Description
Real-world Social Emotional Learning (SEL) for Middle School and High School that isn't babyish: SEOT Videos, Reading Passages, and Questions that explore the transferable life skills we need to succeed at school, at work, and in life.
Students develop self-awareness and self-management through goal setting.
Let's be honest. School can be tough. Life can be tough. You can lead a horse to water, but it doesn't mean they will make lemonade.
Cliches are everywhere and different things work for different people (including Social Emotional Learning SEL programs your school bought for you.)
⭐ Can you and your students buy into my origin story?
If so, they MIGHT buy into the message behind these lessons.
MY ORIGIN STORY:
- My name is Michael Fuchigami.
- I used to teach Grade 8 in Ottawa, Canada.
- Then, something happened, and I fell into a mental health crisis.
- Sometimes bad things happen that are out of your control.
- I didn't ask for my life to change, but I had to take responsibility and ownership to get myself back to a better place.
- I’m still working to figure out how to turn the worst moment of my life into the best moment of my life.
- It's been five years since my life changed. Things are getting better, but I still have to make my way through good moments and challenging ones.
- I still use the lessons and ideas in the SEOT videos and handouts today as I try to earn a living from the internet.
- I'm a content creator. I create Social Emotional Learning resources for students (through this Educircles store) and teachers (through entrepreneurial adventure.)
- I make lots of mistakes (including in the evolution of this bundle!) I try to learn from my mistakes and improve things.
- The more mistakes I make, the better I get (as long as I can set my ego aside and be open to constructive criticism.)
Setting goals isn't a "school" thing. It's a life thing.
Chances are, at some point, you've wanted more out of life.
It might be an academic goal, although it doesn't have to be. Maybe you want something. Maybe you want to do something. Maybe you want to be something.
⭐ If you think you and your students can relate to my origin story, keep reading.
Teachers, I appreciate the job has changed so much. It's not what many of us signed up for.
If your mental health is struggling, please consider reaching out for help.
When I was in crisis, I called an anonymous crisis line which helped me (in addition to all of the friends, family, and professional help that I had engaged.)
There can be a lot of stigma behind mental health challenges. One of the things that helped me decide to make my mental health a priority was because another teacher I respected led by example. That teacher was one of the strongest teachers I knew. If that person could be assertive to take care of themselves, then it felt like it gave me permission to take care of myself, too.
Your mental health matters. You are not alone.
- If you teach Grades 6-10 and one of my resources might help, but you're not in a financial position to buy it, please email me at Mike@educircles.org and say the phrase, "puppies are a lot of work."
- SEOT (Strategies, Effort, Optimization, Tinker) is something I came up with after I gave up my teaching license (Jan 2019).
- What got me through my mental health crisis was thinking about the 6Cs of Education.
- Social-Emotional Learning skills literally saved my life, although at the time, we called it New Pedagogies for Deep Learning or 21st Century Global Competencies.
⭐ Who is this resource for?
- Middle School and High School teachers
- ELA teachers, homeroom, advisory, guidance teachers
- Any teacher who wants to use chunks before or after class to help build transferrable life skills with their students.
- Your students who are struggling. Elementary school sometimes seems to give bonus marks for effort (Oh, they tried so hard...) But very quickly in middle school and high school, just because you try hard doesn't mean you get the grade, make the team, or pass the course. The SEOT Wheel of Success explains the difference between pure effort and working smarter.
- Your A+ students who do well in school. Your best students probably need these lessons more than your struggling students. If school comes easily to you, you never have to learn how to struggle. Things are easy... until they're not. I was a gifted, straight-A student, did everything I was supposed to, had a job that I loved and thought I would do until I retired... until everything changed. I would encourage my strong students to choose real-world goals (instead of academic goals, which might be too easy for them.) What do they want in life? To be financially stable? Rich? Healthy? Happy? In a wonderful relationship? To feel happy with their body image?
⭐ Teacher Feedback
"I highly recommend this bundle to middle and high school teachers. This doesn't need to be used in just an English class. Teachers could use these lessons in small chunks as a warm-up or closing activity to help build further relationships with students and the importance of goal setting. Thank you for creating this and making those edits, Mike!" - Jessica T, 9th-grade teacher.
- This teacher had some initial concerns with the resource.
- I updated the bundle for everyone based on her fantastic constructive feedback.
