Diligence:

attentiveness; persistence; perseverance.

Service Learning Related Projects/Discussions

1.  How diligent are you? For each of the behaviors listed below, write a thorough evaluation of yourself:

— I always do my best; I strive for excellence.

— I am willing to risk failure to accomplish a higher goal.

— I am self-disciplined.

— I learn from my mistakes and failures.

— I look at the big picture; I think long-term.

— I set goals and stay focused.

— I don’t give up just because things seem difficult.

— I don’t leave things unfinished.

— I don’t procrastinate.

— I learn from people who have made a habit of all these things.

2.  Write about an event in your life in which you succeeded at something which was very challenging. How much did any of the above listed behaviors contribute to your success? What did you learn from that?

3. Make a chart of the things in your studies that are easy for you and those things that seem difficult. Now write out a plan for what you can do to overcome your difficulties.

4. How has negative or positive peer pressure played a role in your successes and failures?

5. Benjamin Franklin said, “Diligence is the mother of good luck.” What does that mean? How true is it?

6. Brainstorm ways in which you can all become more disciplined in school. Discuss the problems students face, such as procrastinating and rushing through work. Make a list of the skills and attitudes needed for students to take more responsibility for their own learning, and to reach their goals.

7. Select someone in your community who exemplifies the quality of diligence. Invite this person to speak to you about his/her own background, any obstacles overcome, and the factors that led to his/her success.

8. Conduct a survey in your neighborhood or among students about to graduate, asking questions like these: Where do you want to be in five years, in ten years? What are you now doing to get to where you want to be? What are the most serious obstacles that prevent people from accomplishing their goals? Share what you have learned from this process with your family and EF.

9. Research Thomas Edison’s life. See what general principles you can glean from his methods and work habits that you can apply to your own studies. Make a list of these principles, and present them in the form of a chart.

10. Research resources in your community that will provide support for students who are having difficulty in their studies. Assemble these resources into a folder and share it with your EF.