I hope everyone had a great start to the school year! My name is Louisa Hodges, and I currently work as an Instructional Specialist at Wedgewood Elementary in East Baton Rouge Parish. Since becoming an Instructional Specialist three years ago, I have enjoyed assisting teachers with implementing effective instruction. This year I am also looking forward to serving as a Teacher Leader Advisor and helping teachers across the state accomplish their goals.

As we move into September it is time to begin setting goals for our students. Having goals that are measurable and attainable can help motivate students to stay focused and succeed. I encourage you to make your students a part of the goal setting process so that they will have ownership in achieving their goals, and will give you the opportunity to celebrate successes throughout the school year. It is also important to remember that the goals we set at the beginning of the year should not be about a performance rating, but about setting high expectations for students that not only drive our actions but student learning.

I am excited to learn more about how to strategically set goals by attending sessions at the September Teacher Leader Collaboration Event where we will explore the newly released Teacher Goal Setting Guide. I hope to see many of you there!