Posted on: Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Pledge school success with goal letter, 'Better Me' list
Advertiser news services
Teaching kids to set and achieve goals is critical to academic and personal success, says Susan V. Bosak, a life-course educator and chairwoman of the national Legacy Project of the nonprofit Parenting Coalition and Generations United in Washington, D.C. (www.legacyproject.org).
Setting and striving for goals helps children learn how to act responsibly, how to break a large task into manageable steps, how to work with others to get what they want, how to handle stress, what's realistic and what may not be, and how to believe in who they are and what they can accomplish, the organization said.
Bosak has some tips to help parents and teachers start the school year right:
Start the school year with a goal letter. Children should identify something they'd like to learn more about or get better at, something they want to learn how to do, or a fear they'd like to overcome. With the help of an adult, they write a goal letter that includes why they want to do it, the specific steps to get it, and a specific date to achieve the goal.
Develop an education contract. Include items such as listening better in class, asking the teacher questions when they don't understand material or an assignment, taking a few extra minutes to double-check homework before handing it in, and starting to study for a test at least three days beforehand.
Help children create a "Better Me" list — things they can do on a regular basis to improve themselves and build character. These might include reading one new book a week, writing in a daily journal or writing to a long-distance grandparent once a month, studying an extra 15 minutes a day or helping a younger brother or sister with homework.
Children can make a specially decorated "Dream Chest," filling it over time with newspaper and magazine articles, images, cartoons, quotations, and other items that inspire or interest them.
Encourage children to choose a historical hero — an interesting historical figure who can serve as a role model. Make it a family project.
Set a "Dream Time" every week. Read inspiring books aloud together and discuss them.
