by Cuahutemoc Solorzano

Halfway through semester one and with final grades getting closer, students should be prepared— with work ethic being a large part of having academic success. But what is work ethic, and what are some ways to improve it?

Work ethic is an extremely important skill to have in school, yet not everyone inherently has a good one, according to Elizabeth Hunt, the Dean of Academics, World Languages Instructor, Sophomore Class Moderator and Key Club Moderator for St. John Bosco High School.

But to form a good work ethic, you need to know what work ethic is. According to Ms. Hunt, work ethic is the integrity and perseverance within someone that enables them to do your work to the best of your ability.

This doesn’t mean work ethic can’t be learned. Integrity and perseverance are skills, and like all skills, it requires practice.

“Work ethic is something that you can learn,” Ms. Hunt said. “It’s not always something that’s innate in us.”

According to Ms. Hunt, work ethic also requires a positive perspective to cultivate it. Though, this can be difficult when you’re faced with multiple deadlines all at once. 

“It’s very easy to get overwhelmed [when] you know everything you have to do,” said Ms. Hunt. “You need to break it down [and] set deadlines for yourself ahead of time so you can approach it little by little.”

There are a variety of ways to approach this. Ms. Hunt suggests using a calendar or reminders on your phone. Everyone is different and they should use whatever method works for them.

Another avenue to form a growth mindset and good work ethic is peer tutoring.

Kelly Blakeman, SJB’s Mathematics Department Chair, Mathematics Instructor, and Math Honors Society Moderator shares how the math peer tutoring program at SJB can help grow a good work ethic.

“I have a few students who come in for [peer tutoring] just as a space to work and do their homework, and if they have a question they’ll ask the peer tutors for help,” said Ms. Blakeman.

An environment without distractions allows students to focus solely on their work, with peer tutoring programs at SJB providing this space for students.

Peer tutoring also helps new students entering high school to adjust to Bosco, meet new people ranging from freshmen to seniors and cultivate their work ethic early on.

“[Peer Tutoring] encourages newer students to come in and [learn] from experienced students closer [to their] age,” said Ms. Blakeman.

A senior tutor here at SJB, Gerald Leyva, who is a part of the Spanish and Math Honors Society as well as the Onori Society, shares how he’s seen peer tutoring help students improve their work ethic. 

“I feel peer tutoring can be helpful to keep people on top of their work,” Gerald said. “In my experience, a lot of students have been able to learn better time management skills, tips on how to get their work done in a more efficient manner and other tactics to not fall behind.”

Peer tutoring can help students form a good work ethic, and there are many other advantages that come with peer tutoring that help students further create a good work ethic. 

Freshman student, Rowan Brown, shares exactly how peer tutoring has helped him consistently have a good work ethic. 

“Going to peer tutoring, if you have a hard time with procrastination, can really help. It also allows you to be in a space without all these distractions.” Said Rowan. 

Having a good work ethic is vital to the growth of the mind since it alleviates stress and anxiety from deadlines.

“It’s just hard to keep yourself emotionally stable when the [work] is overwhelming you,” said Rowan. “Sometimes I can get emotionally overwhelmed, especially if I have a lot of [work] to do. Procrastination is a really big [cause] of that.”

Senior student, Kashim-As’Ad Kashim, or As’Ad, shares how his growth in work ethic due to peer tutoring has helped him in his academics.

“I [had] a grade D in Algebra 2 during junior year, and by the end of the semester one, [I] ended with a grade B [because] of peer tutoring and I was doing my work before the [deadline].” Said As’Ad.

Work ethic can be learned and is essential to reduce stress from school assignments, with peer tutoring being able to help instill work ethic into struggling students, according to Ms. Hunt.

“Work ethic is a set of values that push you to do the job to the best of your ability,” Ms. Hunt said. “Somebody who has a good work ethic is going to have less stress, less anxiety and is probably going to [ascend] as opposed to somebody who is doing the bare minimum.”

St. John Bosco contains many peer tutoring programs. Mr. Michael Bartelt is the Onori Society Faculty Advisor; Ms. Kelly Blakeman is the Math Honor Society Moderator; and Ms. Cindy Rayas is the Spanish Honors Society Moderator. You can find their contact information in SJB’s directory for inquiries regarding academic support.

The schedule for peer tutoring is also included in the “Week Ahead” email sent to parents and students each weekend.