- Please check out her question in the Q&A section as well as her full review to get the complete story!
⭐ This goal-setting bundle has received a lot of honest, constructive feedback (check out the comments!)
- I use this feedback to improve the product.
- Please look at the PREVIEW PDF which shows a watermarked copy of what you get, including a detailed lesson plan.
- If you have any questions, please email me at Mike@educircles.org
⭐ This goal-setting bundle requires SOME PREP.
Individual resources in the bundle might be EASY PREP:
- print handout,
- show slideshow or video,
- teach.
However, figuring out how all of the individual resources fit together in the bundle requires some prep time.
- Once you purchase this bundle, click the GREEN DOWNLOAD button to get a zip file containing all of the resources.
- If you have any questions, please email me at Mike@educircles.org
Updated for 2025.
- Includes 28 SEOT goal-setting products.
- Slideshow lesson shows students how to use a graphic organizer to see if they are working "SMARTER"
- Universal Design Learning: Students can access the content in multiple formats. Watch motivational videos or read the reading passages.
- Print or edit handouts.
- Use this package, again and again, every year!
OVER A WEEK OF LESSONS!
- Use the NO PREP Back To School 2025 independent writing packet
- Watch the New Year's Resolution Motivation Video (SEOT 001)
- If I do everything in these videos, will I achieve my goals? Watch the answer.
- Put up the Growth Mindset Posters. Use the lesson plan/handout package so each student has a copy of the posters.
- Go through the SMART Goal Setting Lesson / Handout / Activity. Students brainstorm and create personal goals.
Go through the SEOT video lessons.
The following lessons come with a handout, discussion question, and answer key.
- SEOT 1: Just Start
- SEOT 2: Keep The Streak Alive!
- SEOT 3: Measure Progress
- SEOT 4: Stop, Observe, Wonder
- SEOT 5: Stop Digging Holes
- SEOT 6: Fail Challenge
- SEOT 7: Check In
- SEOT 8: Get Creative
- SEOT 9: Ask Why
- SEOT 10: Set A Timer
- SEOT 11: Stick To The Plan
- SEOT 12: Procrastinate With Purpose
- SEOT 13: Visualize Success
- SEOT 14: Do the next right thing
- SEOT 15: Pivot and try something new
- SEOT 16: Write it down
- SEOT 17: Work backwards
- SEOT 18: Celebrate small wins
- SEOT 19: Find correlations
- SEOT 20: Play with mistakes
READ THIS BEFORE YOU BUY:
- Please look at the individual products to see previews of what you get.
- The distance learning versions of this product are Google Docs. This means the formatting of the handout will change as students type answers into the handout.
- If you have any questions, please ask in the Q&A section or email me at Mike@educircles.org
⭐ WARNING! NOT EVERYTHING WORKS FOR EVERYONE ALL OF THE TIME! This product may not fit your style or needs!
A teacher left behind some very valid feedback about this product.
(I've included it here in the product description below to help you make an informed decision about whether this resource is right for you.)
Please have a read to look at the concerns.
- Here is the sarcastic, anti-motivational, motivational letter updated for Back to School 2025.
- Here are my goal-setting lessons on YouTube.
- Here is the complete SMART goal setting slideshow lesson (view only slideshow)
If you have any questions about this product, feel free to email me at Mike@educircles.org
⭐ Here is a very valid 3-star review from Tiffany (Sep 18, 2021):
- "I think this could have been a good resource, but it was overwhelming to try to figure out where I should click, what I even had, and where to begin.
- I was a bit put off by the "I've made x amount of money since I quit my job" message.
- Aside from that, I tried the initial goal setting lesson with three different classes, ranged from 6th-9th grade, and they all nearly rioted.
- I probably won't continue with this resource."
⭐ And, here is my response to Tiffany (Sep 18, 2021):
- Hi Tiffany, thank you for coming back to leave an honest review. I appreciate it - it will help other teachers who are considering this product, and it helps me try to figure out how to make this product easier to use.
- You definitely raise several good points. I agree. It can be overwhelming with all of the different files. I am working to simplify the process, but the piece I'd love to hear more about is the part about the students nearly rioting. If you had to guess, what was it that turned off your class from buying into the idea?
- The reason why I ask is that in my experience with doing entrepreneurial adventures with Grade 7 and 8 students, I found that the idea of making money was a powerful hook - whether it be online or in other ways. I had found that many of my disengaged (male) students were hooked by the idea of making money online - which is why I tried that angle in the introduction letter here.
