Goals and Systems

“Goals are about the results you want to achieve. Systems are about the processes that lead to those results.”  - James Clear

As the school year begins, we spend a good deal of time discussing the rules, the reason, and the procedures  for how the class will run. 

We have procedures for the bathroom, where the cell phones need to be hidden (forever), how they should sharpen the pencils, etc. Where there is order, there is room for so much more. 

Of course this is true, but it is also true of what we want the students to achieve and how they can get there. 

Just like there is a system for packing up at the end of the day, there is a system for expanding their vocabulary or building better math problem-solving skills. 

What tiny action when done every day will lead them to their goal?  How many of those can we squeeze in a day? Most things can be practiced in 1 minute. How many wasted minutes between things can we refocus?  

There’s a procedure for that too, and the students will be eager to remind you because they love challenges and order just like you.