Setting Goals for a Happy New Year!

School supplies have been bought and new sneakers purchased, so it's time to turn our attention to the beginning of a new school year.

As sad as I am to see summer come to an end (it was fun at the Villano’s this summer), I look forward to starting a new school year and meeting my new students. Facebook lists and emails have been circulating like hot cakes to find out “who has who” this year. And high school kids are one step closer to becoming contributing citizens of our community as they prepare for college and life. 

As I entered my classroom over the past few weeks and worked on making it look just right for my students, it gave me a lot of time to think about what I want to do this year with my students to bring reading and writing to life for them.

I thought back to what I have done in the past that has worked, what I have learned from my past experiences, the new knowledge gained from graduate courses and current educational ideas, as well as what I know about these digital natives coming into my classroom. I have taken a look at who I am as a teacher and a person, and how that is going to work in my classroom for my students. 

Some people think of January 1st as the “New Year”. But for teachers, it is that first day of school when a new batch of students come walking through your door, usually a little quiet and nervous until they become a bit more comfortable.

In all the years I have been teaching, I have never slept the night before the first day of school. I toss and turn and go over in my mind what I want to happen when I meet my new group. 

Along with that sleepless night and the many hours spent preparing my classroom, it gives me time to think about what goals I want to accomplish. There are goals that are set for us by our curriculum and there are goals that are set for us by the state standards, but there are also personal goals that every good teacher sets for themselves before that new group of students walk through the door.

Reflecting on who I am as a teacher helps me to set goals for the "New Year".  Some of my goals are short term—like getting all the homeroom forms in by the end of the first week—while others are long term, such as having my students complete a piece of writing by Back to School Night so that I can display it for parents. Some goals are simple and straight forward—learning the names of my students by the end of the second day—while other goals are complex and not so straight forward, like instilling the love of literacy to students who walk through defeated before I have even said a word. But nevertheless, these are all goals that I have thought about and have made a part of my "New (School) Year’s Resolutions".

Now is the time, before the school year starts, to talk with your child about setting goals. A new school year is a chance for a new beginning. When my students walk through my door it is a fresh start, a new slate. Helping your child to set short and long term goals for the New Year will give her something to aim towards. 

It’s a pretty simple process:

1. Discuss with your child what they liked/didn’t like about school last year in relation to their own self.  Was he good at getting homework done?  Was writing down assignments something that could use improvement?
2. Discuss with your child what are some things he thinks might make life a little easier if he could change this year in regards to school.  For example, establishing a homework routine, or a morning/nighttime routine?
3. Write down the goal and put it in a visible place to remind him of the goal. The refrigerator, the wall in your child’s room, by the front door…whatever works.
4. Use positive language when writing the goal. For example, instead of writing “Don’t lose school notices,” try “Put school notices in the same spot every day.”
5. Re-visit the goal and talk with your child about how it is going.  Encourage or reassess the goal to make it attainable if so needed.

As the last days of summer come to a close and school is upon us, the "New Year" is a great time to set goals. Teaching our children how to set goals, regardless of their age, is a life skill that will help them as they move forward. Happy New Year!