Year End Reflection: Did I Achieve My Goals?

I accomplished 4 out of 5 goals that I set for myself this school year.
I have shown the most growth this school year than I have in all my 6 years as an educator.

The easiest goal to achieve was joining the NCAE. This goal simply required that I complete a registration form, and submit my credit card information. I feel like I have “arrived” because each month I receive scholarly articles, and I network with other educators at monthly meetings. In addition, the NCAE is always advocating for public education and for the needs of teachers, which is the main reason all teachers should join.

I incorporated play centers before school for my students, This is a place where they could develop their English language skills in a natural environment. By observing students at play, I learned the importance of providing unstructured play time, in order to make sense of the world around them and get ready for their work day.

I marketed myself within my school/district which enabled me to become a first-time district presenter. On February 22, 2019 I (along with my student teacher) presented at the CMS Increasing Social Emotional Supports For Students, a seminar titled, Working Effectively With Latino Families. I, along with Mark Townley, presented a branding seminar to a small group of educators at my school, on March 13, 2019. These two accomplishments gave me the confidence to continue marketing myself and continue growing in my profession.

The only goal I did not meet was to create digital portfolios for my students.

Overall, I am proud of all my accomplishments this year: finished National Board, hosted a UNCC student teacher, presented at my school and district, and represented my school as a Faculty Advisory Committee Representative and Learning Community Advisory Committee Representative. When I set these goals, I was not exactly sure how I would accomplish these goals.

This year, I learned to set high expectations for myself, and to trust and believe in myself. I learned the importance of documenting my journey in a blog, and I plan to continue blogging. I learned the importance of setting goals at the beginning of year. Once I did, my actions, thoughts, and words worked together to make them a reality. I can’t wait to develop next year’s goals!