Let's Not Make Wishes

Happy 2015! As a new year begins, I can't help but think of ways I want to improve and grow. I'm a sucker for resolutions (even if I don't always stick with them the way that I should). One thing that I love about teaching is that I feel like I get two chances every year to make resolutions since my life is still split into semesters. While the holidays can be stressful, they can also be a time to recharge and refocus my energy. As I was looking back on blog posts from this last semester, I found that I took less time to reflect than I would have liked. It may sound trite, but I truly believe that a teacher is only as good as his or her ability to reflect on what happens in the classroom, and sometimes that requires one to step away from the work. Hence, Christmas break is the perfect time to take a look at what's working and what's not and to think about how I can make 2015 my best teaching year yet.

During the fall semester, I feel like I wrote a lot about my struggle to stay positive.  I found myself overwhelmed by the number of things that had to be done in a day. However, as the semester came to a close, I found that all those things I thought just had to be completed didn't actually have to get checked off my to-do list immediately. A girl can only accomplish so much in twenty-four hours. This semester, I resolve to look at the big picture instead of focusing on the tiny details of my day-to-day. 

While I believe that servant leadership is the most effective way to create a positive school environment, I realized this semester that you can't help others if you don't first help yourself. I'm a better teacher if I take time to read books for fun, exercise, and just generally give my brain a break from work. I resolve to make time for myself to step away and leave school at school. 

I also feel like I often found myself racing through the day in such a way that it all turned into a blur.  I started this blog as a way to record the small tidbits of talk I caught from students each day.  It was a way for me to remind myself that students will blow you away with their insight and their wit if you only slow down long enough to catch them at it. This semester, I want to get back to that. I resolve to look for those small, perfect pieces of wisdom from the middle every day in my classroom. 

On New Year's Day I read a reflection that said there's a big difference between resolutions and wishes.  Wishes are big, broad statements with no action to back them up. Resolutions are measurable ways that one wants to create change. I don't want to make wishes. I want to take a step back and take the time to be better and more present in my classroom each day this semester. What's your plan? Are you going to make wishes or resolutions this year?