Write about a problem-solving strategy that you’ve used at school or at home and describe the outcome.

Sometimes when I’ve made plans to meet my friends, my parents want me to babysit my little sister because they have plans to go out. I don’t want to cancel on my friends, so I apply the following problem-solving strategies:

Define the problem: I have a schedule conflict. I made plans with my friends, but my parents need me to babysit my sister.

Analyze the problem: My parents have to go out and so do I, but someone has to stay home to watch my little sister. My parents pay my allowance, and thus that someone will have to be me.

Establish goals: I want to be able to meet my friends, but I also do what my parents need me to do—babysit my little sister.

Come up with possible solutions:

Reschedule to meet my friends before my parents have to leave or after they get back home.

Ask my parents if they can reschedule so I can babysit my sister another day and don’t have to change my plans.

Take my sister out with me when I go to meet my friends.

Have my friends come over to my home.

Analyze and implement likely solutions:

My friends can’t meet earlier, but it’s a school night so we can’t meet later or we would be out too late. (Eliminated)

My parents cannot change their plans. (Eliminated)

If I take my sister out with me, I would have to get back home before her bedtime, but I would at least be able to meet my friends. (Likely)

My friends could come over so we could still meet and I could still babysit my sister. (Likely)

Explanation:

PLATO

cutting out negative people, changing their diets, exercising, taking off days from work or school, etc