We are now almost half way through 2019! Many of you would have set goals at the beginning of the year, and now is the time to check up on those goals, especially for students who have tests/exams approaching, or for those who have completed exams and are looking towards the second Semester of school work.

I thought it would be helpful to go through The Children’s Center for Psychiatry, Psychology, & Related Services recommendations for Goal Setting. It can be hard for parents, let alone students to make goals and meet them. Fortunately, we can achieve goals if they meet the following criteria:

SMART is an acronym that stands for:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Attainable, Achievable
• Realistic and Relevant
• Time-Limited and Trackable

Breaking down each step, here are some SMART goal examples:

• Specific – Don’t say, “I want to get better grades in school.” Do frame the desire for better grades in the form of something such as, “I will get all B’s and higher on my report card.” Stating the specific goal in concrete terms helps it become measurable.
• Measurable – How will you know when you’ve achieved your goal? In the case of getting better grades, you’ll know if you’ve succeeded when the next grading period ends and you can see the results of your efforts.
• Attainable (Achievable) – It’s probably unlikely that a student could go from mid-level grades to making straight A’s in one grading period, so they would want to set a goal they know they have a good chance of hitting. Don’t say, “I will make all straight A’s on my next report card.” Instead, do say, “I will raise all my grades by one letter by the end of the next grading period.
• Realistic and Relevant – Again, it’s going to be tough (and, therefore, self-defeating) to try to go from C-grades to straight A’s all at once. Raising grades by one level is realistic, however, setting this goal won’t matter unless it’s relevant to the child. Is the goal something they are excited about attaining?
• Time-limited and Trackable – Using the goal of raising grades on a report card, a time-limited goal would be to set the goal of achieving the result by the end of the next grading period or maybe the end of the school year. This goal is trackable if the child (and you) have a way of keeping tabs on their grades. Talk to the teachers to see if they’d be willing to give the child progress reports to help keep them motivated. Another way to track results is by keeping a chart of grades from papers, tests, and projects, so your child can get an idea of their progress. Keep the age of the child in mind – preschoolers have much shorter attention span. Their goals need to have a shorter time period.

(goal examples taken from the following website: http://childrenstreatmentcenter.com/smart-goals-teach-kids-goal-setting/).

By starting with small, achievable goals, and actually working to achieve them, we can build our confidence and move on to larger goals in the future. We can role model this to our children in our own lives, showing them how we do it ourselves, such as writing down your goal on paper, going through the SMART acronym and ticking it off as you get through it, perhaps on a calendar.

As a student, you can do this yourself, for sporting/fitness, mental health and academic goals.

My encouragement is to start small, and in time, build towards larger goals. And to keep God involved in the process. He can provide strength and encouragement when we don’t feel we are capable to achieve goals.

Isaiah 41: 10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

If you would like to talk further about this article, require more information or have concerns for your child (if you are a parent) or yourself (if you are a student), please don’t hesitate to contact myself at Catherine.DaSilva@ljbc.wa.edu.au or Matthew Harris (Secondary Chaplain) Matthew.Harris@ljbc.wa.edu.au at the College. We would love to chat with you.

Catherine da Silva

Secondary Chaplain