Mama Monday - Goal Setting - Great for TEACHERS!

Before we get started I just wanted to let everyone know that I am hosting a giveaway tomorrow at
Bacon Time with Miss Mindie! So make sure to hop over there and check it out first thing in the morning! It is totally cool, something new and unique, and I know you all will love it/them just like you love me.

Okay, so I know this post is a day early but I wanted to squeeze it in and this week is jammed packed with crafty goodness, I swear!
This "project" (no crafting involved) is all about goal setting. I used this when I was teaching at the beginning of the year.
All you need are your kiddos, 3 post it note for each and a place next to a wall that is cleared for juming. I always took my students into the hallway and had my son do it there too (for pic purposes).
So here is what you do. Have a andid discussion with your kids about goal setting and what goals they would like to make for them selves this year (this can be any goal they want because we do not want to squash any one's spirit).
Have them write down there goals on 1 post-it note. Now they need to go into the hall and stick there arm out straight and stick the post it on the wall. Like pictured below. LEAVE THE POST-IT attached on the wall!

Now that we are all out in the hall and causing a good ruckus, continue to talk about goals and how sometimes the goals that we set for ourselves are not always as high as other would like them to be. (A higher standards pep-talk if you will.)

Say that one of the kids wants to make the basketball team. Well how can we stretch our thinking and set our goal of just being on the basketball team higher?

**Maybe you actually play and not just sit on the bench. Maybe you want to make Varisty or JV. BUT do NOT go too far just yet. There is a time for that coming. After everyone has had a chance to think about the new goal have them raise their arm above his/her head and place another post-it on the wall; like pictured below.  

Okay now here is where you, the parent/teacher, need to lay it on really thick and talk about how you know that each one of your kiddos are special. Which of course they are! Tell them the old saying about shooting for the moon at least you will land among the stars. How your goals for your kids, are for them to be the very best at everything they do and that YOU  KNOW they can be!!

Take the basketball example again:

So now maybe not only do you want to be on the team, you want to play, you want to be varsity, well how about being a starter too.

So have your kid/s take the last post it and raise their arm up as far as it will reach and now they need to JUMP as high as they can to put the post-it on the wall. Like this... 

Here is the kicker, as a parent it is hard. We know that no matter how hard someone tries that they will not be able to reach all of his/her goals. However, that does not matter. They set them, they worked as hard as they could to get there, and still fell short but you know what...they landed among the stars because only people with good character put forth that much effort to get there. Kids are resilient no matter what the latest study says about competitiveness. The hope is to give them hope and inner drive to reach and stretch and work hard to become the very best they can be. I think it works!

SIDE NOTE: In the classroom I had them make 3 seperate goals, 1 for academics, 1 for socialization, and 1 free choice.

My kids always loved a.) getting out of the classroom and b.) seeing there post-it notes in the hallways for as long as they would stay up. It was a good reminder to keep working.

Anyway, I just want to share that with you since it is the begining of school.

HUGS~

Jenni

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