Blogs The new year is here, and that means you’ve probably thought about your resolutions and set some objectives. January is when many teachers take time to reflect on the past year and self-assess, as well as set goals for themselves and their students. Resolutions can be especially beneficial because they create focus, provide momentum, and give you a fresh perspective.
We asked some of our teachers to share their resolutions for 2018, and they came up with a lot of creative and meaningful ideas. Check out their suggestions below!
Teachers Share Their Resolutions
“My classroom goal is to be the best educator I can be! To continue to attend and search for professional development opportunities, such as teacher study travel, conferences, and workshops in a myriad of subjects. Just like my students, I need to be on a continued quest for learning, not just in my subject area, but across the subjects, and then look for ways to connect learning in the arts for my students. I love being a teacher and sharing my discoveries!” – Susan Shive Kopecki, K-6th grade art
“Writing a personal note to each student letting them know I care and that they are important and loved.” – Stephanie Girod Bulington, 6th-8th grade reading interventionist
“To nail my rubrics: something that doesn’t take me forever to grade, but is still an assessment that is meaningful to [students]. I’ll get that balance someday!” – Morgan Giannotti, high school visual arts
“As a Spanish teacher, I want my students to become more comfortable and confident speaking in the target language!” – Emily Watcher, 6th-8th grade Spanish
“More differentiation! It takes so much planning ahead but it is vital to give each student what he/she needs! I would like to start implementing work groups by ability to travel to different stations throughout the day! Every student deserves the feeling of accomplishment! I want to help them have that!” – Leslie D’Ann, 6th-grade math
“My goal is to get more books to help my students with their social-emotional needs, and I would also like to add more books to our class library with a wide range of diverse characters.” – Rosey Hernandez, K-3rd grade special education
“My 2018 goal is to make a deliberate and purposeful commitment to STEM, including hands-on math, problem-based collaborative tasks, and robotics. I am prepared to fight against standardized testing overload and focus in on preparing my 5th graders for how the world really works.” – Tina Tisovic Kovach, 5th-grade math and science
“My 2018 classroom goal is to find more innovative ways to inspire the next generation of programmers and computer scientists, especially the girls in all my classes.” – William Kong, PreK-6th grade technology
“Communication in general! Communicate more with students, their parents, my fellow teachers, my administration. Constantly communicate the positive things – I don’t want to always focus on the negative!” – Heather Shire Tussing, 8th-grade math and algebra
“My classroom goal is to incorporate more mindfulness exercises in the morning and afternoon. With everything around us — anxiety, pressures, etc. — I want the students to incorporate inner coping skills and strategies.” – Pamela Ellaine, K-2nd grade special education
“My goal is to really dive into the Next Generation Science Standards! My first graders love science! It’s easy to spend lots of time teaching reading and math in the primary grades, but I want to make science a priority. Plus, there are so many reasons and opportunities to integrate those concepts with what we are doing.” – Kristin Beverford, 1st grade
Staying Strong
When determining your New Year’s resolutions, be sure to focus on specific goals that are realistic and achievable. This will keep you from feeling overwhelmed. Then come up with a plan of action that includes both short- and long-term benchmarks, so that you know exactly what steps you’ll take to turn your resolutions into reality and stay on track. Don’t forget to reward yourself along the way and to stay motivated and excited about your progress!