- Clearly, that angle failed with you and your students, so I apologize!
- When you tried the initial goal-setting lesson, are you talking about the SMART goal-setting slideshow? I would love to hear more about why you thought your students didn't buy-in.
- I fully appreciate that you are super busy. In exchange for your email thoughts, I would happy to send you a $10 TpT gift card which you can use anywhere on the TpT marketplace.
- If you're interested in telling me more, please email me at Mike@educircles.org I appreciate the review and I look forward to connecting with you if you are interested.
- Cheers, Mike
If you have any questions about this product, feel free to email me at Mike@educircles.org
BONUS: Here are 20 optional videos about goal-setting that go well with this handout package.
Setting goals is easy. Achieving them requires work... sorry!
⭐ Teach a Growth Mindset. SAVE TIME and MONEY by using the 6 Cs / 21st Century Learning Skills MEGA bundle.
- Welcome video https://youtu.be/uHcuSibo6Hg
- SEOT 1: Just start https://youtu.be/v4DGKdQeTK0
- SEOT 2: Keep the streak alive https://youtu.be/mBvKcUGVEJ4
- SEOT 3: Measure progress https://youtu.be/i68_gYB6gHI
- SEOT 4: Stop, observe, wonder https://youtu.be/KIxB9gXsLY0
- SEOT 5: Stop digging holes https://youtu.be/Ifs0_IeW--Q
- SEOT 6: Fail challenge https://youtu.be/X1FdGRzPQ80
- SEOT 7: Check in https://youtu.be/OwOYbvNYOdc
- SEOT 8: Get creative https://youtu.be/8K4ks6VE9jk
- SEOT 9: Ask why https://youtu.be/pu-_KXtDPkk
- SEOT 10: Set a timer https://youtu.be/CWhw3QglJJo
- SEOT 11: Stick to the plan https://youtu.be/h5sd2lJBJhQ
- SEOT 12: Procrastinate with purpose https://youtu.be/K-vhmkpNwgU
- SEOT 13: Visualize success https://youtu.be/lWJ2ZCGJHZE
- SEOT 14: Do the next right thing https://youtu.be/kUUrPe6_SGA
- SEOT 15: Pivot and try something new https://youtu.be/_VAMtObyLgM
- SEOT 16: Write it down https://youtu.be/qAgH9T6oIQk
- SEOT 17: Work backwards https://youtu.be/El5wZNbuQlY
- SEOT 18: Celebrate small wins https://youtu.be/JUNLn6mj-2Q
- SEOT 19: Find correlations https://youtu.be/URr7OTs97h4
- SEOT 20: Play with mistakes https://youtu.be/OBuyx3uKeIY
If you have questions about this product, please email Mike@educircles.org or ask below in the Q&A.
© SEOT Mindset Inc.
Report this resource to TPT
Reported resources will be reviewed by our team. Report this resource to let us know if this resource violates TPT's content guidelines.
SEOT Goal Setting | Growth Mindset Life Skills | Middle School Advisory | SEL
Educircles Growth Mindset Social Emotional SEL
3.1k Followers
$16.50
$104.99
SAVE
$88.49
Highlights
Digital downloads
Grades
6th - 9th
Pages
9 resources, 47 page lesson plan. Please look at the BONUS file
Answer Key
Included
Teaching Duration
2 Weeks
Save even more with bundles
This growing bundle includes every single resource in my Educircles TPT store. Buy now and get all future resources for free! CHECK OUT THE PREVIEW TO SEE EXACTLY WHAT YOU GET!(Download the preview. It has links to all of the products so it's easy to find what you need.)This Everything Bundle costs
Price $146.98Original Price $649.45Save $502.47
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Description
Real-world Social Emotional Learning (SEL) for Middle School and High School that isn't babyish: SEOT Videos, Reading Passages, and Questions that explore the transferable life skills we need to succeed at school, at work, and in life.
Students develop self-awareness and self-management through goal setting.
Let's be honest. School can be tough. Life can be tough. You can lead a horse to water, but it doesn't mean they will make lemonade.
Cliches are everywhere and different things work for different people (including Social Emotional Learning SEL programs your school bought for you.)
⭐ Can you and your students buy into my origin story?
If so, they MIGHT buy into the message behind these lessons.
