Planning Is a Leadership Skill: Why Students Must Learn to Lead Their Schedules
In today’s fast-paced world being a student means much more than just showing up for class. You’re expected to perform academically, contribute to extracurriculars, show commitment to sports or arts, possibly work part-time, and still have time for friends, family, and your mental health. But here’s the truth: how you manage your time, energy, and commitments is one of the most important leadership skills you’ll ever develop.
Learning to balance life as a student isn’t just about surviving high school or college. It’s about learning how to lead yourself so that when bigger responsibilities come later in life, you’re already prepared.
Why Balance Matters for Student Leaders
Many people think leadership is about guiding others, but the truth is, great leadership begins with self-leadership. For teens, this means learning how to manage themselves before they can effectively lead or collaborate with others. As parents, it’s easy to focus on grades, behavior, and performance but underneath all of that is something more important: how well your child is managing their own time, responsibilities, and well-being.
When students don’t learn how to balance their schedule or make intentional choices, life starts to feel chaotic. Stress builds, grades begin to slip, relationships become strained, and burnout can set in quickly. On the other hand, when they learn to balance their schedule, honor their commitments, and take care of themselves, they build the foundation for long-term success in school, relationships, and future leadership roles.
Balance isn’t about doing everything, it’s about learning to manage everything with purpose. Teenagers often feel pressure to say yes to everything, but they need to develop the skill of prioritizing. That might mean saying no to certain activities so they can have time for rest, or learning how to break big tasks into manageable steps. When they feel in control of their schedule, their confidence grows, and their stress decreases.
Honoring commitments is about follow-through. Whether it’s finishing homework, showing up to practice, or keeping a promise to a friend, these small moments teach accountability and responsibility. When teens learn to follow through on their commitments, they start to see themselves as capable and trustworthy, a huge step in developing leadership and maturity.
Taking care of themselves might be the most overlooked piece of the puzzle. Teens often push sleep, nutrition, and mental health to the side in the name of productivity or social life. But true self-leadership includes knowing when to rest, when to ask for help, and how to build healthy routines. A teen who knows how to care for themselves is far more equipped to handle life’s challenges with resilience.
As a parent, your encouragement and modeling of these habits matter. Creating space for your teen to learn time management, set boundaries, and reflect on what’s working (and what’s not) gives them the tools they need to thrive not just now, but for the rest of their lives!
Jettssimar Montilva: The Story of Balance
When Jettssimar first joined the program, she was navigating a lot of changes at home. Her family structure was shifting, and she often put a lot of responsibility on herself to hold things together. She and her mom frequently found themselves at odds, and at the same time, Jettssimar was trying to figure out who she was and what she wanted to do with her life. She didn’t always have the freedom to get out and explore new opportunities, but she showed up with a willingness to grow — and that made all the difference.
From day one, Jettssimar showed up with purpose. She brought energy, drive, and a desire to make the most of her high school experience. But she struggled to be able to find the balance and figure out the right path to help her meet her goals.
Jettssimar’s biggest challenge wasn’t a test or a class, it was her schedule. She was committed to playing two sports, taking three advanced classes, and regularly doing community service about three hours each month. On top of that, she was determined to keep her academics strong and continue pushing herself to grow in every area.
Throughout the year, Jettssimar worked hard to build better habits and create a schedule that could support everything she had on her plate. It wasn’t easy. At home, things were still difficult, she was struggling with the stress of her uncle living with them, trying not to argue with her mom, and managing her emotions while still showing up for school and her commitments. Even basic things, like waking up on time and making sure she ate all three meals a day, were daily challenges. But she stayed committed to improving. She learned how to set smart, realistic goals and began breaking down her big dreams for high school into smaller, manageable steps. Bit by bit, she started planning ahead, developing routines, and building a foundation that gave her more control over her time and her future.
Setting A Schedule
Being on two sports teams taught Jettssimar about perseverance, accountability, and teamwork. She learned how to balance practices, games, and schoolwork, all while pushing herself to grow physically and mentally.
At the same time, Jettssimar continued to give back through as much community service as she could. In her free time, she would write letters for the elderly to send to them in nursing homes as well as serve on her school’s volunteer committee.
She faced a lot of stress from classes, family, and extracurriculars while discovering that balance is something you build, not something you find.
Now, a year into the program, Jettssimar is no longer weighed down by the chaos she once felt. She approaches each new challenge with more confidence, clarity, and resilience. The stress that once overwhelmed her has given way to structure, purpose, and a growing sense of self. She’s still growing, like all of us, but today she walks forward not just more focused, but more empowered to lead her own life. As she looks ahead to her second year in the program, Jettssimar is committed to continuing that growth and plans to lean on her mentor for guidance, encouragement, and support every step of the way.
The Role of Parents and Educators
Parents and educators play a crucial role in a student’s journey toward balance and self-leadership. It’s important that we provide not just structure and accountability, but also encouragement, space to grow, and grace when they make mistakes. By modeling healthy balance ourselves, we help students build the confidence and discipline they need to manage their responsibilities and thrive in every area of life. At Valley Guardians, we are proud to be a part of this transformative journey.
THE VALLEY GUARDIANS LEADERSHIP PROGRAM
The Valley Guardian program is a multiyear coaching program for underserved students in the community. It was created by successful business people in the valley. They got together and formed a non-profit to find ways to fund developmental programs for kids in underserved communities. This program was aimed toward the underserved kids in the valley who have good hearts and have a desire to be successful and be mentored. The kids who are a part of this program have access to all different kinds of services like professional coaches, coaching calls, getaways, leadership education and training workshops, access to professionals in the valley, college and career readiness and more. The Valley Guardian program started with a single school of 6 students, and overtime has grown to 13 schools, 7 districts, and 49 active students. Overall there have been 120 students who have benefited from this program.
The Valley Guardians program offers over thirty online and in person workshops per year. We do many different types of workshops per year including things like arcades, parks, hikes, parties, and online leadership training. Many of the kids who come are not very social and are looking for a place to feel comfortable and be able to meet new people while being themselves. When they come to programs they have a great time. The way we set them up makes kids feel comfortable, whether we ask them what they are interested in doing or set them up to meet new people through social activities at the beginning of each event. The students find they feel connected and accepted through the program.