Goal Setting Guide
Students Setting Personal, Classroom, School and Community Goals
A guide to teach students how to set their own personal goals, and to be a part of setting classroom, school, and global/local community goals.
Students and adults frequently write their personal goals but often overlook goals for their community, and globally. As a class have students participate in writing personal, school, their community, and global goals.
Personal Goals
Personal Goals are goals that are specific to only the student. Students should be encouraged to write a variety of goals that deal with their physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual capabilities. Their personal goals will alter something about themselves.
Physical: Student will lose weight, eat a fruit a day, do 30 sit ups each morning are just a few examples of physical goals. Physical goals have to do with altering the physical body for the better.
Mental: Student will spend 30 minutes a day reading a book, work on projects on the first day it is assigned not the last, learn a new language are the mental goals that gets the brain more active. It is important to keep the brain stimulated. Mental goals have to do with challenging the brain.
Emotional: Student will walk away from a fight, will choose not to participate in put downs, will refrain from using inappropriate words are examples of emotional goals. Emotional goals have to do with gaining control of our emotions. Students are very emotional and it is a great lesson to teach them ways to deal with anger that is different from their usual style.
Spiritual: Students will take time to reflect on their choices weekly, students will read a page from their religious books, take 5 minutes a day and just sit without disturbances are a few examples of spiritual goals. Spiritual goals are taking time to quiet the mind and body to be in the moment and to learn from the past.
Classroom Goals
As a class you brainstorm on a goal for the classroom. The students may decide it is best to do agendas in the morning, or to clean desks on a bi weekly basis. The goals will be decided on a democratic basis. All goals need to follow the four basic steps to writing a goal.
School Goals
The class brainstorm on what they would like to see different in the school. Maybe the class feels they would like to know the lower grades and establish a reading buddy system or they might feel there is too much waste and educate classes on recycling. The class should only work on one school goal at a time otherwise it will become overwhelming. Another solution is to divide the class into two and have two groups working on different goals. Have weekly meetings to discuss their successes and obstacles.
Community Goals (Local or Global)
Class suggests a variety of important community issues that are in need of help. Some examples are feeding the homeless, making booties for premature babies, raising money to create a skate park, or foster a child in a developing country. Students just need a platform and you will be amazed with their ideas of how to help the community.