MY ORIGIN STORY:
- My name is Michael Fuchigami.
- I used to teach Grade 8 in Ottawa, Canada.
- Then, something happened, and I fell into a mental health crisis.
- Sometimes bad things happen that are out of your control.
- I didn't ask for my life to change, but I had to take responsibility and ownership to get myself back to a better place.
- I’m still working to figure out how to turn the worst moment of my life into the best moment of my life.
- It's been five years since my life changed. Things are getting better, but I still have to make my way through good moments and challenging ones.
- I still use the lessons and ideas in the SEOT videos and handouts today as I try to earn a living from the internet.
- I'm a content creator. I create Social Emotional Learning resources for students (through this Educircles store) and teachers (through entrepreneurial adventure.)
- I make lots of mistakes (including in the evolution of this bundle!) I try to learn from my mistakes and improve things.
- The more mistakes I make, the better I get (as long as I can set my ego aside and be open to constructive criticism.)
Setting goals isn't a "school" thing. It's a life thing.
Chances are, at some point, you've wanted more out of life.
It might be an academic goal, although it doesn't have to be. Maybe you want something. Maybe you want to do something. Maybe you want to be something.
⭐ If you think you and your students can relate to my origin story, keep reading.
Teachers, I appreciate the job has changed so much. It's not what many of us signed up for.
If your mental health is struggling, please consider reaching out for help.
When I was in crisis, I called an anonymous crisis line which helped me (in addition to all of the friends, family, and professional help that I had engaged.)
There can be a lot of stigma behind mental health challenges. One of the things that helped me decide to make my mental health a priority was because another teacher I respected led by example. That teacher was one of the strongest teachers I knew. If that person could be assertive to take care of themselves, then it felt like it gave me permission to take care of myself, too.
Your mental health matters. You are not alone.
- If you teach Grades 6-10 and one of my resources might help, but you're not in a financial position to buy it, please email me at Mike@educircles.org and say the phrase, "puppies are a lot of work."
- SEOT (Strategies, Effort, Optimization, Tinker) is something I came up with after I gave up my teaching license (Jan 2019).
- What got me through my mental health crisis was thinking about the 6Cs of Education.
- Social-Emotional Learning skills literally saved my life, although at the time, we called it New Pedagogies for Deep Learning or 21st Century Global Competencies.
⭐ Who is this resource for?
- Middle School and High School teachers
- ELA teachers, homeroom, advisory, guidance teachers
- Any teacher who wants to use chunks before or after class to help build transferrable life skills with their students.
- Your students who are struggling. Elementary school sometimes seems to give bonus marks for effort (Oh, they tried so hard...) But very quickly in middle school and high school, just because you try hard doesn't mean you get the grade, make the team, or pass the course. The SEOT Wheel of Success explains the difference between pure effort and working smarter.
- Your A+ students who do well in school. Your best students probably need these lessons more than your struggling students. If school comes easily to you, you never have to learn how to struggle. Things are easy... until they're not. I was a gifted, straight-A student, did everything I was supposed to, had a job that I loved and thought I would do until I retired... until everything changed. I would encourage my strong students to choose real-world goals (instead of academic goals, which might be too easy for them.) What do they want in life? To be financially stable? Rich? Healthy? Happy? In a wonderful relationship? To feel happy with their body image?
⭐ Teacher Feedback
"I highly recommend this bundle to middle and high school teachers. This doesn't need to be used in just an English class. Teachers could use these lessons in small chunks as a warm-up or closing activity to help build further relationships with students and the importance of goal setting. Thank you for creating this and making those edits, Mike!" - Jessica T, 9th-grade teacher.
- This teacher had some initial concerns with the resource.
- I updated the bundle for everyone based on her fantastic constructive feedback.
- Please check out her question in the Q&A section as well as her full review to get the complete story!
⭐ This goal-setting bundle has received a lot of honest, constructive feedback (check out the comments!)
- I use this feedback to improve the product.
- Please look at the PREVIEW PDF which shows a watermarked copy of what you get, including a detailed lesson plan.
- If you have any questions, please email me at Mike@educircles.org
⭐ This goal-setting bundle requires SOME PREP.
Individual resources in the bundle might be EASY PREP:
- print handout,
- show slideshow or video,
- teach.
However, figuring out how all of the individual resources fit together in the bundle requires some prep time.
