Setting Goals, Hopes, and Dreams: Connecting Students to the Community

September 03, 2019 Categories: Elementary School / First Weeks of School / Hopes and Dreams / Middle School
Watching a student show up to school each day excited to learn is one of the great joys of teaching. We give our students that spark when we help them figure out what they want to achieve during the school year, then show them the ways they can achieve those goals. In elementary school, we Read More »
Continue Reading
MAR
07
2019

Clearing the Way for New Growth

Recently I was in a school conducting observations, and I noticed that all of the classrooms were picture-perfect. The decorations on the walls looked like an advertisement for a teacher store, and…
Continue Reading
DEC
06
2018

Responding to Misbehavior with Empathy

Taking proactive steps to build a strong learning community, with practices like positive teacher language, interactive modeling, and investing students in rules through Hopes and Dreams, does a lot to prevent misbehavior…
Continue Reading
JUL
26
2018

What Are Your Hopes?

As we prepare for our upcoming Teachers and Leadership Conferences, we’ve been thinking a lot about hope. Students’ hopes and dreams are, of course, an integral part of the beginning of the…
Continue Reading
JUL
29
2015

Our Hopes and Dreams for School

Inviting students to name learning goals (hopes and dreams) right away shows them that school is a safe place, that they’re important members of the classroom, and that they can look forward…
Continue Reading
JUL
28
2014

“It All Begins With Hopes and Dreams”

Six months ago, a second grader at Roundtown Elementary, a K–3 school in York, Pennsylvania, brought a simple idea to a whole-school assembly—to place a bench on the playground for students who…
Continue Reading
AUG
15
2012

Books for Hopes and Dreams (2012)

Recommending children's books that teachers can use to begin talking about goal-setting and with their students has become an annual ritual for me. (Here are my picks for 2011 and 2010.) This…
Continue Reading
APR
09
2012

Helping Students Maintain Positive Mindsets

Recently, I ran the Rock 'n' Roll USA 2012 Marathon in Washington, DC. At about mile 19 of the 26.2 mile run, I realized that the goal time I'd set for myself…
Continue Reading
SEP
09
2011

More Books for Hopes and Dreams

A recent post on Facebook for more ideas about books to use with hopes and dreams made me think about why some stories work so well to inspire children to think about…
Continue Reading
JUL
19
2011

The First Six Weeks of School

The early weeks of each new school year offer teachers distinct opportunities and challenges. It is during this time—when expectations and routines are established, rules generated, and goals articulated—that the foundation is…
Continue Reading
DEC
28
2010

Setting Good Goals

"My goal is to get into shape this year.""My resolution for this year is to get to know my students better.""I want to do more professional reading this year.""My goal is to…
Continue Reading
SEP
21
2010

Teachers’ Hopes and Goals

In the hustle and bustle of the beginning of back-to-school time, have you thought about your goals for learning and growth for this year? I recently talked with a principal who was planning…
Continue Reading
SEP
03
2010

I Want to Be a Dentist!

For teachers who use the Responsive Classroom approach, talking with students about hopes and dreams (or hopes and goals) is a key activity during the first weeks of school. This discussion launches…
Continue Reading
AUG
25
2010

Read-Alouds to Inspire Hopes and Dreams

By now you probably know how much I love children's books! Here are some that would be perfect for launching a discussion of hopes and dreams—the first step in the Responsive Classroom…
Continue Reading
DEC
31
2009

Revisiting Hopes and Dreams in the New Year

Reflection and goal-setting are often a focus for adults in January, when the beginning of a new calendar year prompts us to think about what we've accomplished and what we hope to…
Continue Reading
APR
01
2009

My Hope and Dream for You

A few weeks before school ended last year, I wrote my fourth grade students notes stating a “hope and dream” for each of them as they moved on to fifth grade. My…
Continue Reading
AUG
01
2008

Hopes Make Goals Come Alive in a Speech & Language Classroom

Setting and working toward goals with students is a key element of my work as a speech/language pathologist. Each student I work with has an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) which names goals…
Continue Reading
FEB
01
2006

Hopes, Goals, and Classroom Rules

On a winter afternoon, a group of third graders has settled down for a class discussion. Their teacher, Nancy Kovacic, holds the book the children made last fall—pictures and words embodying their…
Continue Reading
AUG
01
2001

Hopes and Dreams in a Primary Classroom

I love the beginning of each school year with the coming of fresh new faces to excited to learn. Most of my students have been to kindergarten and come to first grade…
Continue Reading

Current Category

Hopes and Dreams

Other Categories

Elementary School

Middle School

Child & Adolescent Development

Families

Energizers & Activities

Engaging Academics

First Weeks of School

Teacher Language

Morning Meeting

Whole School

Positive Community

Classroom Management & Discipline

Building Classroom Community Building Schoolwide Community Bullying Challenging Behaviors Classroom Organization Classroom Rules Encouragement Engaging Academics Family Connections Language Arts Last Weeks of School Misbehavior Movement Professional Community Reinforcing Language Sharing Special Areas Working with Families