Appeal Tribune Wednesday, December 28, 2016 3B
EDUCATION
Helping students set goals for the new year
CANYON VIEWS
ELIZABETH SCHAEFER
For many schools, the
start of a new calendar
year also means a new se-
mester is right around the
corner – both make this a
good time of year for par-
ents and teachers like me to work with
children on setting goals.
Not only can this process help stu-
dents reflect on their accomplishments
in the past, but it can also help establish
goals for the future.
To get an idea of my 6th graders aca-
demic goal-setting skills, I sent out a
three-question survey just before the
holiday break: Name one goal you would
like to achieve for your school work in
2017? Why is this goal important to you?
How do you plan to achieve that goal?
Here are a few responses from my
students:
Luke said 1) “I want to become more
efficient in all computer-based skills;
keyboarding, Power Point, and Word.” 2)
“This provides the base to my future
education and beyond.” 3) “Continue to
work hard…practicing these skills I
learn in regular lessons. I will take my ti-
me…because I will not want to waste any
time trying to relearn skills.”
From Anna: 1) “In 2017 I would like to
be better at math…to be better at divid-
ing, be able to add small numbers quick-
ly…and get 100-percent on all of my
math tests.” 2) “I want to feel better
about doing math because when I do
math I get really frustrated…I want to
feel happy and proud of myself after get-
ting 100-percent on assessments.” 3) “I
want to achieve this goal by studying
really hard….and if I make extra time to
practice these things I can achieve my
goal.”
Finally, feedback from Kimberly: 1)
“My goal is to become a better typist and
improve my grades.” 2) “I want to get a
good report card and I also want to go to
college and get a degree.” 3) “Study hard
and ask questions.”
While my students have a variety of
aspirations they would like to work to-
wards, many children don’t know where
to start when it comes to setting goals.
Parents can help by taking some time to
brainstorm with their students, to help
them identify a few skills they want to
improve or to empower them to choose a
topic they would enjoy learning more
about.
Bestselling business author Harvey
Mackay once said, “A goal is a dream
with a plan and a deadline.” One of the
greatest benefits of setting goals is
teaching students to take ownership of
their learning. When they are given an
opportunity to set their own goal and
then achieve it, they gain a sense of self-
esteem and pride.
When talking about the plan for stu-
dents to achieve their dreams, I often re-
fer to what are called SMART goals.
These types of goals came from the busi-
ness community, but also assist educa-
tors in helping students develop better,
more focused goals. The SMART acro-
nym has been modified over the years,
but usually stands for goals that are Spe-
cific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic,
and Timely.
Specific:
Students who narrow down their
goals to specific accomplishments have
a better chance for success than when
trying to accomplish broader, more gen-
eral goals. For example, this time of year
many people make New Year’s Resolu-
tions. Notice the word “resolutions” con-
tains the word “solution”? If a student
makes a list of specific “solutions”, like
turning in homework more often or cre-
ating a study group with peers, those so-
lutions will help them to achieve a larger
goal or resolution, such as doing better in
school.
Measurable:
It’s difficult to know if a student is
making progress toward their goals un-
less there are measurable steps along
the way. Parents should talk with their
Canyon Views
Have a topic, issue or viewpoint pertinent to
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The Stayton Mail welcomes letters to the
editor up to 250 words, or submissions to the
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on topics of broader interest.
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jmuch@salem.gannett.com.
children about an action plan for how the
goal will be achieved, and the criteria to
measure progress. If the goal is for a bet-
ter grade in English, then the student’s
plan might include reading a chapter in
their book each week or learning 10 new
words every day.
Attainable:
Also known as “achievable”, having
an attainable goal is an important con-
cept in goal setting. Students should cre-
ate goals that are a stretch for them to
attain, but are also achievable if they fol-
low the necessary steps to success. Par-
ents can help students understand that
improvement and goal attainment takes
time. Progress, not perfection, is what
counts when trying to reach goals and
their hard work will pay off down the
road.
