When Students Have Something to Aim For

I once had one of my friends come and speak to my students about his growing career as a real estate agent. He talked about how he started his business, ways he has grown it, and how he finds joy in his work. At the end of his talk, he was taking questions from students, and one of my high schoolers asked, “Where did you go to college for this?”

My friend responded that he didn't go to college for real estate, and to be an agent you have to be able to pass a test to get a license and have the skills to grow your business from there. The student who asked that question struggled in school and was always on the cusp of failing his classes. He was a highly personable kid and had some amazing qualities, but his grades were not a reflection of them.

But then I watched his eyes light up, and afterwards he told me how excited he was that he might actually have a career that didn't require him to go to four more years of school. As his teacher, I was excited for him as well. Of course, I wanted all of my students to pursue some type of post-graduate education, including this kid, but I also know that a four year degree is not right for everyone. And in an education system that does not always honor that reality, students like this often feel dejected, and dare I say, hopeless. 

But now this student could envision a future for himself. Whether it was in real estate or something else, he started forming direction. And having this direction lit a fire and transformed his posture toward school. He started working harder, contributing more, and engaging in his classes. He didn’t start getting straight A’s, but no D’s and F’s either. Setting a goal acted as fuel, and it affected how he approached his everyday life.

The Power of Having Direction.

There’s something powerful about having something to aim toward. One of my favorite sayings is, “A strong WHY allows us to withstand any HOW." When we have deep underlying purpose fueling our work, the result is heightened work ethic and tenacity. 

Angela Duckworth’s research on grit explains this effect. In studying what allows people to persist and succeed over time, Duckworth found that talent and intelligence alone are not always the strongest predictors of achievement. What matters more is the combination of passion and perseverance toward long-term goals, which she calls grit. When people have something meaningful they are working toward, they’re more willing to stick with difficult tasks, recover from setbacks, and keep improving even when progress is slow. Purpose doesn't make the work easier, but it can give us a reason to keep doing the hard work when things get difficult.

What This Means for Educators

As educators, this means we not only need to communicate the purpose behind the work we give students, but also examine regularly how we can make the work more purposeful. Students need to see what can happen when they set goals and actively seek to achieve them.

This can start with modeling goal-setting for them. You probably have goals you’re working towards. Whether it’s a masters degree, doctorate, paying off your home, saving up for a vacation, taking up a new hobby, or something else, it’s good to let them in on this process. Educators hold a captive audience, and students can learn what realistic goal setting looks like from an important adult in their life. Let them know how you’re working towards that goal and what small steps you are taking to get there.

For instance, I was once saving up to buy a newer car. I told my high school seniors that I wanted a Ford Fusion, but didn't have quite enough money to buy it yet. After laughing at me for wanting to get a Ford Fusion, they listened as I explained how I am setting aside a certain amount of money each month until I have what I need. Periodically I would check in with them and let them know that I was getting closer to my goal. And then on a cold day in December, when I pulled into school in a shiny used Fusion, we jokingly celebrated that I finally met it.

Jane Porter writes in her article The Science of Setting and Achieving Goals, “Setting and achieving goals isn’t about knowing how you’ll get to the end-result, but rather understanding the incremental steps needed to edge you closer to it.” Students need to see the journey that it takes to reach that achievement. This process hasn’t necessarily been modeled for many of them, and yet is a competency that will fuel them throughout their lives.

Teach Students to Practice Goal Setting.

Years ago, when my son was in second grade, he came home excited to tell me how his teacher showed him how to set goals. She wanted her students to become stronger readers, but rather than simply telling them to read more, she taught them how to break that larger goal into small, concrete actions.

At the beginning of each week, students decided how many times they would reread texts they had previously struggled with. They wrote each of those commitments on sticky notes and placed them in a folder. Every time they completed one, they removed a sticky note. By the end of the week, they could literally see the progress they had made toward their goal.

My son is twelve now, and the goals in his life are obviously different than they were in second grade. But the skill his teacher was helping him develop hasn't changed. Set a direction, identify the steps that will move you toward it, monitor your progress, and adjust when necessary. At dinner the other night I asked Jack what goals he has for 7th grade and he said he wants to become more organized. And then we talked through what he can do to achieve that. No sticky notes anymore, but the work that teacher did 5 years ago is still providing value. That second-grade folder full of sticky notes was one small opportunity to practice becoming a self-directed learner.

This is the kind of competency we often describe in a Portrait of a Graduate as self-direction, agency, or ownership of learning. We want graduates who can set goals, develop a plan, monitor their progress, respond to setbacks, and keep moving forward without someone constantly directing them. But students don't magically develop that ability when they turn eighteen. Like every competency in a Portrait, it has to be practiced. Jack's second-grade sticky notes were practice.

Project Based Learning does this for students.

This is at the heart of project-based learning. PBL is helping students identify a purposeful task and putting in the work to solve it. I once helped a group of teachers at an alternative high school plan a project to clean up the river that flows through their school's neighborhood. The teacher started the project by taking the students, who live in the inner city, on a field trip to the countryside where this river originates. Students made note of the differences between the river in the country vs the city: they saw how the water is cleaner at its headwaters; it’s clearer, less pollution on the shoreline, and even has parks along the riverbank.

Then they asked the question: why isn’t our part of the river like this?

Naturally this motivated students to want to do something about the condition of the river by their homes. They set goals for themselves and their neighborhood. The rest of the project entailed planning and coming up with ideas. They had to present and fine-tune those ideas with each other. Students learned the science behind the river they are helping save, created materials using that learning to attract other people to help, and organized a clean-up day. And at the end of the project they held a huge community showcase that a county commissioner attended where students pitched their ideas. These students helped improve their home.

That was their goal from the outset, and by the end of the project they achieved it. And in the process, they learned science, persuasive writing, and the impact they can have when they work hard towards something meaningful.

Give Students Something to Aim For

The students achieved this goal because they cared about their neighborhood. My son achieved his because he cared about becoming a better reader. The student who started working harder in school because he heard the story of a real estate agent cared about his future, especially when he learned it could be a bright one. Human beings are fueled by purpose; we need to have things to aim for in life. And educators have a tremendous opportunity to help students figure out what that is and how to pursue it.