Creating your own Personal Mission Statement

Background

By now, you've thoroughly examined the Academy Mission Statement and maybe even Hilliard City Schools' Mission Statement.  As you can see from those examples, a Mission Statement is really nothing more than a focused statement of purpose - it simply states here is who we are, exactly what we are going to accomplish, and how we are going to accomplish it.  There is a Why component, but that doesn't actually go in the Mission Statement, though you will be required to have that in writing.  

The Assignment and Directions:

Your task is to create your own Mission Statement, which will guide you through the rest of this academic year.

Step 1. Brainstorm a variety of things you would like to accomplish as a student this year.  These can range from be more involved in my own learning to wanting to get a white card to just trying to stay organized.  Try for at least three so that you don't lock yourself into one before considering all the possibilities and just in case a few prove difficult or impossible to do in a full school year.

Step 2. Once you have at least three possibilities, carefully state exactly why you would want to dedicate yourself to each mission.  The better the reason for your mission, the more likely it is that you will work at it and succeed, so give this some serious thought.

Step 3. Now that you have reasons for each of your three possible missions, write down exactly how you would accomplish each one. Try to be specific here so that you have a plan you can actually take action on as you accomplish your mission.  There's nothing worse than having a desired destination and no way to get there!

Step 4. Having completed the brainstorming process, you now have at least three possible mission statements, why they are important to you, and how you would accomplish them.  At this point, you need to get it down to one focused mission statement you intend to pursue this year.  I suggest you throw away anything you don't feel strongly about first; then, eliminate any you think are too huge to be realistic or are too simple to really work on throughout the year.  This should leave you with the one statement (with its why and how) that you feel strongly about and can accomplish this year.  Remember: take your time because you are going to be "married" to this statement for the next nine months.

Step 5. Next, you want to make sure your mission statement is clearly and powerfully stated. Do this by comparing your mission statement to the Academy Mission Statement, looking to make sure you have all the parts and good strong verbs. The chart below illustrates these points:

Who: The Freshman Academy

What: will empower students and families to be connected to their learning

How: by choosing authentic and meaningful work that promotes ownership, achievement, and citizenship.

Step 6. Have peers read it to see if it “works,” and have your draft checked by the teacher.

Step 7. Once your mission statement draft is approved, you will be given an official form to fill out, which will include all the parts of your mission statement and your signature. We’ll add goals later.