- Once you purchase this bundle, click the GREEN DOWNLOAD button to get a zip file containing all of the resources.
- If you have any questions, please email me at Mike@educircles.org
Updated for 2025.
- Includes 28 SEOT goal-setting products.
- Slideshow lesson shows students how to use a graphic organizer to see if they are working "SMARTER"
- Universal Design Learning: Students can access the content in multiple formats. Watch motivational videos or read the reading passages.
- Print or edit handouts.
- Use this package, again and again, every year!
OVER A WEEK OF LESSONS!
- Use the NO PREP Back To School 2025 independent writing packet
- Watch the New Year's Resolution Motivation Video (SEOT 001)
- If I do everything in these videos, will I achieve my goals? Watch the answer.
- Put up the Growth Mindset Posters. Use the lesson plan/handout package so each student has a copy of the posters.
- Go through the SMART Goal Setting Lesson / Handout / Activity. Students brainstorm and create personal goals.
Go through the SEOT video lessons.
The following lessons come with a handout, discussion question, and answer key.
- SEOT 1: Just Start
- SEOT 2: Keep The Streak Alive!
- SEOT 3: Measure Progress
- SEOT 4: Stop, Observe, Wonder
- SEOT 5: Stop Digging Holes
- SEOT 6: Fail Challenge
- SEOT 7: Check In
- SEOT 8: Get Creative
- SEOT 9: Ask Why
- SEOT 10: Set A Timer
- SEOT 11: Stick To The Plan
- SEOT 12: Procrastinate With Purpose
- SEOT 13: Visualize Success
- SEOT 14: Do the next right thing
- SEOT 15: Pivot and try something new
- SEOT 16: Write it down
- SEOT 17: Work backwards
- SEOT 18: Celebrate small wins
- SEOT 19: Find correlations
- SEOT 20: Play with mistakes
READ THIS BEFORE YOU BUY:
- Please look at the individual products to see previews of what you get.
- The distance learning versions of this product are Google Docs. This means the formatting of the handout will change as students type answers into the handout.
- If you have any questions, please ask in the Q&A section or email me at Mike@educircles.org
⭐ WARNING! NOT EVERYTHING WORKS FOR EVERYONE ALL OF THE TIME! This product may not fit your style or needs!
A teacher left behind some very valid feedback about this product.
(I've included it here in the product description below to help you make an informed decision about whether this resource is right for you.)
Please have a read to look at the concerns.
- Here is the sarcastic, anti-motivational, motivational letter updated for Back to School 2025.
- Here are my goal-setting lessons on YouTube.
- Here is the complete SMART goal setting slideshow lesson (view only slideshow)
If you have any questions about this product, feel free to email me at Mike@educircles.org
⭐ Here is a very valid 3-star review from Tiffany (Sep 18, 2021):
- "I think this could have been a good resource, but it was overwhelming to try to figure out where I should click, what I even had, and where to begin.
- I was a bit put off by the "I've made x amount of money since I quit my job" message.
- Aside from that, I tried the initial goal setting lesson with three different classes, ranged from 6th-9th grade, and they all nearly rioted.
- I probably won't continue with this resource."
⭐ And, here is my response to Tiffany (Sep 18, 2021):
- Hi Tiffany, thank you for coming back to leave an honest review. I appreciate it - it will help other teachers who are considering this product, and it helps me try to figure out how to make this product easier to use.
- You definitely raise several good points. I agree. It can be overwhelming with all of the different files. I am working to simplify the process, but the piece I'd love to hear more about is the part about the students nearly rioting. If you had to guess, what was it that turned off your class from buying into the idea?
- The reason why I ask is that in my experience with doing entrepreneurial adventures with Grade 7 and 8 students, I found that the idea of making money was a powerful hook - whether it be online or in other ways. I had found that many of my disengaged (male) students were hooked by the idea of making money online - which is why I tried that angle in the introduction letter here.
- Clearly, that angle failed with you and your students, so I apologize!
- When you tried the initial goal-setting lesson, are you talking about the SMART goal-setting slideshow? I would love to hear more about why you thought your students didn't buy-in.
- I fully appreciate that you are super busy. In exchange for your email thoughts, I would happy to send you a $10 TpT gift card which you can use anywhere on the TpT marketplace.
- If you're interested in telling me more, please email me at Mike@educircles.org I appreciate the review and I look forward to connecting with you if you are interested.
