In the afternoon of Thursday, December 5^th, the 7^thGrade students took a course on setting S.M.A.R.T. goals. Many students do not have goals and are clueless on how to make them. S.M.A.R.T. stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely. Firstly, a goal has to be specific. Rather than just saying “be a better person”, it is better to state how to be a better person and to what extent, such as “help others when needed” and “mind my manners”. A goal also has to be measurable. For example, measuring the development of the relationship between teachers and students can be done by monitoring the comments teachers have given their students. In addition, a goal has to be achievable. Setting a goal to “master the skill of flying an airplane in only one day” is beyond anyone’s capability. For a goal to be accomplished, it must also be realistic. Setting a goal to “master the skill of invisibility” is also impossible to do. Last but not least, a goal must be timely. A time limit helps with not procrastinating.

In class, students first watched a video on setting S.M.A.R.T. goals, and then took notes on what the YD teacher was discussing. Students then undertook an activity called “Zombie Apocalypse”. They were separated into groups and set many goals to help themselves get to the safe zone in the case of a zombie apocalypse. On the way, students were assigned many situations such as one of the group members being bitten by a zombie, survival items being stolen, and their water supply becoming poisoned. These helped students practice how to change their S.M.A.R.T. goals in the face of unforeseen circumstances. Students are expected to apply what they learned in this activity to their real lives. Students have learned a bountiful amount of knowledge about setting S.M.A.R.T. goals andare certainly looking forward to the next activity they will participate in!

（Written by Ethan Wang 7(4) Edited by Jason Sonnefeldt Pictures by Teachers)