30 Day Reflection: Goals for the Year

Last night I came across Teach Thought's 30 day blogging challenge and decided I would participate. I have always been a reflective teacher, and the thought of capturing some of that reflection in writing is both appealing and daunting at the same time. It's appealing because I know reflection is key to improving, adjusting, and, sometimes, surviving teaching. It is daunting because reflection can reveal areas of weakness, and, who wants to appear weak, especially publicly.

Still, I think this process is worth it and I want to do it. I look forward to having a specific plan to reflect each day.

Day One: Write your goals for the school year. Be as specific or abstract as you’d like to be!

1. Make an impact
Each year I hope to make an impact on my students' lives. Of course, I want to prepare them for what comes next (another English class, a "real world" job, college, etc.), but I also want to help my students grow as people. Sometimes that means being consistent with discipline, and other times it means not giving up on them. Sometimes it means standing up for those students who can't stand up for themselves.

2. Have some fun
Sometimes it is so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day busyness that I can forget that I love working with teenagers every day. Yep. I really do. In fact, it is why I wanted to teach in the first place--the students. I love when they teach me something I didn't know before. I love it when something unexpected happens in the class (like a mouse making an appearance) and a student decides to write a rap about it. I enjoy watching my students participate in ballgames, concerts, and dramatic performances. I love when students race into my room to tell me about the latest book they have read.

I have other goals that are specific to my teaching practice, but I think that the two mentioned above are the most important. After all, the teachers I remember are the ones who impacted my life and had a little fun while doing it.