FREE PDF: 9 "Motivation Monday" strategies to help students take action


"Start with one sentence." That's been my mantra the past week as I work with students on their writing projects. To many, the idea of writing one whole page seems as daunting as Mount Everest.

But an interesting thing happens when I frame it as a simple, short-term goal: "Write one sentence and I'll check back in a minute." Usually, they write a sentence. Then another. And sometimes another, before I even need to check in.

Most of the time we just need a tangible, accessible goal to get moving. Then inertia does its thing.

Beyond getting a kid to write an essay, though, goal-striving may be one of the most important skills schools can teach kids.

In The Burnout Cure, I synthesized a lot of the research on goal-striving, including:

  • Well-crafted goals produce better effort, boost our happiness, and increase our likelihood of success.
  • Whether we succeed with our goals or not, there's a significant association between goal striving and improved well-being.
  • Goal striving improves our self-regard.
  • Striving toward goals in one domain of life boosts happiness across other domains.

With that in mind, I have another resource I put together to help your students -- and you -- crank the dial on goal striving.

These are some of my favorite strategies, systems, and frameworks that I've used for "Motivation Monday" to help me and my students take motivation to the next level.

Motivation Monday

Click on the image below for a 12-page resource to bolster student motivation with goal-striving.


⏳ Public Training INCOMING ⌛️

Y'all...get ready. I've got some exciting news coming up about a PUBLIC PD I'm organizing. Stay tuned 😉

With that cliff hanger, I'll catch you all next week.

Sincerely, your nerd next door,

Chase Mielke

PO Box 852, MH, CA 95038
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Affective Teaching

I'm Chase Mielke, a huge nerd about all things emotions. I'm an educator, nationally recognized speaker, and ASCD author dedicated to applying the science of positive emotion to prevent burnout, improve educator efficacy, and help teachers, parents, and students thrive.

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