Since the International Olympic Committee changed the timing of the games in the 1990s, there are no Winter Olympics to draw upon for our second-semester inspiration. But just as the Olympic torch burns continuously in between competitions, our goal of “Going for the Gold” with our kids must remain constant – pulling us forward.
A trip to the Olympics ultimately begins with a dream. Years before athletes compete for the chance to represent our nation, they have set a personal goal for themselves. Making it to the Olympics is the result of goal focus and intense hard work.
The New Year’s holiday is the perfect time to think back on the past year and to set goals for the year ahead. As you reflect on 2008, you probably are asking yourself whether you achieved last year’s resolutions. If you did, great! If not, that does not mean you have failed – it just means that you have not gotten there yet. It is so important to set goals for the future and then take the time to focus on them. Goals are the keys to the doors of success!
As a district, we are not quite halfway through the school year. Today is the 84th day of instruction and we have 93 days left with our kids. As I reflect on our progress, I continue to believe that we are doing an outstanding job with the kids who are performing on the upper end of our spectrum. We still have an enormous amount of work to do to ensure that all kids are reaching excellence. I feel very good about our schools that have closed achievement gaps, but they are the exception rather than the norm. We have to close those gaps and must continue to work hard to accomplish this goal. When all students, no matter the demographics, reach proficiency, there will be no gaps.
On a personal note, I hope each of you had a good break, spent time with your families and got some well-deserved rest. I set some goals related to my spiritual life, losing weight, working out more, reading more and spending more time with family. I wrote down these goals and am having them pop up on my computer on a regular basis to remind me.
With enough hard work and determination, I know each of us can accomplish the things we set our minds to.
I asked Dad why I needed to do this, and he told me that goals are the keys to the doors of success. Well, I usually just ask Dad when I need him to open the door for me to go outside, but I thought this might be worth a try, so I went ahead and made the following resolutions: