20 SMART Goals for Teachers to Have an Amazing School Year

What are the best SMART goals for teachers examples?
Looking for a list of teacher goals for classroom management?

The last year has been trying on all fronts, especially for teachers. You’ve had to adapt to the protocols issued by your state and the government. You’ve had to engage with your students in new ways.

Plus, you’ve had to learn how to use Zoom, Google Classroom, and other video software to make your lessons engaging and informative for your students. It’s been a tough one for many teachers, students, and parents.

To help with classroom management and ensure a happy school year, we’ll look at S.M.A.R.T. goals, how to define them, some S.M.A.R.T. goals for teachers, some professional goals for teachers, and some long-term goals as well. 

By the end of this article, you should be able to find some ways to streamline your stresses and have amazing school years to come. Teachers, let’s enjoy the school year and not count down the days to school being out for the summer.

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What is a S.M.A.R.T. Goal?

A S.M.A.R.T. goal is a goal that is specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-based. For example, let’s say I want to lose weight. A S.M.A.R.T. goal would be that I am going to lose 10 pounds in 14 days by working out for 45 minutes at 3 p.m. each day. The goal is specific, measurable, achievable, relevant to my want, and time-based. 

Another example could be that by the end of the week, you will have researched car insurance for teachers and chosen the right car insurance for you. The S.M.A.R.T. goal does not need to be too specific. It just needs to be specific and measurable enough that it is quantifiable.

Now that we’ve established what a S.M.A.R.T. goal is, let’s look at how you can apply a S.M.A.R.T. goal in education.

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What is a S.M.A.R.T. goal in education?

When it comes to education, a S.M.A.R.T. goal could be that you will grade 150 papers for seven hours on Saturdays starting at 10 a.m. (The goals described here are just hypothetical S.M.A.R.T. goals.)  

Another S.M.A.R.T. goal could be that by the end of the school year, you will have improved your students’ grades in your class by a letter grade. 

Your S.M.A.R.T. goal could be anything as long as it fits the criteria for being specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-based. 

Now that we’ve looked at S.M.A.R.T. goals in education, let’s dive deeper into some S.M.A.R.T. goals for teachers examples.

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20 SMART Goals for Teachers Examples

S.M.A.R.T. Goals for Teachers in Education

What are some S.M.A.R.T. goals for teachers? Here are five S.M.A.R.T. goals that teachers can use to have an amazing school year. 

1. By the beginning of the school year, I will have my syllabus ready and printed for my students to read.

2. At the end of the first quarter of the fall semester, I will have had my students read 100 pages in a classic novel that I’ve chosen for them.

3. By the end of the fall semester, I will have had my students write two essays based on what they’ve read in class.

4. At the end of the third quarter, I will have had my students work on college-level, algebraic problems and help them think analytically about numbers. 

5. By the end of the spring semester, I will have had my students complete their SATs and ACTs with scores averaging 25 and 1540.

Now that we’ve looked at some S.M.A.R.T. goals for teachers examples, let’s take a look at some professional S.M.A.R.T. goals for teachers. 

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Professional S.M.A.R.T. Goals for Teachers

What are some professional S.M.A.R.T. goals for teachers? In this section, we’ll take a look at five professional goals for teachers that align with S.M.A.R.T.

1. Before the school year begins, I will take an educational course to grow my teaching skills.

2. During lunch hour, I will take 15 minutes to meditate and practice mindfulness so that I don’t experience burnout. 

3. Before the school year begins, I will take a technology course to better prepare myself for teaching virtually to my students.

4. During the summer, I will read “Zoom for Dummies” to better understand how to utilize Zoom with and for my students.

5. After the school year is over, I will send an email to my principal and have him/her evaluate my performance for that year.

Now that we’ve looked at S.M.A.R.T. professional goals, let’s take a look at some S.M.A.R.T. personal goals for teachers. It’s important to have a balance between work and your personal life.

Pro Tip: It’s important for you as a teacher and as a human being to be confident in who you are. These goals can be daunting, but know that you got this and take the first step to start believing in yourself.

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Personal S.M.A.R.T. Goals for Teachers

What are some personal S.M.A.R.T. goals for teachers? Personal S.M.A.R.T. goals can be a multitude of things, but we’ll look at personal self-care goals. Hopefully these will alleviate some of the stresses of work life.

1. By the end of the day, I will be in bed no later than 10 p.m.

2. During the weekend, I will walk for 45 minutes or more around 2 p.m.

3. During the work day, I will eat a balanced meal to help me to have a healthier diet.

4. On Saturdays, I will treat myself to an hour-long bath in the evenings around 7. 

5. Before bedtime, I will write out my goals and affirmations to help me not lose sight of my why.

Pro Tip: It can be hard for teachers to take care of themselves. It’s even harder for them to take care of their skin. But having a daily skincare routine is so important to overall self-care.

Were some of these helpful? Let’s take a look at some long-term S.M.A.R.T. goals that you can implement today.

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Long-term S.M.A.R.T. Goals for Teachers

What are long-term goals for teachers? Long-term S.M.A.R.T. goals can be as long as six months to five years, depending on what the goal is. This is a great time to think big and dream boldly.

1.  By the end of next year, I will have gotten my master’s in education from the University of Maryland to enhance my teaching capabilities.

2. In the next three years, I will be organizing in such a way that the process of filing my papers will be automated. 

3. Within five years, I will be getting my Ph.D. in education to better myself and become more equipped to teach my students.

4. In the next year, I will be scheduling appointments with my students’ parents and getting them more involved in their children’s education.

5. Within four years, I will be allowing my students to have control over what they learn in my classroom and how we go about teaching. I will allow them to have free reign over their education once a week.

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Making S.M.A.R.T. goals isn’t easy, but I hope even some of them have inspired you to make your own. Teachers have had a hard go of it recently. You all deserve to treat yourselves and take care of yourselves. Your students will thank you for taking the time to pamper yourself now and then.

Don’t be afraid to take time for yourself and take a breather. You deserve it. Teacher burnout is a real thing and we need you to teach future generations. You all are one of a kind and so needed in society. 

Below are some frequently asked questions teachers have about S.M.A.R.T. goals.

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Frequently Asked Questions About SMART Goals

#1. What does S.M.A.R.T. stand for?
S.M.A.R.T. stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-based

#2. What’s the difference between a S.M.A.R.T. goal and a regular goal? 
S.M.A.R.T. goals are tangible and measurable while regular goals are a little bit more difficult to quantify.

#3. How specific do I need to be for my S.M.A.R.T. goals? 
The more specific, the better. Include as much detail as you can. It helps to make it more achievable and measurable.

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#4. Where did the idea of S.M.A.R.T. goals come from? 
George T. Doran is the man that created the S.M.A.R.T. goal framework.

#5. Why is it important to have professional and personal goals?
It’s important to have a balance between the two. Too much of a good thing can be bad. Focusing too greatly on your professional life could potentially make you a workaholic. Then again, too much focus on your personal life could make you complacent and lazy.

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#6. What’s the difference between long-term and short-term goals? 
Long-term goals usually are six months to five years into the future. Short-term goals are usually shorter than six months. Short-term goals can be even as short as five minutes.

#7. What can I do to stay on top of my S.M.A.R.T. goals? 
The best thing you can do is to write them down each day and meditate or pray on them—whatever works for you. Keep them in the forefront of your mind and make sure you keep them measurable and achievable. 

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#8. What is an example of a big and bold S.M.A.R.T. goal? 
Finishing your master’s in education in five years is a good one. 

#9. What are some easy self-care S.M.A.R.T. goals that I can implement today? 
Taking a walk for 30 minutes after work, meditating during your lunch break for 15 minutes, and getting to bed by 10:30 pm each night.

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Whether you’re committing to better classroom management or your own professional career as a teacher, you need to make it Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound.

Wishing you an amazing school year!

What SMART Goals for Teacher will you set?

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Last Updated on July 26, 2024