Goal Setting: students from august knodt are deciding their future “Every single staff member on campus participated in the project, and after we modeled that behavior, students were very excited and engaged,” said Alexis Agdeppa, August Knodt 5th-6th grade teacher. August Knodt employed the I Decide My Future project school-wide. Ms. Jillian Friend, school principal, knew she wanted to bring positivity and momentum to campus. “In a year where there have been many bumps in the road and days where we just feel defeated, I am very proud of my team for how far we have come,” said Friend. “Every teacher, office member, SSA,
and custodian alike has worked very hard and I wanted to capture the success of that as well as push them forward.”
Friend posed the questions to staff— How can we keep looking ahead? What else can we do for ourselves and for students? January, a month when people make resolutions toward personal goals, was the perfect time to launch a campus-wide initiative that inspired every teacher, staff member, and student to keep looking ahead. Staff paved the way, each making a personal commitment to themselves and to their students. Mr. Kanbara, a 7th8th teacher, made a commitment to “be available to students on their time, when needed” while Linda, a school SSA, promised to “build positive relationships with kids.” Then, the questions were proposed to students.
August Knodt Principal, Jillian Friend, holding her #IDecideMyFuture project poster
“I started by asking my students what they wanted to be when they grow up,” described
#idecidemyfuture
August Knodt teacher Alexis Agdeppa. “Then wrote each student’s future aspirations on the whiteboard and from there, discussed small steps we could take today to get us closer to that goal.” Ms. Agdeppa admitted that she did not anticipate how well-received the project would be among her students and was delightfully surprised by the level of engagement surrounding goal setting. The same can be said for her students who are struggling academically. Connecting with these students through their interests is one way Ms. Agdeppa orchestrates meaningful dialogue and keep students motivated toward their education. “My students who are struggling in the classroom are not necessarily interested in making academic goals. For instance, I had one student mention he wants to be a rapper and another state he wants to be a professional basketball player,” explained Ms. Agdeppa.
August Knodt Student
August Knodt School Site Assistants
Other students in her class focused on kindness while some committed to practicing gratefulness.
In May, students in Mr. Engleman’s class will reflect upon their respective goals and measure their success closely.
In Mr. Engleman’s 7th grade class, most students focused on long term goals such as improving their grades with identified, actionable shortterm goals such as completing homework assignments each night. Other students made commitments to a healthier diet or to keep the classroom clean.
Students were not limited to only academic goals and were encouraged to select unique commitments that were important to them, Ms. Friend explained.
Small steps today contribute to larger steps tomorrow.
The I Decide My Future project was created in part by the District Parent Advisory Council as a tool to help motivate students and hone a sense of control over their future by taking intentional steps, despite the current obstacles of today. In MUSD, we commit to making every decision solely around student need.
“So, we talked about what you can do right now to help you reach your future goals, such as improving writing and reading skills.”
Is your class, family, or team interested in participating in the I Decide My Future project? Let us know by emailing communityoutreach@musd.net.
Mr. Kanbara
Ms. Agdeppa’s Class
