Let's make it a great one.

There is a subtle shift in the weather that always makes me think of school.  It's not really the heat.  It's always hot in August in Tennessee. Sometimes it's oppressively hot. But there is a whisper of fall, days just a bit shorter, glimpses of cool evenings, football socks in the laundry.  These are the things that signify a new year.

Right now I have my hands on many projects that I wanted to accomplish this summer. I have a quote to put on the wall -- "Believe in Yourself" with an emphasis on the "Be You" portion.  I've found new quotes that I hope will inspire students to persevere through difficulties. I've searched for inspiration to put on their desks to give them something to think about during transitions.  I've purchased glue sticks and cement nails to put new photos on the wall -- gifts from last year. 

My library holds the books that I added this summer. I'm excited to share new titles.  I've been tweeting about them all summer.  It's time to start interacting with kids directly.  There is a sense of expectation -- potential stuffed in every corner of the room.

I have my initial class list.  It's still shifting, but it's a step in the right direction.  Those names are already becoming important to me.  I linger as I see possibilities in every black letter that marches across the page.  I wonder about them.  What will they be like? What are their hobbies? interests? passions?  The mysteries and complexities of each child is already winding its way around my heart.

Yes.  It's time to start thinking about my goals for the year.

1.  I believe in the power of relationships.  Therefore my first goal is to develop rapport with each student.  On the first day I will take pictures to help me learn names (an area of weakness of mine - I always have to study them before every class).  On the backs of those pictures I will take notes about each child - interests, learning styles, confidence.  A separate copy of each picture will be kept for substitutes, guests, and other teachers.  I will reinforce this by having an intentional conversation with every student several times a week.  It will also drive choices offered in the curriculum I present.

2.  I will offer a reading group in my classroom over lunch.  I did this informally last year, but this year I'd really like to get a group together.  Every time we put a book in the hand of a reader, it has the potential to change his/her perspective forever.  Since I have a finite amount of time, I want to utilize it as much as possible.  Reading fiction is important -- it encourages us to be more, to experience more, and affects how students achieve.  I love the idea of sharing this with my students.

3.  I would like to do a school read on the same novel.  After having the fortune of reading the ARC of Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt (thank you again to the lovely person who shared it with me), this may be an option our school chooses.  I plan to share it with other teachers this year and put a plan in place.  Hopefully this will put a shift to focus on building empathy, looking at different perspectives, and building a community that values all of its members.  The potential of learning through a common experience is exciting.

4.  I have been blessed to show strong growth among all of my students, but this year I would like to focus on developing a culture that treasures learning.  Often students  have learned to "play the game" of school, but I think it's important to look at each one to determine what is it that inspires.  What makes them read critically, question, challenge?  What choices do they make? How do they support those choices?  The measurement for this goal is a little harder, but I have some hard data from assessments from last year that will help.  In addition, I've been working on different ways of grouping kids to foster this type of environment.

5.  I want to incorporate writing even more into my classroom.  It today's world it's more important than ever to graduate students who can communicate clearly.  It's has always been my pattern to define what good writing looks like "the box" so in time students can climb out of it with their unique style.  This becomes an intimate conversation between the writer and reader, one that we can learn from together.

6.  I want to continue to grow as a learner myself.  Through blogging, communicating, reading, and writing, I will show growth in this area.  This summer I've played around with a novel.  If it continues to work, I want to work toward publishing it.



I know that some of these goals may seem hard to measure, but I think when we're dealing with humans, things get sticky.  Simply putting them down helps me to focus on what I want to accomplish.  There will be additions like using Google docs, blogs, Twitter that help me to connect with the kids that I am entrusted with this year; however, the foundation of the path is starting to grow.

The potential is huge. It's important - at times it's daunting, but each moment is a step forward. It's a step toward the future.

This excites me. It's humbling. It's terrifying. It's daunting. However, at the end of the day, excitement wins.  Together we will be more.

Next week on my board will be the following message, "Today is the only  August 8, 2014 you will experience.  Let's make it great!"