By Rossana Villaflor, Educator

By the end of the first marking period, the enthusiasm that my students brought with them at the beginning of the school year began to wane due to the stress and anxiety caused by pre-tests, exams, and the holiday season. Students were noticeably tenser during these last few weeks of the period, and I witnessed more arguments and altercations between them in the hallways and during classes. To help my students achieve the goals they set in the beginning of the school year, this semester I am using Overcoming Obstacles lessons to strengthen my students’ abilities to cope with the challenges they are facing in pursuit of their goals.

One of the key lessons that my students need to reflect on and apply in their daily routines is Persevering (found in Overcoming Obstacles Middle School Level, Module 3: Goal Setting). Sometimes, the plans we set out to follow in order to achieve our intended goal does not account for the obstacles we face in the process. Students need to understand that having a setback does not mean that they need to change the goal or that it is unattainable; they just need to persevere and adjust the route to getting there.

My favorite part of the Persevering lesson is “The Magic Word” (which you can find at the end of this post). After defining the word “persevere,” students are instructed to consider the following factors when reflecting on their obstacles: Time, Expenses, Interest, Illness, Distractions, and Other Changes. Once students are able to pinpoint the source of their obstacles, they can work with their teacher to get back on track in pursuit of their goal.

By teaching this lesson, I was able to find out that one of my students was suffering from severe depression. This depression was preventing him from completing the assignments I knew he was capable of completing, and I was able to speak with his parent, guidance counselor, and homeroom teacher to find ways to get him the help he needed. Another one of my students was in the process of moving to a different household, and the instability of his current home situation prevented him from having a place to do his homework. I was able to assist him by arranging space and time during his lunch period to work on his assignments.

When students are able to reflect and identify the factors of their obstacles, it gives them a clear vision of where to go from there. As the poet John Greenleaf Whittier says, “When all is pressing you down a bit, rest if you must, but don’t you quit.