Realistic:
When looking at a specific goal, con-
sider if this is a realistic goal for that par-
ticular student. Is the goal clearly de-
fined? Getting an A in History sounds
nice, but an A on a mid-term test is differ-
ent than an A for the whole semester. Is
the goal also aligned with the student’s
past performance? What if this student
received a D in that class last quarter,
and is now trying to bring their grade up
to an A? This large jump in grade could
be an unrealistic expectation, and when
the student falls short they could feel
like a failure. Creating a solid action plan
with realistic goals and a set timeline for
check-ins can help increase a student’s
chance for success.
Timely:
Each goal should have a time frame
associated with it, and progress towards
student goals should be trackable. One
way to do both is by writing down
SMART goals and setting deadlines on a
white board, calendar or other central lo-
cation. This way, parents and students
alike can clearly see progress towards
the goal.
These are just a few tips for the goal-
setting process. Like many skills, setting
goals requires practice, practice, and
more practice. Parents should empha-
size to students that achieving their
goals takes perseverance and time.
Motivation can also be a challenge for
students after the holiday break, and
children can get easily frustrated if
work on their new goals is off to a rocky
start. When a student is discouraged or
begins to procrastinate, parents should
keep a positive attitude and compliment
them for trying. Goal setting comes with
rewards and responsibilities. Students
should have clear expectations and cele-
brations for achievements, but conse-
quences can also be helpful in promoting
success.
Goal-setting provides a chance for
parents and students to support each oth-
er’s hopes and come together as a team.
Going through the SMART goal steps
can be a good exercise for all ages -- help-
ing children learn skills they will use in
the years ahead and giving adults a re-
fresher course on how to achieve their
own goals.
So here is the New Year’s Resolution I
put on my list: talking to my students
about setting goals to improve their edu-
cation. How about you, what’s your New
Year goal?
Elizabeth Schaefer of Salem is an Ore-
gon Connections Academy sixth-grade
teacher. She can be reached through OR-
CA,
www.OregonConnectionsAcademy.com,
(800) 382-6010.
Alpaca ‘farming’ a perfect fit for former newsperson
DEE MOORE
MARION SOIL & WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT
Meredith Kuhl has led an adventur-
ous life. “I use to be in the news way
back,” Kuhl said.
She worked for MSNBC in New Jer-
sey. After some soul searching she de-
cided to re-evaluate her life and took to
the roads to travel the country in an RV
to trek across country and see America.
Her conclusion after four years on the
road was that she did not want to return
to the city and spend the rest of her life
crammed in an office. She wanted to
farm.
A friend in Colorado introduced her to
alpaca farming for fiber and it was a per-
fect fit.
After spending time learning how to
raise and care for alpacas, she started
Springtime Farms. She moved to Salem
six years ago with her herd to be closer to
“Mr. Wonderful."
She now spends her days working on
her farm, selling fiber products through
her online storefront, SnugglyToes.com,
and working for the Willamette Valley
Humane Society as their development
coordinator.
“I have fiber everywhere pretty
much all the time,” Kuhl said, describing
her home with a laugh. She spins, cards
and processes her wool.
She began her association with con-
servation districts in Colorado.
“I worked with the one in Colorado a
little bit,” she said. But it was a Salem
realtor who introduced her to Marion
Soil & Water Conservation District.
“I would like to do as much as possible
to leave the land the way I found it.”
She has a seasonal creek that has been
left wild and a native prairie area that
she minimally maintains. Kuhl believes
her farm would be a much different
place if she hadn’t gotten to know the
conservationists and been made aware
of technical resources.
“I’m just tickled pink,” she said of the
SPECIAL TO THE STAYTON MAIL
Meredith Kuhl enjoys raising alpacas in the East Willamette Valley.
district cooperator of the year award.
“It’s a bit of a surprise. I am really hon-
ored.”
Dee Moore is a communications spe-
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cialist with the Marion Soil & Water Con-
servation District. She can be reached at
(503) 391-9927 ext. 306 or dee.moore
@marionswcd.net.
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