My goals for this school year

1. Learn a little conversational Greek – I have two students in class who speak little or no English and it would be nice to be able to say a few conversational words to make them feel at home
2. Finish the text books from start to finish – I have heard that some teachers have done it and others have not. I would like to aim to finish all the books but will accept hitting all the objectives listed on the 2nd and 3rd grade sheets in the HAA handbook
3. Stay on top of paperwork – In the past I have felt entirely overwhelmed with the amount of paperwork I had from my students. While I would like to keep a few pieces here and there (with permission of course!) the work is done by the students and therefore they should be able to keep the work to enjoy and share with their families
4. Contacting parents – I would like to maintain an open line of communication with the parents of my students. While they will obviously get a call if there is something amiss with their child I would also like to make sure they receive positive calls or emails about their child – behavior wise or grade wise on a weekly basis
5. Remain positive but realistic – As a first year teacher I already feel overwhelmed by the pressures to show you, my boss, that I am worthy of being part of the HAA family of teachers. I worry that the students won’t understand what I am teaching or that the parents won’t like me. I worry that I won’t get my lesson plans done exactly how I want them to be done, or worse, that I will plan but that my plans will get changed so much that I won’t have planned enough for my students to do. It is therefore a goal of mine to remain positive but realistic. I will reflect on what is going well and if things didn’t go according to plan making a suggestive note for what it is I can change when I do the activity again in the future. I will have to remind myself that things happen – good or bad – and it is my job to make sure to move forward in a positive light
6. Remember that my colleagues are there for me – in case I feel like I’m drowning with all that I have to do in the school year I will try to remember that I have a caring set of colleagues who can guide me in times of anxiety or worry and celebrate the successes of my students and myself