Thoughts of mission statements sometimes bring up visions of stuffy cubicles and past episodes of The Office. But mission statements are not just for companies or schools. Classrooms can benefit from them as well. Teachers can use a mission statement as a yearly focus for the class, a source of motivation, and an opportunity to track some data that will hopefully show student progress.

What is it?

In a nutshell, a mission statement tells who you are, what you are doing, and why.

How long should it be?

Mission statements have a tendency to either get wordy and confusing or general and meaningless. This has prompted some to debate the value of mission statements. Or make fun of them. But when done right, they are useful. And most gurus in this area seem to say that “done right” means people should be able to remember what the mission statement says:

The mission statement is one thing that should be known by every person in the organization. You should be able to go up to any individual in the organization and he or she should be able to recite the mission to you.

It should always be brief, so that it can be remembered.

How to make a mission statement in five simple steps

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