- Cheers, Mike
If you have any questions about this product, feel free to email me at Mike@educircles.org
BONUS: Here are 20 optional videos about goal-setting that go well with this handout package.
Setting goals is easy. Achieving them requires work... sorry!
⭐ Teach a Growth Mindset. SAVE TIME and MONEY by using the 6 Cs / 21st Century Learning Skills MEGA bundle.
- Welcome video https://youtu.be/uHcuSibo6Hg
- SEOT 1: Just start https://youtu.be/v4DGKdQeTK0
- SEOT 2: Keep the streak alive https://youtu.be/mBvKcUGVEJ4
- SEOT 3: Measure progress https://youtu.be/i68_gYB6gHI
- SEOT 4: Stop, observe, wonder https://youtu.be/KIxB9gXsLY0
- SEOT 5: Stop digging holes https://youtu.be/Ifs0_IeW--Q
- SEOT 6: Fail challenge https://youtu.be/X1FdGRzPQ80
- SEOT 7: Check in https://youtu.be/OwOYbvNYOdc
- SEOT 8: Get creative https://youtu.be/8K4ks6VE9jk
- SEOT 9: Ask why https://youtu.be/pu-_KXtDPkk
- SEOT 10: Set a timer https://youtu.be/CWhw3QglJJo
- SEOT 11: Stick to the plan https://youtu.be/h5sd2lJBJhQ
- SEOT 12: Procrastinate with purpose https://youtu.be/K-vhmkpNwgU
- SEOT 13: Visualize success https://youtu.be/lWJ2ZCGJHZE
- SEOT 14: Do the next right thing https://youtu.be/kUUrPe6_SGA
- SEOT 15: Pivot and try something new https://youtu.be/_VAMtObyLgM
- SEOT 16: Write it down https://youtu.be/qAgH9T6oIQk
- SEOT 17: Work backwards https://youtu.be/El5wZNbuQlY
- SEOT 18: Celebrate small wins https://youtu.be/JUNLn6mj-2Q
- SEOT 19: Find correlations https://youtu.be/URr7OTs97h4
- SEOT 20: Play with mistakes https://youtu.be/OBuyx3uKeIY
If you have questions about this product, please email Mike@educircles.org or ask below in the Q&A.
© SEOT Mindset Inc.
Report this resource to TPT
Reported resources will be reviewed by our team. Report this resource to let us know if this resource violates TPT's content guidelines.
Reviews
Mostly used with 7th and 9th grades
Reviews
6th
7th
8th
9th
10th
11th
All verified TPT purchases
Useful resource for middle school students and staff.
Great resource for middle school staff and students.
Hi Hannah, thanks for coming back to leave a review on this "Goal Setting Bundle | Growth Mindset Life Skills | Middle School Advisory" resource. I'm glad you found it to be a great resource for middle school staff and students!
I'd love to learn more about you and your classroom needs. I know teachers are busy, so I'm happy to give you a $10 TPT gift card in exchange for an email response!
1. What does your classroom, teaching style, and student population look like?
2. How did you use this resource? Which parts did you find most useful?
3. How did you find out about this resource? What made you decide to buy it?
No worries if you're not interested. If you would like to provide more feedback, please email Mike@educircles.org
Let me know if there's anything else I can do to help you and your 7th-grade students!
Cheers,
Mike Fuchigami
Mike@educircles.org
Not what I expected for this resource.
Hi Kassandra J, thanks for taking the time to come back and leave feedback. I appreciate it. I'm sorry this resource didn't meet your expectations.
I'm constantly trying to improve my products and how I describe them so that other teachers can decide if this resource meets their needs. I'd love to hear more about what you expected for this resource.
I'm happy to send you a $10 TpT gift card in exchange for your email thoughts. No rush and no worries if you're not interested. If you are interested, please email me at Mike@educircles.org
Sorry this goal-setting bundle didn't meet your needs. Let me know if there's another way I can help you and your students.
