The Goodrich Way: Goal Setting for Success

We all make goals for ourselves at different times during our lives. Goal setting is what gives successful people a sense of purpose and pride. Sometimes goals are just something we do on Mondays (“I’m going to really stick to my diet this week”) or something we do to start off the New Year (can you remember your New Year’s Resolutions from January?) For whatever reason you may decide to create goals for yourself, you are making yourself a path for success.

In third grade we spent the past several weeks setting goals for ourselves as we prepare for a successful school year. Much of the first two weeks of school were spent testing in the areas of math and reading. The results were used to create AR reading goals and Math Facts goals for each student. These predetermined goals help students work hard to achieve what is expected of them individually.

In writing, we used our writing time to evaluate several writers’ notebooks and establish the do’s and don’ts of a good Writing Notebook. We used what we learned to set personal writing goals that we will try to achieve this first quarter as we become accustomed to writing true stories in these notebooks on a daily basis.

Students also spent time creating personal, academic, and behavioral goals they would like to try to achieve this year. We wrote these down to make them more meaningful. They are kept in their O.W.L. binder so they can view them every day! Creating only three goals for their binder helps students to prioritize what is most important to them. We will revisit and reassess throughout the quarter. If needed, students can adapt or change a goal to make it more attainable.

Setting and achieving goals help keep us focused and on track. I have already seen students motivated to achieve and an increase in their self-esteem when reaching or coming close to reaching a goal. I am excited to see what this year brings!

If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail! ~Benjamin Franklin