New Year's Resolution?

I cannot believe that a quarter of the school year is gone. I’m well into the second marking period amidst parent-teacher conferences, action-plans, and a pile of papers up to my chin that need grading.

I feel such a mix of emotions as I reflect on how this marking period unfolded. In many ways I feel a sense of pride in what I accomplished with my students. Scratch that. I feel a sense of pride in what my students accomplished. This marking period, nearly every one of my students wrote their own original short stories about topics that they would like to see changed in their community. From planning, to drafting, to peer editing and revising, to finalizing their drafts, my students worked incredibly hard to turn out great writing. One student handed me a 15-page story when I only asked for five maximum. Another student re-wrote his entire story because he recognized that it wasn’t his best work and he insisted on starting over. I couldn’t be more proud of the work that they turned out. And, after spending weeks discussing the elements of a plot and various short stories, all but two of my classes achieved an 80% class average (or higher) on the unit test.

But there are still other things that I know I could have done better. After reading the results of my first classroom culture survey, I recognize just how much work I need to do to invest my students in their education. Many of them said that I do not make learning fun and that they don’t always see the connection between what we are learning in class and the real world.

In 2012, I need to be better. I need to find ways to invest my students in reading in writing by making it more exciting and relevant to their lives. I need to show my students more examples of my reading and writing to inspire them and show them how fun it can be when they find what excites them. I need to be more organized and on top of my work so that I can be healthier and more lively in the classroom. I need to update this blog a lot more too in an effort to be more self-reflective.

I’m so lucky to be working in the school that I’m working in – a place where I am supported by other teachers, administrators, and parents. I have the pleasure of working with bright, funny, and talented kids. I need to be better for myself, and them, in 2012. I need to work smarter (not harder) and get more done while being in a better mood and making better decisions for my life. With more than half of the school year ahead of me, I know that I need to start making bigger leaps in my classroom to help get my students on the track to graduation and the rest of their lives.