Training students to develop the discipline to prepare is a skill that every teacher should acquire and sharpen as time goes by. Time spent training students in this area can save time and increase student achievement. Someone influential in my life told me that preparation creates opportunity. When we successfully help students acquire these important soft skills, we can be sure that they are set up for success long after they leave our classroom. Opportunities pass people by because they weren’t prepared to seize the moment. Do your part to make sure this doesn’t happen to your students. Here are some things you can do instill the discipline to prepare in your students:

Constantly highlight examples of what it looks like to be prepared for class. Celebrate it when it happens. Place students in situations where they need to think about how to proceed. Encourage students to think about times when they weren’t prepared.

Check out this video for another way to deliver this important message to your students.