Each competing nation will be focusing on scoring goals. Be goalless and it's an early tournament exit. Soccer teams that qualified are training hard. And at the start of the year, learners can be guided to set their own, different, winning goals.

During the first term of the year, a teacher could discuss these three goal-setting areas:

• My school work results: There is always room for improvement. A child hovering just below a distinction mark can aim a little higher. Every learner can set mark targets for each term in every learning area or subject.

• My achievements at extramural activities: Not everyone can get into the A team. Yet everyone can develop skills. A soccer player could aim to go up from the C to the B team. The sports-field superstar could decide to add a bit of culture to his or her life by auditioning for a part in a school play. (How often such learners land up playing leading roles.)

• My relationships with others: Every classroom and every school playground has the potential for conflict. Children can set themselves goals to get along with others. They, for example, could work at having a better relationship with a "difficult" classmate or a particular teacher.

Thinking about goals can decline into pleasant day-dreaming so there’s a need to move from thought to action. Get the children to consider the following points when setting their goals:

• Write the goals down

  Goals need to be written down. They serve as constant reminders. They serve as encouragement to persevere.

• Be specific

  Set specific goals. Avoid such generalities as "Play better soccer". Rather specify a concrete goal, such as "Attend every school soccer practice". Then there's no doubt about whether a goal is being achieved.

• Decide on goals with helpers

  A Johannesburg teenager wanted to be a surgeon, but his maths marks wouldn't allow him entry into medical school. He spoke to his maths teacher about his goal. The teacher gave him extra lessons and gave him past matric exam papers. The youngster passed matric with a crucially needed maths distinction. Today he is an eminent surgeon. Few goals can be achieved on one's own. Help is needed. The family, coaches and teachers can help make goals come true.

• Keep them simple

  Goals should be simple to understand. That makes it easier for them to provide direction and to get children focused "on the ball".

• Make the goals challenging

  Although the goals may be easy to understand, they shouldn't be easy to attain. They need to "stretch" a person. Goals should be challenging, but also achievable ... after the hard work has been done.

• They should be measurable

  Goals should be measurable. A school report card, for example, is an excellent way of seeing whether targets have been achieved. A goalkeeper looks at the log table to see how many balls went past him; he'll know if he's improving as the season progresses.

• Have time frames

  As the saying goes: "A whole elephant is eaten small bite by small bite." The same applies to goals. A big goal can be divided into a number of mini-goals. Have a time frame by which the whole goal or a segment of a much bigger goal is to be achieved.

• Tell others of your goals

  Let others know about your goals. Supportive friends and family members will be positive motivators. They'll give you courage to persevere. Also, you don't want to lose face and that'll be a motivator too.

• Revisit the goals often

  Put the list of goals in a place where they are very visible. Reread them often. Progress can be measured and self-encouragement given.

Thirty-two nations will be vying for the Fifa World Cup. Only one country will lift the trophy. Will all the other nations be losers? Of course not. They might not get the ultimate prize but they will still achieve in other ways. There are parallels in each person's own goal-setting. Not all goals are achieved. Nor are all goals reached exactly as planned. Yet by having goals, people grow in character, knowledge and skills. That's what quality folk do all the time.

Richard Hayward's book Making quality education happen: a how-to guide for every teacher has been generously sponsored by Caxton and CTP. For copies, speak to Vanessa du Toit at the South African Quality Institute on 012 349 5006 or contact Hayward on 011 888 3262. The books are free, but postage and packaging cost R30. Poor schools are sponsored