Setting SMART Goals

It's that time of year when many of us like to set a goal or two for ourselves, related (or not) to our (school)work, personal health, or social relationships.

While goal setting is a great habit to get into, we shouldn't just set any old goal- we should be setting SMART goals!

SMART is an acronym that stands for

Specific

Measurable

Attainable

Realistic

Time-bound


Below is an example, to clarify these elements of a SMART goal:

not-so-smart goal: I will do more Membean so I have 50 minutes done each week. 

SMART goal: I will complete 10 minutes of Membean at 7:30pm each day, Monday-Friday, so I have 50 minutes done by Sunday.

This goal is specific- the outcome is 50 minutes of Membean per week, and it also tells when and how you will work to meet the goal. If you know you'll need a reminder to do this, set one on your phone to pop up at a specific time, ask a parent or peer to remind you, or, better yet- write in in your planner!

This goal is also measurable. "More" can't necessarily be measured, but 10 minutes is 10 minutes, and you know it's 10 minutes because the program times it for you.

This goal is attainable, because it's something you're likely to be able to achieve. Completing 3 hours of Membean each week would probably be a less attainable goal because you have a lot of other things to do, but most of us can find 10 minutes per day, 5 days per week, to do something.

This goal is realistic, because it's something you could actually do. The only thing that may not be realistic for some people is scheduling the Membean training for the same time each night.

This goal is time-bound, because you'll be able to assess whether or not you met it each week, and even each day if you did the training or not. By Friday, you'll know if you succeeded and met your goal, and if so, great! If not, you still have a couple of days to make some changes to get to the ultimate goal of 50 minutes of training per week.

After the time period for which you set your goal is up, it's always a good idea to reflect on how it went. If the plan you laid out as part of your goal worked, and you were able to meet the goal, awesome! Keep doing that!
If that plan you had for meeting the goal wasn't so successful, perhaps you should look more closely to see if it really is a SMART goal; you may need to be more specific and realistic about the goal and your plan for meeting it.


A few other tips for sticking to the goals once you've made some SMART ones:

Write down your goals, and hold yourself accountable by tracking your progress in a visible place. For example, use a monthly printout on the outside of your bedroom door, put a chart on the refrigerator, or even post your progress on social media! When you share your goals with others, you gain a community of supporters and they can help to hold you accountable too.

If you start to become overwhelmed by your goals, just pick one or two to focus on. You can't change everything at once.

Don't allow setbacks to throw you off course. If you mess up, fine. Just start again. If you miss your scheduled Monday Membean training, don't just not do it for the rest of the week! Instead, do 20 minutes on Tuesday to make up for it, or plan to make up the 10 minutes on Saturday!

Organization Check!

Happy New Year!

At the start of a new calendar year, people often make resolutions about changing and improving, so although it's not necessary to change anything, it is a great time to take a close look at your habits and systems, to see which are serving you well and which could use a little revamping.

You have a solid four months of school under your belt, and so you should have a lot figured out about how to be successful in your classes.

If, however, you've had some difficulty completing homework, remembering necessary materials for class, or even seem to be lacking free time, it may be wise to look at how you're organizing your materials and using your time.

Some things to consider:

1. What kind of system do you have for recording homework? 

Is it working well?
If not, what seems to be the problem? Is there a system that could work better?
If it is, and you're not missing or forgetting homework and you're successfully preparing for assessments, then keep on doing what you're doing.
Having an efficient, thorough way to record and track what you need to do is the first essential step to managing your time.

2. Are you able to find what you need, when you need it?

This includes your personal belongings and all of the materials you need for school (including what's on your laptop). Can you easily find what you have saved on your laptop or in Google Drive? Do you know exactly where to go in a binder or in your locker or backpack to find something specific? If you
can't find what you need, or if it's taking longer than you'd like, try to develop a system for what goes where. A friend, family member, or adult at school will likely have some suggestions about how you might do this, based on what works for them.

3. How much free time do you have?

Do you seem to have enough time to spend on the things you enjoy? Are you getting enough sleep? Do you feel rushed from one activity to another each day? If you feel you don't have enough time to do what you'd like, take a good look at how you're using the time you do have.

For example, during school, how are you using your free periods and study halls? Are you using them to chat with friends, or to get work done? Are you enjoying your electives, or do you think one period would be better spent in a study hall? Is your bus ride to school in the morning the best place to try to catch a few more minutes of sleep, or could that be used to do some Membean training? Where might you be able to find a few extra minutes here and there to devote to what you enjoy? Maybe your bus ride can be the time to check Instagram and go on Snapchat, but the time period between school sports and your hockey practice is when you should get some KBAR reading done...

Make a schedule of how to use your time, and stick to it. Then, assess how it went and what might need to be tweaked. Routines can save us time and energy, but they should be routines that are effective for our purposes.

Oftentimes, getting organized with materials and routines can save you time and effort, even if it takes small investment of time up front.

Easy Mindfulness Exercises!

Many of us, students and adults alike, rush through our days, getting things done while thinking about what is coming up next. While it's important to be productive, this can come at the expense of missing out on fully experiencing the present moment, and being fully present in our selves in those moments. 

