Making good choices Making good choices

 What is the difference between just making a decision and making a good decision?

Making a good decision includes:  Critical thinking  Good judgment  Responsible behavior  Considering the risks  Attitude - How did each of these effect how you played the skunk game?

 Critical thinking

What is critical thinking?  Basically, it is being able to apply logic and make your own decisions.

 Critical thinking allows us to make our own decisions regardless of the opinions of others. The critical thinking process is an essential part of decision-making and should be used during the decision- making experience.

Critical thinking steps: 1.Identify and describe a problem or situation 2.Discriminate between fact and opinion 3.List possible solutions and their consequences 4.Identify personal and family values that conflict with the situation 5.Take a defensible position based on logic

 Good Judgment

 Judgment: The process of forming an opinion or reaching a conclusion based on the available material.

 Good Judgment: Using the critical thinking process to form an opinion or reach a conclusion.

 Poor Judgment: Not using the critical thinking process to from an opinion or reach a conclusion.

 Responsible behavior

 Responsible: Being liable; called on to answer for behavior.

 Responsibility: What one is responsible for.

 Responsible Behavior: Taking responsibility for one’s actions, belongings and space.

 “Responsibility is not the result of maturity, but the cause of it, and a major responsibility of parents is to teach responsibility. On the lowest level, responsibility is obedience. At its next highest level, it becomes morality, or acknowledging that our actions affect others, and we care about how our actions impact others. At the highest level, we give service to society.” -Richard and Linda Eyre

 Responsibility means doing what you must do and being accountable for the decisions that you make. It is directly related to freedom: the more you have, the more responsibility you must take. Responsibility is sometimes viewed as the opposite of freedom, but indeed, it is the result of freedom.

 “Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it.” - Playwright George Bernard Shaw

 Considering Risks

 There is risk involved in all aspects of our lives. Crossing a busy street certainly causes a risk; however, when we can make a conscious decision about whether or not to do something that is harmful to us, that is when using good judgment can improve the quality of our lives.

 Good judgment means that you consider the risks and weigh the consequences so that when you make a choice, you will weed out the decisions that may cause harmful or disastrous consequences to your life and health.

 Why do people take risks?

People take risks for many reasons:  To make money  To gain respect in the eyes of others  Not knowing the facts about what they are doing  To meet personal goals  Because of personal beliefs  For personal gain  Etc.

 Physical: Causing physical harm or injury to yourself (skiing, racing, etc.) (skiing, racing, etc.)  Psychological : Causing emotional harm or injury to yourself (love, trying out for something, disobeying parents, etc.) (love, trying out for something, disobeying parents, etc.)  Drug/Alcohol: Causing physical and emotional harm to self or others (smoking, pills, drinking, abusing drugs, etc.)  Legal: Causing risks with the law (stealing, running away, hurting someone, etc.) (stealing, running away, hurting someone, etc.)  Financial: Causing a risk to personal resource (investing money, lending money, borrowing money, etc.) (investing money, lending money, borrowing money, etc.)  Social: Causing a risk of rejection by your peers (standing up for your beliefs, revealing a secret, going against what the crowd is doing, greeting a new person, etc.)  Educational : Causing a risk in being prepared for the future (dropping out of school, sluffing class, not completing assignments, being tardy, etc.) (dropping out of school, sluffing class, not completing assignments, being tardy, etc.)

Risk-taking can be positive, too. Some examples of positive risk taking are:  Not being afraid to make unusual contributions to a group  Being unique and individualistic  Setting a goal and reaching it  Learning a new skill  Doing something beyond your expectations

 Attitude

What is attitude?  It’s basically the way we look at things

 How can your attitude affect the decisions that you make?

 What was your attitude towards the skunk game that we played?  How many of you took it really seriously?  How many of you really didn’t care?  How did that affect the decisions that you made?

Your attitude:  Influences your decisions  Reflects how you treat others  Leads to self-respect  Enhances human relationships

 Attitude is everything!

 It is important that we learn from the experiences of others. An individual cannot possibly learn everything for himself/herself, but must rely on the learning’s of those around him/her and/or individuals from history. By observing the actions, decisions, judgments and consequences of others, we can learn a great deal. -Glenn, H. Stephen; Developing Capable Young People -Glenn, H. Stephen; Developing Capable Young People One thing to remember…

Questions to ask myself when making a decision : ( - write this down in your note book ) 1. Is it against the law, rules or the teaching of my family or religion? 2. Is it harmful to me or to others? 3. Would it disappoint my family or other adults that are important to me? 4. Is it wrong to do? Would I be sorry afterward? 5. Would I be hurt or upset if someone did this to me?

 How can the skills that we have talked about today help you prevent problems in your life?

 What is the difference between making a decision and using good judgment?

It’s up to you!  No one can make lives critical decisions for you (as much as some of your parents want to).  It is all up to you what you will choose to do.  Just know there will be consequences for all of your choices (for good or for bad).

What would you do if…  One of your friends was making fun of another kid at school?

What would you do if…  Your friends tried to get you to shop lift something with them?

What would you do if…  Your were invited to a party by someone that you really liked and you knew there was going to be drinking at the party?

What would you do if…  Someone you were dating told you that they really loved you and wanted to have sex with you?