Learning Outside the Classroom

Maximize the service experience and extract cocurricular benefits for your students by relying on these best practices:

  • Encourage long-lived service, through the semester and beyond.
  • Let students plan and implement tasks.
  • Promote student reflection.

In addition, advisers should ensure their students are learning these vital skills:

  • Time management
  • Communication
  • Collaboration

Making the Most of Meetings

Meetings are often a necessary part of leading any Honor Society chapter or student council, but it can be hard to maintain focus and keep students’ interest. To ensure your meetings are engaging, keep the following in mind:

  • Use meeting time to have students actively participate in community service.
  • Let students take the lead and tailor the meeting to different styles and personalities.
  • Discuss current events and encourage character development.
  • Encourage a love of learning and use meeting time to prepare students for the future.
  • Participate in team-building exercises to increase meeting energy.

Zigging and Zagging

Middle level adviser Nora Cooper fully recognizes the adviser journey has plenty of ups and downs. Follow her advice to make sure you have more ups:

  • Judge not. Students will continually find ways to surprise you. Let them!
  • Dream big and make those dreams a reality. Set goals that may seem lofty. If you work hard, often those goals will not only be met, but exceeded.
  • Lead, follow, or get out of the way. Know when it is your time to lead, know when it is time to let someone else take the lead, and recognize when you’re feeling frustrated about not being in control.

Creating a BIG impact

Chapters and councils around the world are hosting charity fundraisers that get enormous results. To organize your own, heed this advice:

  • Plan, plan, plan! Do not underestimate what your students are able to do.
  • Advertise everywhere you can and get the kids involved.
  • The hardest part is starting. If you want to make a change in the community, take the first step!