Student and Teacher Goals

Popular culture seems to say that children don't have a long attention span. This doesn't mean that you shouldn't be setting long-term goals for your student. In fact, there are many issues that require a year-long commitment. Can you imagine not setting a year-long goal for homework completion? Read on to find out some information about year-long goal setting.

Why set goals for an entire year?

Setting goals for the long term is an important step in the success of every student. Usually, short-term goals seem practical and easy to achieve, and they are the most common type of goal that parents set for their students. Yet, many activities last throughout the entire school year. Homework is one that immediately comes to mind. In setting a year-long goal you can choose a goal that may have short-term elements, or that be modified along the way, but this should not stop the setting of the goal.

Ideas for yearlong goals

Here are some ideas for yearlong goals, each written as an "I" statement.

1. I will complete my homework every night during my homework time.

2. I will record my homework in my assignment book every day.

3. I will carry home all forms on the day they are handed to me.

4. I will organize the materials in my backpack/locker at least once a week.

5. I will use a planner or calendar to plan for long-term projects.

How do you reward a goal if it consumes an entire year?

Rewarding a goal that lasts an entire year can be an exciting prospect. This is partly because you get the opportunity to choose whether you want to use one large reward or a few smaller rewards. The key to any reward system is creating a way to observe the progress toward the goal. If the child is young, sticker charts and calendars are doubly useful; these teach counting and calendar skills along with perseverance and keeping your promises.

If you have adolescents or teens, a calendar is still a great idea. The main idea is to simply provide a way for your child to see how close the goal is getting. Remember that if you do use a calendar you