I’ve always believed the most difficult part of the school year was the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving break. Usually during this time the weather is starting to change and both the students and I were in need of an extended break. Thankfully we have made it to Thanksgiving and a much needed and well deserved 5 days away. During the days away or when we return, I would encourage you set goals for yourself and have your students set goals for the rest of the semester and school year.
I believe that sometimes we can tend to lose purpose in the monotony of our everyday routines, which can lead to frustration and boredom not only with you but your students as well. The goal(s) you choose for yourself can be something related to instruction like implementing technology more or it can be something pertaining to interaction with students like returning student work with comments more promptly or handing out more Tiger Paws. With your students, take the time to explain the importance of goal-setting and how to appropriately choose a goal to work towards.
Every time someone mentions students and goal-setting I’m reminded of a story I heard from a track coach once. The track coach talked to his team after practice one day about setting personal goals in their events and making sure that there goals were attainable. The next day one of his runners that ran the mile came up to the coach and told him he was going to switch from the mile run to the 100 meter sprint. The coach asked the runner why he wanted to change events. The runner told the coach that he had went home and thought about what the coach had said about goal-setting. The runner realized that his mile time was 3 and a half minutes slower than the school record, but his 100 meter time was only 7 seconds slower than the world record.
After you have decided what your goal is going to be, periodically assess how you are doing towards the accomplishment of your goal. If at any time you need any help with your goal or helping your students reach their goals I would be more than happy to help. Please enjoy your time with family and loved ones this week and remember to TURN UP THE HEAT!!!!
I believe that sometimes we can tend to lose purpose in the monotony of our everyday routines, which can lead to frustration and boredom not only with you but your students as well. The goal(s) you choose for yourself can be something related to instruction like implementing technology more or it can be something pertaining to interaction with students like returning student work with comments more promptly or handing out more Tiger Paws. With your students, take the time to explain the importance of goal-setting and how to appropriately choose a goal to work towards.
Every time someone mentions students and goal-setting I’m reminded of a story I heard from a track coach once. The track coach talked to his team after practice one day about setting personal goals in their events and making sure that there goals were attainable. The next day one of his runners that ran the mile came up to the coach and told him he was going to switch from the mile run to the 100 meter sprint. The coach asked the runner why he wanted to change events. The runner told the coach that he had went home and thought about what the coach had said about goal-setting. The runner realized that his mile time was 3 and a half minutes slower than the school record, but his 100 meter time was only 7 seconds slower than the world record.
After you have decided what your goal is going to be, periodically assess how you are doing towards the accomplishment of your goal. If at any time you need any help with your goal or helping your students reach their goals I would be more than happy to help. Please enjoy your time with family and loved ones this week and remember to TURN UP THE HEAT!!!!