Mindfulness practices are designed to help us do just that- set aside the myriad thoughts running through our heads, tune out distractions, and notice what's happening now. Below are a few mindfulness practices you can try right in the classroom or at any other time during your busy day.

Exercise 1: Close your eyes. Put your hands on your belly and/or on your chest over your heart. Notice the depth of your breath. Take a few deeper breaths, filling your throat, then lungs, then belly as you inhale. Exhale and notice the different sensations in your throat, chest, and belly. Repeat a few times before opening your eyes.

Exercise 2: Find a comfortable seat with your feet planted on the floor. Close your eyes. Notice your feet- the temperature, fabric touching your skin, the way the bottom of your feet feel, the way the top of your feet feel. Shift your focus to your ankles. Notice the sensations your ankles are experiencing. Move up your body this way, noticing the sensations in each part of your body. Once you've reached the top of your head, notice your whole body. Then notice your breath. Take a few more deep breaths before opening your eyes.

Exercise 3: Take off your shoes. Relax your eyelids so that you are looking at the floor. Begin to walk slowly, noticing the sensation of your heels, your arches, and your toes as they contact the floor. Notice what changes when you move slightly slightly slower. Take deep inhales and exhales, and slow your walking down so that one step takes as long as one inhale. Notice the shift in sensations in your feet and lower extremities. Continue for as long as you'd like, or as long as you're able.

Give one of these exercises a try today, and see how it affects you!

Communicating with your teachers and other adults in school

One thing I've been noticing is that many students have trouble communicating with their teachers in writing, in an appropriate and formal-enough way.

The way you communicate with your teachers can make a big difference in how (and if) they respond to a question, suggestion, or request.

For example, if one of my students emailed me and wrote

i dont know what the homework is can u tell me?!?!

my response, if I chose to respond at all, would probably be about a couple of things other than what the students wanted to know. I would want to respond that a.) their messages to me need to have some element of formality, and b.) that they should write the homework in their planner during class when prompted, check the website if needed, and ask a friend before reaching out to me. In short, to use their resources!

However, if they had already done those three things, and still needed clarification about an assignment, a much better way to go about asking for help would be to write

Hi Ms. Keenan,

I forgot the details of what the homework assignment is. I should have written down more  detail in my planner. I will plan to do that next time. I also checked the website and asked Student B already, but I'm still confused. Could you please let me know the details of the assignment? In the future, I plan to write down the homework in detail as soon as you tell us what it is. 

Thank you,

Student A 

Just a quick example, but I hope you get the point! 

 

During Reading Strategies

Here's another screencast...

This time, it's about a few strategies to use during reading. 

Pop some popcorn, enjoy the video, then grab a good book and start practicing the strategies!

Before Reading Strategies

As we know, being strategic about reading saves time and energy AND helps you to better understand and retain what you read. Being a strategic, active reader needs to happen before, during, and after reading. In the screencast below, learn about active reading in general AND a few before-reading strategies you can use to warm up your brain for the text.

Tips from parents!

Many parents can experience nervousness about sending their child to a new school, or are unsure what they- and their child- can expect as they move on to another grade. If you (or your parent) falls into this category, you're not alone!

Although we're now a week and a half or so into the new school year, some parents submitted excellent tips for easing the transition back to school.


"As nerve-wracking as it may be for parents and/or child to send your kid off to a new place for the first time, just remember that it is unlikely that this is the first time that the school, daycare, or institution is welcoming a new face. If you've done your research, you're going to be leaving your child in the hands of well qualified individuals who likely have a seamless process in transitioning new children into a new school year/ program. As a parent, take a deep breath, kiss your kid goodbye, and really try to appreciate the quiet adult time you'll have (whether it be at work, school, or home) while your kids are off socializing."
- Mrs. W., mother of 2


"Build and develop a relationship with your child's teacher(s). Get to know, understand, and have comfort in the person or people who are the experts and are charged with educating your child. Once you have established an open line of communication, trust and development can thrive, for the student and the parent."
- Mr. R., father of 1 


"Try to tour wherever you're sending your child and meet the people who will be working with them, PRIOR to beginning their first day. It will be nice for the child and for you to have a familiar face and sense of the atmosphere, come that first day of school...when those nerves really start to act up!"
- Mrs. D, mother of 3


"In the days before school starts, help your child do some "mental walk-throughs" of the first day of school. This way, when the first day rolls around, your child will have already had an opportunity to mentally rehearse what the experience will be like!"
- Mrs. K., mother of 5

"...Reassure your student that nerves are normal, and that there are many other students who will be having the same thoughts and feelings on the first day of school. This will be the first day for a lot of the kids!"
- Anonymous

"The night before, make sure everything is ready for the morning. For my kids, that means picking our clothes, having their backpacks by the door, and 2 of them shower the night before."
- Anonymous

"Practice your morning routine before the actual first day, so you can start the day by being on time and not in panic mode!" 
- Mrs. F, mother of 3

Any more tips to share? Please email or comment below!