#goals #sol21

#goals

September 28, 2021

It’s that time of year when teachers make appointments with their administrators to discuss their yearly ‘goals’. Goals, smart or not so smart, set annually with professional learning communities or alone, are often a struggle. No less so in this year when sometimes getting through a week, a day, an activity seems like a goal.

I set my goal meeting with our administrator for the very last day he had available. I don’t want to consider my goals. I don’t want to write my goals. I don’t want to discuss my goals. However… I have a lot of goals.

I set many goals and intentions for the year, year after year. Sometimes, those of you that read my blog are the only ones that know these goals. Your encouragement is what keeps many of these goals going. I wrote earlier this fall about setting a goal to increase knowledge about author’s craft in our young readers and writers.

A few weeks ago, I wrote about searching for small glimpses of joy.

Neither of these goals will probably make the cut for that smart goal this year, but I might work harder on them than the goal I set for my evaluation.

I love the idea of goals. Having a little self-evaluation and then setting an intention for the day, week, activity. In my coaching, we talk a lot about goals we have, goals we hope to encourage in our classes and in particular students.

Here are some of my not-so-secret goals. I will always say thank you for your time when a teacher meets with me, comes to a professional development, invites me to grade level meetings, drops in for a chat. I am truly thankful for that time. I was inspired. I was able to share passion with my colleagues. It’s invigorating.

It’s my goal to cherish every single thank you I receive. I’ll post on my gratitude board all the handwritten ones I receive and hold in my hearts the ones I receive in passing.

It’s my goal to be the lead learner… though I hesitate to use that term. What I really want to be is someone who is always considering how to improve my practice. Thankfully my world is full of amazing professionals that help me learn more and more every day. I want to fight my potential fear of the new and embrace all the possibilities of the not-yet.

None of these are going to be in that form that arrives in the principal’s inbox. I don’t know today what that goal is going to be. That goal is going to be informed by the data meetings we have next week in our grade level teams. The concern, worries, ideas, and brainstorms that come out of those meetings will be the driving force of what I officially work on this year. For the inspiration that I know will come I’d just like to say… thank you… in advance.