Setting Goals

Goals have to be:

Realistic

You can’t say you want to be the best player in the NBA if you’re 5 feet tall with terrible coordination and have never played basketball before. Instead, your goal could be to start organizing pickup basketball games with your friends. Much more realistic.

Measurable

You can’t say you want to be happier. It’s too vague. Instead, think of what makes you happy, like working with kids. Then your goal could be to find an orphanage where you could volunteer and play with the kids there, which will inevitably make you happier.

Timed

If you don’t have a time frame, you will almost never have the motivation to begin the process of achieving your goals. Set a reasonable time limit. For example, give yourself a month to find a good orphanage to volunteer with, not a year.

Detailed

Don’t just say that you want to play basketball more. Figure out a good time and place, who you want to play with, and for how long.

Broken down into steps

The idea of finding an orphanage can be intimidating. So break it down into smaller pieces. For example,

Talk to your parents or family friends who might have experiences with various orphanages in the community
Decide how much time you want to spend volunteering
Visit a few of the orphanages that sounded best to you
Choose one, and stick to your decision about how much time to spend there.

Spiritual Goals Assignment

You must pick a spiritual or moral goal to work on this semester. The goal must be realistic, measurable, detailed, and broken down into steps.

Where would you like to be spiritually or morally? = your goal
How do you plan to get there? = at least 5 specific, practical things you can do this semester to help you reach your goal.

Memory Verse =  you get to pick it but it must go along with your goal

Pick a verse or passage in the Bible to memorize that will help you achieve your goals. You will need to write out the verse and explain how it inspires you to reach your goal/s. (It must be at least 10 words long – if not pick more than one) You will be quizzed on your verse throughout the semester

Accountability

Pick someone (a fellow student, another teacher, parent, or mentor) to share your spiritual goals and plan with. Tell me who it is and write a brief explanation as to why you picked that person. You must schedule to meet with that person at least once during the semester to talk about how you are doing with your goals (I recommend you do it more often)

How will you be evaluated? = by you

At the end of each quarter (part of your 40% project grade) you will be expect to evaluate yourself.

You will not be graded based on how well you did or did not do in reaching your goals but on how you reflect on your progress or lack thereof.