As a new teacher, I never thought I would believe so fervently in the power of setting goals. But setting a few meaningful, specific goals each year and re-visiting those goals periodically helps keep me focused on making growth. This is also a way that I prioritize progress over perfection. Sharing these goals with you helps keep me accountable and helps me draw on your wisdom!
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Goal 1: Meaningful Movement
I am an auditory-verbal learner, so tactile experiences are not always my go-to. However, we know that teachers often teach how they learn even if that is not best for students. In the interest of breaking that cycle, I want to challenge myself to incorporate more movement into my instruction.
One way I think I can do this is by incorporating more task cards. Task cards are flexible, so I can use them in a variety of ways. They also lend themselves to a variety of grouping strategies, so I can mix students around as needed. In anticipating some of my task card needs, I spent some time this summer developing lots of task cards: for literary devices, for literary criticism, and for grammar and vocabulary. I’m sure I haven’t anticipated every need, but this is a good start.
Goal 2: Frequent Formative Assessment
Like many high school teachers, I sometimes have trouble with my students lining up at the door at the end of the block. This makes me (and my admin) crazy. In an effort to curtail this behavior, I want to incorporate more exit slips into my classroom.
Exit tickets also provide meaningful formative data and give teachers a snapshot of student learning. In the past, I’ve usually done exit tickets on post-its, which is totally valid. But in an effort to more intentionally plan for using exit tickets, I’ve been collecting exit tickets from a variety of teachers, laminating them, and bundling them based on my anticipated needs. Clearly, I like to plan ahead.
One of my goals for last year (and one I still need to work on) is making more parent contact. Exit tickets provide a good “excuse” to make a phone call, and if parents prefer texting or email, I can always send a quick snapshot. This is a good way to show how much students have grown, but this also lets me know if students need a change in instruction.
Goal 3: Adjusting to Freshmen
This is a broad goal, but this is the first time I have had freshmen in six or seven years. It’s the first time our building has had freshmen in decades, so teaching freshmen is going to be an adjustment.
And that’s what I want this goal to focus on–adjustment. As you can tell from my first two goals, I believe in preparation and organization. For my sophomores and juniors, I have built up a veritable Mary Poppins bag of strategies, resources, and go-to ideas and interventions. I don’t have that for freshmen yet, so my gut reaction is to over prepare even though I know I can’t prepare for every possibility or every student need.
With this in mind, I want to focus on giving myself the space and time to make course adjustments. I don’t want to punish or guilt myself for making miscalculations, and I want to focus on learning everything I can about this new course and kiddos. More than anything, having freshmen in the building is an opportunity, and I want to enjoy that!
Personal Goal
In the morning, I roll over and check my email before I brush my teeth. In other words, there’s not a lot of distance between myself and my classroom. As I’ve gotten older and learned more about managing the workload, I have gotten better about creating a school-life balance. However, if my preparation for freshmen is any indication, that balance is still a work in progress. I don’t believe that I can stop checking my email first thing in the morning, but I do think I can add some mindfulness to my mornings. And that’s it–that’s my personal goal–to find some mindfulness in the morning, whether that’s ten minutes of reading the news or doing some stretches. Read more about finding a sustainable balance.
What are your goals for the upcoming school year? What can Moore English do to support you and your goals? Let us know in the comments!
Photo by The CEO Kid on Unsplash
