Last Thursday when I hit my alarm clock for the umpteenth time, I groggily got out of the warmth of my bed and painfully searched my dark room for the clothes I had laid out the night before. Yep, I was a little spoiled to my holiday schedule, but once I was coffee fueled I was ready to face the new year. When I got to school, it was just like riding a bike. "Oh Yeah! I remember how to do this!" I was so excited to see those smiling faces and couldn't wait to hear about their holiday adventures! My students walked into the classroom a little taller and somehow more grown than I remembered. My heart melted with all the reunion hugs and love.
As we got our day started, we spent some time as a class talking about our New Year Resolutions. How were we going to make each day more meaningful? How were we going to help at home and school? What do we want to get better at? So as we are sharing out our ideas to write down, one of my students asks, "Mrs. Johnson, what are your New Year Resolutions?" So I went through a couple of my personal goals like not eating as much bread and cooking better meals for my family, and then I shared that I wanted to be a better teacher. My kids all giggled and told me exactly what I wanted to hear, "Mrs. Johnson you can't get better." Oh, but I can!!! That conversation sparked a need for teacher self-reflection. I went home that afternoon and jotted out my teacher goals (not TTESS related :) that I wanted to improve on. Once I started reflecting, I journaled lots and lots of ideas. I became overwhelmed because I quickly realized that I have not mastered the art of teaching. I decided that I was going to pick my top 3 goals that I wanted to work on this semester. I wanted to be realistic. I wanted attainable goals, and I wanted to give myself a time frame. Now as I am about to share with world my 3 goals, hopefully now their is also a new level of accountability.
1. I want to engage in a weekly random act of kindness that can involve my co-workers, parents, students, or staff. I want to work harder at putting more positive vibes out in the world. One of my favorite quotes is, "Think positive and positive things will happen."
2. I want to find more opportunities for innovation and creativity for my students. This is year I have been implementing a genius hour into my daily schedule. I want to work harder at integrating innovation into my curriculum and instruction.
3. Read more: Stacked beside my bed are 15 professional books that I want to read. I WANT to read them. So my goal is to make time for me to enjoy this fulfilling opportunity to engage in professional literature and growth. I will read at least 3 of those books by the end of the school year!
So I have put myself out there and have admitted that I am a work in progress. I challenge you to take this new year as a time to reflect on your practice. What attainable goals can you set to make yourself a better teacher?
Resources for Goal Setting:
