Building a Sense of Purpose in our Students

Building a sense of purpose is so important in today's world.  In Dave Stuart's blog this morning, he discussed the main goal of schools:  LONG TERM FLOURISHING.  AMEN! At times, I find myself caught up in testing and standards, but am reminded of the power of our ultimate goals as educators, to promote long-term FLOURISHMENT as we want for our own children.

Quality standardized tests do measure part of what it takes to flourish in the long-term. Content knowledge and academic skills are often indispensable when building a flourishing life. But the bigger picture includes self-control and purpose, effective help-seeking and ownership of learning.  This idea led me to the book:

The Path to Purpose

This book reminds us as parents & educators that we MUST help youngsters to see the unhappiness that a life without purpose will lead to, and on the upside, the fulfillment that commitment to a purpose provides. The big AHA that I've taken away from this book is that SELF-GENERATED ACHIEVEMENTS as a youth appear to transfer into adulthood.

 

 

To further help me develop this focus throughout my school year, I've found another AMAZING resource that DAVE STUART shared on his blog:  CHARACTER LAB ( Character Lab LINK ) Character Lab is a non-profit bridging the science of character development with the daily work of teaching so all kids can fulfill their potential.