“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” C.S. Lewis, author

First day jitters…I still get ‘em. I’m starting my 26^th year as a professional educator and I admit I still get butterflies for the first day of the year. It’s a combination of excitement and anxiety that builds up to create enough adrenaline to (probably) prevent me from sleeping much this Sunday even though I don’t even work on a school site anymore. The start of the school year is like I’ve been reborn and given the opportunity to start fresh—absolved of the mistakes I made last year and free to start all over again. I like to start the year by setting some goals for myself, and no matter what difficulties I had achieving last year’s goals, I always believe this will be the year I accomplish everything I set out to do.

Many research studies have shown that goal setting not only increases motivation, but also increases the likelihood of success. Developing a plan to achieve my goals allows me to monitor my progress towards attainment. Seeing that incremental progress gives me hope when I’m struggling and spurs my enthusiasm when things are going well.

I’ve set some ambitious goals for myself this year, including:

• increase the % of seniors who complete the UC/CSU A-G requirements at all of our District schools;
• decrease the % of freshmen who fail three or more classes at all of our District schools;
• improve the achievement for all of our traditionally underperforming student subgroups—Low Income, English Learners, Foster Youth, and Students with Disabilities, as well as our Hispanic and African American students

We had an outstanding year last year and our student achievement levels rose almost across the board, but even so, we had hundreds of students who were not successful. My challenge will be to help our most at-risk students perform at their highest levels in order to increase the likelihood of their success after graduation. Preparing them to take the next step in their educational journey and towards their career dreams will help them to improve our community and avoid a life of poverty.

Ambitious goals? Certainly. But I don’t expect to meet these goals by myself and I am lucky to work with some of the most talented and dedicated educators around. Support staff who remove barriers for students. Teachers who not only challenge students, but also provide support and inspiration. Parents who dream their children’s success will exceed their own. I just hope they enjoyed some good rest this summer and are coming back to school as excited as I am because even though the challenges we face are significant, the potential payoffs are even more rewarding!