#GOALS

A new school year has just arrived and you know what that means: it is GOAL setting time! I always sit down to write my academic goals for each child along with their character focus and current interests. My goals could pretty much be on repeat each month. You know the ones like: to workout, eat better, have date night with my husband more consistently, listen more and talk less, wake-up earlier, be on the phone less, etc. I could go on and on and I know you can relate! I clearly never master them so they become goals every year, and there is never a shortage.

After reading The Brave Learner by Julie Bogart this summer, I was inspired to expand my personal goals. In addition to the usual, I am going to focus more on these and print them out in BIG bold font ensuring that I look at them often as a beneficial reminder. No matter what school choice you deem best for your family this year, I thought I would share these with you in hopes that they inspire you to come up with your own. In fact, let’s play a game. Let’s play a form of Mad Libs. You can use these VERBS as a jumping off point and fill in your own blanks! I would love to hear what you come up with for your family.

SCHEDULE: A few hours a week to write for myself.

ASK: What am I curious about? What does my child need from me?

FIND: The magic in each subject.

BE: A collaborator with my kids; partner with them.

HAVE: Conversations with no concrete objective or goal.

CHANGE: It up from time to time. Let them open the book to the middle. Let them do their favorite subject first.

CREATE: Space for all of our interests to grow.

CELEBRATE: Often: the milestones, the small accomplishments, the big, and simple hard work.

LOOK: For a mind at work! Look for their accomplishments in school subjects and hobbies alike. "

“An ‘educated” mind may not LOOK like a “schooled” mind.’ - Julie Bogart

ADD: Read-aloud tea time and Free-writing Fridays.

PRIORITIZE: Date-nights with kids and their Nature Journals.

COMBINE: History timeline with the history of our family.

ALLOW: More mess.

AIM: For" “peace and progress, not perfection”!