A new school year . . . . .got goals?

by Paula Dykstra

August 28, 2008

Greetings and welcome back from summer! Let me introduce myself to you (for some it is a re-introduction). My name is Paula Dykstra and I am the social worker here at CHS. I am beginning my 8th year with the district. I live in Bourbonnais with my husband and two children, Madelyn (2 ½) and Bennett (4 months). Obviously, they keep me hopping when I am not working!!! I graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign twice, once with my bachelors in Psychology and the second time with my masters in social work. I love learning and would have stayed longer but it was time to get a job and move on. So, I still learn just not in a formal college setting anymore  I also enjoy spending time with my family, photography, exercising, watching sports and reality television (which my husband cannot stand).

Upon returning to my position this year, I was asked to write down my goals which could be both professional and personal. I thought on this for some time because, to be honest, I had not really been thinking about goals. I was changing diapers, catching zzzzz’s wherever I could, and chasing a fun loving 2 year old around all summer. Goals are a funny thing. They are extremely nice to have because they keep us focused and on track but they can be difficult for some to wrap their minds around. They can drum up many emotions from fear and sadness to hope and excitement depending on how you see your goals and if you have any at all. As parents and I include myself in that, I believe we should help our students with goal setting. Do they have to be huge, 10 years down the road goals? Not at all! They can be simple goals such as completing your homework every evening, passing 9th grade or post high school dreams. Goals do not have to be school related either. Maybe you have a student who is musically gifted and dreams of starting a band. So start helping your children set goals of how to reach that dream. It may not be a band that’s music goes platinum and this is okay!! I would encourage you to begin talking to your students, if you have not already, about their dreams and goals in life. It is a great way to show you are interested in what your child is interested in! This may even prove to expand your relationship with your son or daughter in a positive direction!

I found a great goal setting guide, for lack of a better term. It helps to guide you in setting goals. Goals should be Specific Measurable AttainableRealistic and Timely. It is okay to ask questions such as “can you realistically attain that goal?” or “is this goal really what you desire?” This is not an attempt to squash their dreams but to make them successful in their dreams. Think about me, 5’6” and not too speedy, sets a goal to be a center in the WMBA. My parents should start asking me questions to start me thinking about this goal. In the end, my goal really is not realistic. I am not tall enough nor fast enough and when I can come to that conclusion on my own I can start setting more realistic goals that I will be successful at. This is not to say we shouldn’t encourage our students to dream big but let’s help them stay realistic!

I will be putting an article out each month. If there is something you are interested in reading about further, please feel free to let me know and I can dedicate an article to that topic. You can reach me via phone or email (pdykstra@cusd4.org) with any questions or concerns. I am here to be of assistance to not only your students and the staff but also to you parents!

"The reason most people never reach their goals is that they don't define them, or ever seriously consider them as believable or achievable. Winners can tell you where they are going, what they plan to do along the way and who will be sharing the adventure with them" -- Denis Waitley