It was wonderful to welcome back our students this past week. Each year as school begins every child has a clean slate and an opportunity to reinvent him/herself. As teachers, we too have the chance to rework that particular unit that did not quite work out the way we wanted, or to add a new spin, topic or means of instruction. We commit to being more understanding with our students, and making our classrooms even better places for our students. And, as parents, we too can start fresh as we recommit ourselves to not allow that much television/technology use, or on the flip side, to perhaps not work our children so hard. We try to set up our homes for academic success, and do not want to repeat last year’s mistakes. That is why I love the fact that the beginning of school coincides with the month of Elul and the time of year when we are also trying to start anew and regret mistakes of the past. We all pledge to do it S.M.A.R.Ter this year- in our home, school and religious lives. But, how S.M.A.R.T. are we? How do we make sure to achieve our goals and not repeat last year’s mishaps?
The key to actualizing one’s hopes for the coming year is choosing S.M.A.R.T. goals. I will explain further, but first a bit of background. This year, as you might know, our entire school will be committed to implementing Dr. Carol Dweck’s research regarding mindset and grit. As it relates to academics, Dr. Dweck asserts that a student’s mindset- how she perceives her abilities- impacts on her motivation and her academic achievement. As Dr. Dweck states, “We found that if we changed students’ mindsets, we could boost their achievement. More precisely, students who believed their intelligence could be developed (a growth mindset) outperformed those who believed their intelligence was fixed. And, when students learned they could ‘grow their brains’ and increase their intellectual abilities, they did better. Finally, we found that having children focus on the process that leads to learning (like hard work or trying new strategies) could foster a growth mindset and its benefits.”
Children with a fixed mindset think that their intelligence, like physical traits, is fixed. The “amount of intelligence” they are born with is what they will have for life. We want our children to have a growth mindset where they believe that their abilities can grow and be developed through effort, hard work and persistence- grit. Those with a fixed mindset dread failure. Those with a growth mindset embrace failure as an opportunity to grow. The key to growing is grit- stick-to-itiveness, persistence. Only if you believe you have to ability to achieve things that are hard for you, you can be “gritty.”
There are many implications for how we educate and raise our children. One area stressed by Dr. Dweck is how we praise our children. If we praise them by saying they are so “clever” we are then encouraging them to develop a fixed mindset. But, if we praise them for their hard work and their persistence even when facing challenges, it helps them gain a growth mindset.
Challenging oneself to grow and persist involves setting goals. And, achieving the goal is not the only thing that is important. The incremental steps are essential.
That is where being S.M.A.R.T. comes in. Often we set lofty unrealistic goals and therefore we give up easily. As we have been teaching our 8th graders in Advisory each year, (way before mindset and grit become fashionable), when setting goals they need to be...
S. - Specific and Savvy. Easy to understand, not at all vague, specific and in the realm of possibility. Instead of “Stay in shape,” it would say, “Do 10 pushups a day.”
M.- Measureable and Meaningful. - Be specific about the outcome you expect. The destination should be clear. There should be target dates and amounts you expect to achieve.
A.- Attainable and Active- Can you attain this goal? Goals should tell you about an action you must take to get there. Verbs should be in the sentence.
R.- Reachable and Relevant- Although goals should stretch you, they should be within your reach. It is difficult to stay motivated if our goals seem unreachable.
T.- Timed and Trackable.- Have a clear deadline set. Dates motivate.
The beginning of the year is an opportunity to sit down with our children and set goals for the year- personal, academic and religious. In Advisory, we ask our students to set SMART goals and then log onto a website called futureme.org. There they can send an e-mail to themselves which will arrive back to them at the end of the year. We ask them to write their SMART goals in that e-mail. Then, the day after graduation, the e-mail arrives in their inbox. Did they achieve their goals? Did they persist despite challenge to achieve? Can they be proud of their efforts?
(This goal- setting activity is a meaningful one to do with your bar/bat mitzvah celebrant too!).
Futureme.org is a great resource for us adults as well. Let us take some time today, at the start of the new school year and during Elul, to set goals for ourselves as well. Will you be S.M.A.R.T. this year?
ADVISORY UPDATE:
Sixth Grade- Students experienced their first Advisory program- Jumpstart Orientation Day. They will have their first formal Advisory classes this coming Tuesday and Wednesday.
Seventh Grade- Some of our 7th graders have begun Advisory, and have learned that the theme of the 7th grade Advisory is “Prepare Yourself To Change The World.” They have discussed that teenagers really do have the power to make a difference in the world around them.
Eighth Grade- Some of our 8th graders have had their first Advisory session. They have watched a video prepared by one of our graduates, Noah Schultz, of real life interviews of Yavneh graduates. Interviewees discussed issues like how to choose a high school? What is 8th grade like? What are the highlights of 8th grade? What do you wish you would have taken advantage of while you were at Yavneh? What are the interviews like? Applications? What kind of extra-curriculars? These questions whet the appetite of our 8th graders, and give them a taste of the theme of the first half of 8th grade Advisory “Applying To And Choosing A High School.” 
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