Freshman, English teacher offer insight for 2026 resolutions

As the new year begins, many see a trend in New Year’s resolutions and goals for 2026. Freshman Hailey Bevins and Holmes English teacher Jessica Hartz discussed the merits of goals and more in the new year.

Bevins said she believes it’s beneficial to set New Year’s goals each year, and that her friends are busy creating them as well.

“I think setting New Year’s resolutions is beneficial because it helps you establish habits early on in the year that can lead to your more long-term goals.”

Bevins said that she sees trends in her classmates’ motivations at the beginning of the year, especially.

“I do know my classmates are more motivated at the beginning of the year because it’s a fresh start, and I know that my friends are setting goals and they want to start the new year on a high note, especially since Christmas break ended and they have new clothes, which makes people feel new.”

In addition, Bevins said there are also mental benefits to the new year mindset and setting goals for yourself. 

“I think that the New Year’s mindset helps with people’s mental health because the new year is a way to start fresh and to forget about the things you did last year, which can give people confidence and motivation to be a new person. Being a new person means that you can work on your physical health, and if you want to work on your physical health, it all starts with your mind and your mental health first.”

Bevins said she also sets her own personal New Year’s goals. This year, she wants to focus on faith.

“Yes, I set personal goals for myself every New Year. This year, I wanted to focus my goals on my faith. One goal I have is to grow even closer to God this year, such as by continuing to keep reading my Bible consistently and using my knowledge to be a light to others. I also want to become a better version of myself by not letting fear take over my life and others because of me.”

Bevins said that recognizing unreasonable goals is something you have to be aware of in the new year. She said that if you want to succeed, you should set reachable goals.

“From the past, I set goals that I thought were impossible and just tried to take them in big chunks, but I think if you start with a small consistent habit every day, you could start to see progress,” and, “I’d suggest starting small and consistent in your goals, and they could turn bigger if you commit to it.”

In terms of advice, Bevins said to prioritize mental health over everything else in the new year. 

For Hartz, she said that setting goals is beneficial to give your life purpose and something to work towards, but also that you must be careful when setting unreachable goals.

“I do think that setting goals can be beneficial so that you can attain everything that you want out of life,” she said. 

Hartz also said that having someone to help keep you accountable on days when it might get tough will improve your chances of being successful.

“They can make action steps. So don’t make the goals too big, make them attainable. Then, have small action steps to help them get there, and an accountability partner.”

Hartz doesn’t personally set New Year’s goals, and she said that teachers usually don’t. Instead, they set “beginning-of-the-school-year goals.”

“Teachers often don’t think of the new year in January, they think of the new year when a new school year begins. A lot of times that’s when we make our goals,” said Hartz. “They might include what we want to happen that school year, maybe work-life balance, and maybe what we have for goals for students in class to perform.”

If you are struggling with setting goals that you rarely achieve each year, Hartz said that having someone take a look at each one can help you decipher what may or may not be attainable, especially for the perfectionist personality types.

“I think there are benefits to having goals because then you have purpose and something to work towards. But you have to worry that you don’t set unattainable goals, like unrealistic goals. Perfectionists have to worry about that, so having someone to maybe look at your goals and make sure they aren’t unrealistic helps.”

Often, Hartz sees trends in students’ motivation at the beginning of the year in comparison to the middle and end. Usually, the motivation decreases with time.

“The first few weeks of school, everyone’s fresh off summer break, excited to see everyone, and excited for the new year,” said Hartz. “The vibe is definitely different than mid-November when the sun starts to go away, and we’ve been here, and we’re doing it, and we’re all kind of tired.”