Cheers,
Michael Fuchigami
Mike@educircles.org
I didn't read the reviews before purchasing. I have a fair amount of lessons I have used in the past regarding resolutions and goals ranging from 6th grade level to 12th grade, but I was intrigued by the "no prep", already made rubrics, questions, and videos. I also appreciated the honesty of Mike being a former teacher and decided to leave the profession. I think many of us are in that boat. However, when I began using this bundle, like another teacher commented, this is was hard to follow. There are many files, folders, etc. I left a comment for Mike about my concerns, and he immediately revised. Wow! This is much easier to follow! As any good teacher knows, curriculum purchased needs to be reviewed, and we tweak to make it flow for our own personalities and the needs of our students, but the structured daily lessons with approximate times, step-by-step guide for handouts, slides, and videos is something I could easily give to a substitute teacher, and I would feel confident he/she could follow with no additional prep. I did use the letter Mike wrote explaining the mental health crisis. I felt it would bring more empathy and connection for my students. We did the four corner activity with strongly agree to strongly disagree. This brought great discussion. One of my students stated that she won't strongly agree with the letter until we finish the unit because she's not sure how trustworthy Mike is, yet. Great point! I will add to this review once we finish the unit. I did have to provide one day with supplementary materials because I didn't have time to review Mike's revised bundle with his addition of the lesson plans. I took words from Mike's letter and we did a synonym/antonym gradient which led to thoughtful discussions on perseverance, grit, tenacity, and resilience. I highly recommend this bundle to middle and high school teachers. This doesn't need to be used in just an English class. Teachers could use these lessons in small chunks as a warm-up or closing activity to help build further relationships with students and the importance of goal setting. Thank you for creating this and making those edits, Mike!
Hi Jessica T, thank you for taking the time to leave such a detailed 5-star review. I appreciate it, and I appreciate the original question you asked in the Q&A section. It helped me learn more about where the confusion was coming from the bundle.
I love the detailed feedback in this review. There's a lot of actionable information that I can use.
1) I am super impressed by the critical thinking skill demonstrated by your student, who was holding off on strongly agreeing with the letter until after the unit. Seeking out more information is key to making an informed decision. (Please don't tell your student I said that until after the unit. I don't want to bias her opinion - or have her think I'm trying to influence her opinion with compliments!)
2) I love how you played with words from my letter to help your students gain a deeper understanding. The synonym/antonym gradient is a great way to have students dig deeper into perseverance, grit, tenacity, resilience.
I'm a big fan of giving my students authentic, real-world problems to sink their teeth into. Based on how you shared the story of your student who was still skeptical in your review, I think you are too. So, here's a real-world opportunity I'd like to present to you. Perhaps your class would like to chime in and help you with advice on the opportunity!
If you create a one-page handout and one-page lesson plan about what you did with the synonym/antonym gradient, I will turn that into a product to sell in my Educircles store.
Option 1 - I could give you a $10 TpT gift card in exchange for your help.
Option 2 - I could give you a 40% commission (paid out in TpT gift cards) from any money I receive from TpT for the sale of that product. (Why 40%? Ten percent of the money I earn from TpT gets donated to student mental health. I also have monthly business expenses to pay, and I have to put money to re-invest back into creating more products. I'd probably list it as a $2 product that I include in the Goal Setting product you purchased. When the bundle sells, you would receive a proportional commission based on the percentage of the synonym/antonym gradient product in the entire product.)
Option 3 - You sell that product yourself on your own TpT store.
Option 4 - You come up with a counter-offer.
This is a serious proposition. Of course, we would have to work out the logistics and agree over email. You would also sign a legal document guaranteeing you to amount you would receive. If you're interested, just email me at Mike@educircles.org
FYI: I started a new YouTube series giving out free advice to teachers trying to improve sales on TpT. If you search for SEOTeacher (one word) on YouTube, you'll find my first episode video. I'm the guy in the red shirt standing in front of my TpT dashboard.
3) It sounds like you have fantastic discussions in your class. They would probably my Who is Invisible challenge.
Search up "Who is Invisible" in TpT. The FREE slideshow lesson walks students through the goal-setting videos from a lens of diversity, critical thinking, and social awareness. Which groups of people are missing from the story? Note - the current zip file may be a little confusing. I will be updating Who is Invisible over the weekend to make it easier by including a FILE Table of Contents. I will also post a version with a lesson plan and handouts (but that will be a paid upgrade.)
4) Your class sounds like they enjoy critical thinking. They would probably enjoy my "Did I Cheat" challenge.
Go to youtube.com/educircles to find my "Did I Cheat" video challenge. (It's set to auto-play when you go to the channel.) It'll explain everything and include links to the Challenge lesson as well as handouts. (ALL FREE)
Thank you for leaving such detailed information in your question and review. I'm glad I've met you!
