Monitoring Goals
September 19, 2011
Monitoring Goals Set for Ourselves
How
many can say that they remember a goal they set for themselves two years
ago? You may recall a long-term
goal like wanting to graduate and attend college, but those little "short-term"
goals are what gradually make us into productive citizens. A lot of times those small ones are
over looked and adults and kids alike forget all the small steps they need, or
have taken, to meet their big goals.
In homeroom we each individually write down at least 2 short-term goals
that we want to accomplish in a few weeks, and then at least 2 long-term
goals. We date these goals so that
we can look back and reflect on what we have, or possibly have not done to meet
them. About 4-5 times a year I
have each student in my homeroom take a look at his or her goals. If they feel they have met those goals,
or those goals are no longer important to them, they are allowed to cross them
out and come up with new ones.
Again they put the date next to the new goals. As they are looking them over I talk to them individually
about why they may have chosen those goals. It is amazing to see some kid's eyes light up when they
realize all that they have met in those 3 months are so.
This year marks my 3rd straight year of being with some of
the LMS 8th graders in my homeroom. During the first week of school, we did the goal sheets (I
keep them in my homeroom folder until they leave for high school) and my few 8th
graders laughed at some of the goals they wrote for themselves in 6th
grade. One female 8th
grade student asked me, "Why would I set a goal like that when it's something
so easy, I was weird in 6th grade!" I laughed with her, but then we had a class discussion about
how at one time those simple things like "Meeting our AR goal" or "Not being
tardy" were obviously hard for us, otherwise we wouldn't have wrote them. It is important that we know our
short-term goals, otherwise she very well may be an 8th grader that
is still late to class because she can't open her locker on the first try (okay
that is being a bit dramatic, but with some cases it is true)! It's important that kids and adults
alike are aware of the short-term goals they need to accomplish to be where
they want to be in the long run. I
shared with the class that I found my first grade book that was titled "What I
want to be when I Grow-Up." On it
I had written, "I want to work at McDonalds so that I can eat free French fries
whenever I want to." Then there
was a drawing below it, me a stick person holding a large French-fry (that was
bigger than my body). The students
giggled with me at this bizarre picture, but I did work there in high school
and it did teach me time-management, responsibility, money management,
etc. It really did help me prepare
for my life as an adult and to be a productive citizen. So needless to say, that long-term goal
of mine was silly to me at this time, but at that time in my life it was what I
wanted. It is all right to change
if it just isn't working out, but just to make sure that your working your way
to something to better yourself and makes you happy!
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