Be The Change You Wish To See
This is the final week before a holiday break for many schools. One more week, teachers. You can make it!
Students often become very energetic near Christmas break, making it hard for them to concentrate on their assignments.
For this final week, I encourage you to invite students to practice writing by having them reflect and set goals for the new year ahead.
Students usually focus on setting personal goals for this assignment. They want to make better grades, eat healthier, or exercise more. However, I push students to think outside of their own personal goals. I challenge them to not only set objectives for personal growth, but also consider goals for their family, community, and the world. This helps them reflect on ways they can positively impact others.
FAMILY: Many students often say they don’t spend enough quality time with their families. This activity prompts students to start family game nights or create new routines to ensure their family eats dinner together each night. Other students may choose to focus on reconnecting with their grandparents and helping them with their yard or housework. Most often students will make plans to cut back on television or cell phone use in order to spend more quality time with their families. While many children in this generation are addicted to video games, iPads, and cell phones, they do value spending quality time with their families. They enjoy fishing and working on projects with their fathers, shopping trips with their mothers and aunts, and listening to the stories of their grandparents. I’ve had several parents thank me for this assignment over the years because it gave them the opportunity to reflect on the quality time their family spent together.
COMMUNITY: I ask students to reflect on how they are making their communities a better place and encourage them to set community service goals. Many students make goals to start volunteering or begin helping their local neighbors. I often share how I spent time when I was in high school volunteering at a local nursing home in my community called “The Vintage Inn.” I spent many weekends talking with the residents and that’s where I learned about World War II, the Great Depression, and the Civil Rights Movement. I heard real stories from people about what their lives were like and the lessons they learned throughout life. I gained invaluable wisdom and knowledge from listening to stories that no textbook could ever teach me. This understanding sparked my interest to be a history teacher. Students need to understand that community service will also have a positive impact on their lives as well.
WORLD: Students need to think about their role as global citizens and their goals for our world. I ask students the following questions: What are your hopes for the world? What would you like to see in the headlines—world peace, no more violence, or a cleaner environment? What can you do to make sure that positive changes take place? It’s important to encourage children, at any age, to start processing how they are impacting the world.
After setting goals, students will revisit this assignment regularly throughout the year. In June, we complete a self-assessment of our progress towards our goals. We hold class discussions on the impact their goals not only had on their personal growth, but also on their families, communities, and society.
All students need to understand that they can make a difference.
They can use their voice to communicate ideas.
They can take action to improve others’ lives.
They can be the change they wish to see.
