Spotlight on Education : Goal setting is important for middle-school students
Posted on Wednesday, October 1, 2008
"The reason most people never reach their goals is that they don't define them, or ever seriously consider them as believable or achievable. Winners can tell you where they are going, what they plan to do along the way, and who will be sharing the adventure with them. " - Denis Watley When I talk with middleschool students, I often tell them that some of the decisions they make at sixth, seventh and eighth grade will affect the rest of their lives. They often look at me like I am crazy, but more often than not they ask me how. This is when I ask these students," What are your goals ?"
As an adult, I do not recall the first time anyone ever asked me that question or for that matter if anyone ever really did ask me that particular question. I always knew that I wanted to be an educator, but I would not necessarily say that it began as a goal. It was more of a wish or a desire. Around seventh or eighth grade the desire became a goal and everything I did at school was focused on achieving that goal.
When speaking with middlelevel students and talking about their goals, they frequently reply they do not have goals yet. That strikes me as odd and sad at the same time. Everyone needs goals in life. I once read an article that said we should all have lots of goals because that allows us to strive and achieve what we never thought possible.
Questioning is a very good way to promote thought with middle-school students. As I work with students I ask them about what they like to do, what they like to read, if they want to go to college, do they want to live in an apartment or house, how much money they would like to make, how much money they would want to put into savings each month and several others. These are all questions that do impact the rest of their lives and could very well become goals for some of these students.
Having goals to work towards gives students a sense of purpose and anticipation. When a child of any age has to work or earn something, they learn the value of it. Discussing possible short-term goals with your child is a great way to get them started. Longterm goals are also important, but it is important for goals to be attainable and realistic. Learning to set and reach a goal is important if students are going to challenge themselves and become lifelong learners.
As parents and teachers we need to encourage our students to actively work toward reaching their goals, both academic and personal. Some things that you can do as a parent to help your middle-school child reach their goals is to begin the conversation about goals by talking about what your goals were at their age and tell him or her what your goals are now. Ask your child what goals they have or help them establish a goal now. Work together to define the steps it will take to reach the goal. Review progress towards the goal periodically.
And finally, celebrate reaching the goal with your child. If and when the time comes that the goal is not achieved, it is a perfect time for a conversation about the learning that took place along the way. Many times when I talk with students who did not quite reach their established goals I tell them that we learn more from our mistakes than we do from our successes. The conversation provides a great opportunity for reflective questions such as what would you do differently and what are you going to do now.
As our students gain the confidence to face challenges and learn from their mistakes, they learn a critical life skill. They gain the benefit of setting goals, taking risks, and meeting personal challenges in and out of school. As they succeed in these challenges they begin to gain the confidence that will allow them to have a stronger sense of their ability to build healthy lives.
Rhonda Gentry is the assistant principal at Lingle Middle School.
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