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SEE IT; ACHIEVE IT!
GOAL SETTING FOR THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR
By Dr. Raymond J. Huntington
After several weeks of summer vacation, your child should be heading
back to school rested and determined to make the most of his or her
potential. As a parent or guardian, you can facilitate this mindset
by setting goals in each of the areas that are so important to
academic achievement. Here are some suggestions:
GOAL ONE: Raise the bar
Whether your child is an excellent, capable or struggling student,
earning the best possible grades should be one of the most important
goals. This means envisioning certain targets and committing to the
hard work it takes to reach them. If your child had relatively good
study habits, worked moderately hard and earned “B”s and “C”s last
year, set a goal to earn all “A”s and “B”s this year. In most
schools, this GPA level will qualify for the honor roll, signify
that your child is performing at grade level, and show that he or
she is well-prepared for increasingly difficult work. If your child
is already an “A/B” student, set a goal to earn all “A”s and do
everything possible to help achieve that goal. If your child
struggled last year and ended up with “C”s and “D”s, talk with
teachers right now about the subject areas that proved most
troublesome so they can shape their instruction and find the extra
help your child will need.
GOAL TWO: Create and stick to a firm study schedule
From the beginning of the school year to the end, study time should
be part of your child’s daily schedule. This should be a certain
period of time, every weekday and one day on the weekend, when your
son or daughter completes homework, prepares for tests and engages
in “free-choice” learning to explore special learning interests and
aptitudes. Keeping on schedule tends to be easiest if this period is
the same time each day of the week, with more flexibility on the
weekends.
If you’re like many families, you should find it easier to stick to
this schedule if it’s aligned to your child’s biological learning
clock. This is the period of time after the end of the school day
when your son or daughter is most alert and attuned to the learning
process. Some students may need to jump into study time and “get it
over with” as soon as they get home from school. Others may need a
break for physical activity or socializing before they’re in the
right mindset to buckle down and make best use of the time.
New Goals for a New School Year
Page 2
Effective sequencing will make this time more productive. Homework
assignments should be completed first. Studying for upcoming exams –
including those scheduled for the next day or in the next week or so
– should come next. If all the homework is done and your child tells
you there’s no test to study for, he or she should fill the rest of
the schedule with independent learning activities that could include
reading, working on an extra credit project or utilizing the
Internet and other resource materials to explore special interests.
GOAL THREE: Take action when trouble lies ahead
If your child is struggling to understand quadratic equations or the
symbolism in a novel assigned for an English Literature class, the
problem may go beyond simply not paying attention or not applying
enough effort. You should encourage your child to alert you whenever
he or she is struggling and then talk with teachers to see what kind
of extra help is available. This may include some remedial work to
build or strengthen basic skills, or the use different teaching
strategies to convey concepts in a way that better suits your
child’s learning style. Taking action early is absolutely critical –
you don’t want to find out about a major learning issue the day
before a big test, or at the end of a quarter when it may be too
late to address the problem.
GOAL FOUR: Get an extracurricular boost
While academics should always be job number one, extracurricular
activities can also expand your child’s learning horizons and
strengthen the impression he or she will make on college admissions
applications. Reading groups, language clubs, political campaigns,
academic competitions and volunteer projects can extend your child’s
natural aptitudes and interests and pack a lot more learning into
the day. These activities can also lead to stronger friendships and
connections to your school and community, which can give your son or
daughter a stronger sense of well-being and purpose.
GOAL FIVE: Maintain a can-do attitude
Your child’s self-esteem can be a very big factor in social and
academic success. Students who truly believe in their abilities are
in a better position to overcome bad test scores and master
especially difficult coursework. You can foster this self-esteem by
showing how much you value your son or daughter’s hard work and
accomplishments. When your child gets a bad grade, position it as a
temporary setback, not a failure, as long as he or she learns from
the experience, and make sure that major successes are acknowledged
from the beginning of the year to the very end.
Dr. Raymond J. Huntington is co-founder of Huntington Learning
Center, which has helped children achieve success in school for over
28 years. For more information about how Huntington can help your
child, call 1-800 CAN LEARN.
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