Grab the Bubbly!

Happy New Year! This is one of my favorite times of the year and it's definitely not because of the cold weather (or the fabulous champagne I drink on New Year's Eve)! Nope, this is the time of year (along with the start of school) when you get to start off with a clean slate - and boy is mine in need of some cleaning this year!

All year long we have our students work on meeting their goals, both big and small. Whether it's to get William to write neater or to get Mariah to learn some new letter sounds, we are constantly setting goals for our children. Now is the time to start setting your own goals. I'm not talking about running ten miles everyday (but hey, if you want to try that then go on with your bad self!).

For my first few years of teaching I had a hard time with conference notes. I always conferenced with my students but had a hard time keeping up with the notes. I would start off each year finding the perfect method and would attempt to use it. The problem was that it wasn't "perfect" for me so I would fail at my attempt. Each January I would make it my goal to try something new. Unfortunately, it took me six years to find a method that would work for me. However if I didn't set those goals twice a year, I'm not sure I would be able to keep up with my conference notes today. I'm here to help you be successful on your first attempt.

I know setting goals as a new teacher isn't easy. I'm sure you have a list of things that you want to work on this year. My advice - pick one. That's right, just one. Perfection can't happen overnight. Eleven years ago I ran the Boston Marathon. Growing up watching the Marathon on TV was a big deal for me. We always had the day off from school to celebrate Patriots Day, but for me it was so that I could watch the runners and imagine how one day that would be me. I had run track in high school, but hadn't run at all after that besides the occasional jog every now and then. When I decided that I needed change and was going to leave the state of Massachusetts, I knew that I couldn't do so without reaching my goal. However, I didn't go out on the first day and run 26.2 miles. If I did I would have given up because I couldn't do it. Instead, I started off by running a mile and slowly built up my stamina until I could handle the entire marathon.

As teachers our ultimate goal is to be the perfect teacher who everyone (adults and students) loves and gets great evaluations and test scores. However just like a marathon, we need to take small steps to get there. The best way to reach our goals is by setting 'SMART' goals.

Each goal should be:
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
RelevantTime Limited

Specific - Pick one area that you want to focus on and narrow it down to make it as specific as possible. (I will keep my desk neat by organizing it into piles - "Must do ASAP, Do When I have free time, and not important but I should keep just in case".)

Measurable - How will you be able to tell if you are meeting your goal?  (I can tell if I am meeting this goal by looking at my desk. If it is messy, I am not being successful.)

Attainable - Is this a realistic goals? This is a very important criterion. If you are not setting attainable goals then you feel like a failure. No one deserves to feel like that, especially new teachers! (This is an attainable goal because it won't take up too much of my time.)

Relevant - Does this really matter? Is this goal worthwhile? ( This is relevant because keeping an organized desk will allow me to meet time deadlines and keep up with data.)

Time-Limited - Setting a time limit gives you a sense of urgency. What is your completion day? (My desk will be completely organized by February 1st and I will check up on it on the first of every month.)

So now it's your turn to set a goal. Make it a SMART goal and for heaven's sakes - keep it real!