up for
your own values. Ask them who they see as having a sense of integrity, and who
they think backs down from their values in the face of adversity.
As a family, identify role models with integrity whom you admire. These may
include Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King Jr., Mahatma Gandhi, or someone else.
Learn about these individuals and how they learned to live a life of integrity.
Applaud and support family members when they “do the right thing, even when
it’s hard.” Maybe your child stepped in when another child was being teased. Or
maybe your child admitted to cheating on a test—even though she knows the
entire class cheated and she was the only one who got into trouble for her
honesty.
When someone with integrity admits to scandal or making a mistake, talk about
this as a family. Talk about which actions you believe are most damaging and why.
With older teenagers, discuss why leaders can be tempted to do the wrong thing
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Asset # 39 – Sense of purpose.
64% of students report “my life has purpose.”
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Teens who take on responsibilities, have useful roles, and serve others are more
likely to grow up with a sense of purpose and concern for others. They are also
more likely to develop the skills and attitudes to take on new responsibilities.
Here are some ideas to help you empower your teen to contribute.
Ask your teen to teach you something new. It could be something being learned in
school, something related to technology or sports, or a video game that your teen
loves. (Then you can play it together.)
Use home projects as learning projects. Whether you’re planning a family reunion,
doing home repair projects, or just catching up on chores, have your teen help and
learn. (Knowing how to do laundry will be really helpful after leaving home!)
Follow your teen’s lead. Teens often are the ones who recognize problems and
want to take action. If teens raise issues or concerns, encourage them to dig
deeper, learn more, and suggest ways your family can respond.
Asset # 37 – Personal Power
41% of students fee they have control over “things that happen to me”.
Nurturing the Mind, Body, and Spirit
According to research, families who focus on nurturing the mind, body, and spirit
raise kids who are less likely to engage in high-risk behaviors, and are more likely
to grow up thriving.
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Mind - Abstract thinking becomes more common with older teenagers. They’ll gravitate
more to the “gray” areas between the “black-and-white” issues of their early years.
They’ll also change their mind about the “grays” to suit their goals and wishes.
Body - If your child is not athletic, help her find a sport or physical activity she enjoys.
At this age, kids who don’t excel athletically are tempted to avoid all physical activity.
Modeling and talking about the importance of exercise can make an impact long term.
Spirit - Regularly engage your older children in discussion about spiritual topics, but
don’t force the issue. Be open to different interpretations of your faith tradition or your
child’s interest in a tradition other than your own. Ask questions to clarify, and don’t
judge what he or she says.
Asset # 35 – Resistance skills
43% of students can resist negative peer pressure
and dangerous situations.
• Give your child choices and appropriate independence. Helping children
see that they have power in their own lives and can influence others helps
them be aware of and internalize their own values.
• Learn from your children. Your relationship with your child is a two-way
street. They learn from you; you learn from them. Be open to what they
have to teach you. In the process, they will be open to what you have to
teach them.
• Cultivate skills to put values into practice. In order to internalize values,
teens skills to help her or him be confident in standing up for what they
believe and to take actions based on their values. Building assertiveness
and resistance skills, as well as skills of empathy, caring, and compassion,
all help to reinforce positive values by putting them into action.
Asset # 38 Self – esteem
51% of students report having a high self – esteem.
The best way to build a realistic idea of self-worth is to praise
your teens based on what they’ve accomplished.
• Praise the effort more than the ability. Encouragement is
better than praise.
• Make praise specific.
• Praise has to be sincere.
• Praise should be intermittent, not overdone.
Resources used for this document
that you have to see.
• http://www.parentfurther.com/
• http://www.search-institute.org/content/40developmental-assets-adolescents-ages-12-18
• http://www.abovetheinfluence.com/
• Developmental Assets: A Profile of Your Youth
Executive Summary
Kenosha County Schools – April 2010