The Fresh Start Effect is the theory that someone can leave previous failures and disappointments in the past and start fresh with new opportunities. This effect coincides with the mentality aligned with resolutions made on New Years Day, but Katherine Milkman, a professor at Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, discusses that the Fresh Start Effect can be implemented at any point in life that we choose. The mindset around New Year’s resolutions is related to the common phrase, “new year, new me.” This springs from the idea that everything that happened in the previous year can be left behind and we feel a sense that we should make a resolution to change something, and so we Do!
The end of a school year can create this same feeling when thinking about the next school year ahead of us. A new school year gives us a fresh start to be able to achieve whatever it is we were unable to achieve the year before. This year, with COVID-19, there are many things that may not have gone as planned and a fresh start will be critical to school re-entry in the fall. Although it is important to not get hung up on the negatives related to what didn’t happen, it is necessary to learn from those experiences in order to achieve those goals, and additional goals as well, in the future.
Each time something does not turn out the way you had originally planned, there is a silver lining - learn from the process, create new solutions for yourself, and try again.. If something doesn’t work 99 times, it may just work the 100th time with necessary persistence and creativity. As this school year is finishing up, ask yourself, “What new approach can I try next year?” The more brainstorming and experiments that are done, the more likely you are to unlock potential in yourself that you may not have known was there. Thinking of all of the lessons that can be learned from COVID-19 virtual learning experiences, there may be some opportunities for blended learning in the future that better meets the needs of some learners. Where can the lessons learned be leveraged for future improvement?
Watch Katherine’s video here.
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