Actions Determine Your Future

Last spring during Focus Time, our third graders heard a familiar refrain: “Remember, your actions determine your future.” It wasn’t a lecture—just a gentle reminder when their behavior needed a reset.

Whether it was getting a little too loud, leaving a mess behind, or choosing conversation over homework, those words served as a cue to pause and think. In the moment, what mattered most to them was sitting by a friend and getting outside to play as quickly as possible. By this point in the year, they knew the expectations well. It wasn’t about understanding the rules, but about choosing to follow them.

One Thursday, my voice gave out, so I communicated by writing on the board for the weekly trivia game. A few tables started getting noisy and as I turned to the board, hopeful the dry erase marker would replace my voice, Jeremiah spoke up,
“Guys, remember—our actions determine our future. We don’t want assigned seats next week!”

It was perfect. Genuine. And completely unprompted.

Moments like this don’t happen overnight. They’re built through months of consistency, repetition, and trust. Being a “broken record” can feel tedious—but it’s also one of the most powerful tools we have. When students begin to internalize those reminders and hold one another accountable, we know the lesson has taken root.

And that’s when the real learning begins.