2015 is here and soon it will be gone. Each year comes along with its dynamics and challenges that always affect our lives especially the young people. We have to guide them to set the goals that they intend to achieve such that they take control of the events that affect them other than allowing the events to control them.

They should know the importance of setting goals at the beginning of the year and evaluating their achievements at the end of the year. Goal setting gives the young people a sense of responsibility which keeps them focused on their studies.

It is important for the young people to report back to school for the new academic year when they have already set the agenda that stipulates what they want to achieve and how they will be able to achieve it. Students cannot excel in the promotional or final examinations if they do not set both short and long term goals.

They should not dupe you by just promising to work hard without showing you the work plan. The short term goals should be aimed at improving in the areas where they did not register good performance in the previous year and also sustaining good performance in the areas where they excelled.

We should peruse through the reports for last term with our children as wechallenge them to share with us the strategies that they feel will enable them to achieve the short term goals. Let them know that we expect accountability at the end of the first term. Some young people tend to relax in the first two terms and they think that they can concentrate in the third term and excel. In most cases such fellows score low grades.

Let us show our children how the short-term goals fit in the ones that are long term. For instance, a student who intends to pursue human medicine at the university should ensure that he excels in Biology and Chemistry right from term one of senior four.

He should therefore set short term goals that should prepare him adequately for his career dream. He should not keep assuring you that he is going to become a doctor in future yet what he does at present cannot help him move along that career path. He should live his dream by having a clear work plan which you can also evaluate from time to time to establish whether the individual is on the right path.

It is also important that you consult some teachers who handle your children so that they give you their opinions about the potential that your children have in certain subjects. Teachers always know what certain students can do and what they may not be able to do. You should avoid imposing certain subjects on the children because this denies them the opportunity to select careers that they are passionate about.

There are students who score low grades at advanced level simply because their parents force them to pursue certain subject combinations that are not in line with their interests. Such fellows do not always have the morale of setting goals to attain career dreams of their parents. They go to school but they study for formality. We should always guide the children on goal setting while putting into consideration their abilities and interests. Let them feel free to tell us their career dreams and how they expect to achieve them. Our role should be to show them what they need to do in order to realize their dreams.

As parents, we have a big role to play in ensuring that the young people begin the year with a clear sense of direction that will help them tackle the tasks ahead of them with courage, determination and enthusiasm.