Create Goals for Success.  As we close out the first progress report period, it is a perfect time to assess where we are and how we are doing in reaching our goals for the year.  Yes, there is an emphasis on goals.  Without goals we have no specific direction and therefore are unable to create a plan for progress.  Remember the rabbit in “Alice in Wonderland” who told Alice that if she didn’t know where she was going then it didn’t matter what path she took?  The path we take does matter, but we need to know where we want to end up.  It is crucial that we have goals – as students, parents, and educators, in order to ensure that all students are successful in high school, college, and life (yes, that is our school’s vision and goal…you remembered!).  The goals should push students to go beyond their comfort zone, but be well supported and reasonable to ensure success.

Plan for Success.  With reasonable goals for what we want to accomplish in a specific period of time, we are able to map out a plan of activities to make sure that we reach our goals with a feeling of success and enjoyment.  It is vital that students not only work hard to meet learning goals, but are able to see the significance of how learning will make their lives better.   In the 1960’s, President Kennedy created the unthinkable goal of putting a man on the moon.  In turn, he worked with everyone to coordinate a sound plan to ensure that the goal was met and that it benefited everyone in some way.  With parents, students, and teachers working together, efforts are coordinated and supported at home and at school to keep students learning and applying skills and knowledge all the time.  With everyone on the same page, students work hard and yet take time to enjoy the new skills and learning.  

Work Hard But Have Fun and Enjoy Learning.  Great results don’t come without hard work.  Frederick Douglass, great civil rights leader, said it so well:


As students work hard at learning, we must help them in keeping their eye on the goal or the “prize.”  We constantly must celebrate our students’ progress and allow them to enjoy those new skills, such as reading a new great book, playing a fun game that involves math, or just talking about the world and allowing them to think and develop their ideas.  Hard work certainly deserves rest and recognition of a job well done.  Successful athletes and musicians train hard in order to be able to perform well, but they also rest after the performance to reflect on and enjoy their accomplishment.  Great learning does lead to great fun, but it takes great effort and support to get there.  The energy source to keep everyone going is not as simple as a battery.  Passion, love of learning, and a sense of accomplishment are the sources of energy.

Enjoy learning….and have fun!

Don Anderson
Principal