I hope things are getting better (or at least stabilizing) in your part of the world. Let me know how I can help you and your students!
Cheers,
Michael Fuchigami
Mike@educircles.org
This is an amazing and thorough resource. My middle-schoolers were engaged and more serious than I expected - a pleasant surprise. I'll definitely continue to use this!!
Hi Brana F,
I love hearing that your middle-schoolers took this goal-setting assignment more seriously than expected! That's a huge compliment considering 7th graders are at that age where it can be tough to engage them in social-emotional learning.
Thank you for taking the time to come back and leave a review. I appreciate it.
By the way, I'm constantly looking for feedback to improve my products. I appreciate that December can be a busy month. I'm happy to give you a $10 TpT gift card in exchange for your email thoughts.
Specifically, I'm looking to hear about whether the angle of making money online is something that would hook your students (or is it a turn-off?) A welcome letter to students in the "Resolutions NO PREP Goal Setting Handouts" product talks about how I make money online as an example of one of my personal goals. Did you use this letter or talk about making money as an example of a goal? If yes, how did it go with your students? If not, what made you decide not to?
If you're interested in providing more feedback, please email me at Mike@educircles.org - No rush, and no worries if you're not interested!
I hope you're having a great weekend!
Cheers,
Mike Fuchigami
Mike@educircles.org
This is a great tool for distance special education learners.
Hi Christopher T, that's great news! Thanks for letting me know you thought this was a great tool for distance learning with your 9th - 11th grade special education learner! I appreciate the feedback.
By the way, I'm always looking for specific feedback about how teachers use my products. I'd be curious to hear about how you used this goal setting bundle, what online platform you used, and what the students did with it. I completely understand that it's a crazy time to be a teacher. In exchange for your email thoughts, I'd be happy to give you a $10 TpT gift card for the feedback.
If you're interested, please email me at Mike@educircles.org
Good luck with online learning. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help you and your students.
Cheers, Mike
I think this could have been a good resource, but it was overwhelming to try to figure out where I should click, what I even had, and where to begin. I was a bit put off by the "I've made x amount of money since I quit my job" message. Aside from that, I tried the initial goal setting lesson with three different classes, ranged from 6th-9th grade, and they all nearly rioted. I probably won't continue with this resource.
Hi Tiffany, thank you for coming back to leave an honest review. I appreciate it - it will help other teachers who are considering this product, and it helps me try to figure out how to make this product easier to use.
You definetely raise several good points. I agree. It can be overwhelming with all of the different files. I am working to simplify the process, but the piece I'd love to hear more about is the part about the students nearly rioting. If you had to guess, what was it that turned off your class from buying into the idea?
The reason why I ask is because in my experience with doing entrepreneurial adventures with Grade 7 and 8 students, I found that the idea of making money was a powerful hook - whether it be online or in other ways. I had found that many of my disengaged (male) students were hooked by the idea of making money online - which is why I tried that angle in the introduction letter here.
Clearly that angle failed with you and your students, so I apologize!
When you tried the initial goal setting lesson, are you talking about the SMART goal setting slideshow? I would love to hear more about why you thought your students didn't buy in.
I fully appreciate that you are super busy. In exchange for your email thoughts, I would happy to send you a $10 TpT gift card which you can use anywhere on the TpT marketplace.
If you're interested in telling me more, please email me at Mike@educircles.org
I appreciate the review and I look foward to connecting with you if you are interested.
Cheers, Mike
Great, helpful resource!
Hi Kassandra! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a 5 star review! I'm thrilled to hear you found this goal setting bundle to be a helpful resource!
I definetely want to help teachers like yourself who believe in the importance of goal setting with students. I try to do this by giving away TpT gift cards so you can get what you need from the TpT marketplace. (It doesn't have to be from my store.)
I'm not sure what grade you teach, but if your students like classroom discussions, you might want to check out my FREE "Did I Cheat - psst I'm lying" resource. If you teach it, you could win a $100, $50, $25 or $10 TpT gift card. (By the way, only two people entered this challenge last year, so one teacher received a $100 gift card and the other received a $50 gift card.)
If this is something that interests you, please check out the FREE resource at the top of my Educircles TpT store.
Let me know if there's anything I can do to help you and your students! Have a great weekend!
Cheers, Mike
Questions & Answers
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