Each fall I start the year with a Hopes and Dreams activity. We all think back to last year and what went well and what was hard and difficult. The students then choose a goal for the year. The most difficult part of this activity is narrowing the goals down to something do-able. I get a lot of "I want to be better at Math," when I am hoping for "I want to get faster at my math facts." This is a difficult concept for most 5th graders to grasp and I occasionally need to do some one-on-one counseling to get them where they need to be.
We end this activity with an exciting (and rather loud) celebration. We all read our hopes and dreams and celebrate the teamwork that will take place as we work together to reach these goals. Our hopes and dreams are written on stars that go up on a bulletin board in our classroom.
It sounds easy here. In reality, it is exhausting. Or maybe my exhaustion is just from the first three days of school with 18 very busy 10 year olds. I'm going to enjoy this first weekend of the school year!
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