New Year, New Goals

This summer's TBR stack

For the past eleven years, when the countdown to summer begins in May, two key purchases are made -- a brand-new spiral notebook and a pile of TBR professional literature.  deep breaths...and I'm excited and nervous at the same time.  Once the year gets rolling, I will be collaborating with teachers to establish student-centered goals and supporting teachers in building their understanding of the Common Core, along with our district's new reading materials.  My "me" goals are to:
I begin the summer with learning goals in mind and, as the summer stretches on, the goals morph into plans for implementing my summer learning with a new group of students.  Last summer, my learning focused on preparing for a new position as an instructional coach.  My district adopted a two-year coaching pilot project, placing three full-time coaches in selected buildings.  The year was filled with more personal and professional learning than I could have ever imagined.  I'm proud of the work I did side-by-side with both my fellow coaches and teaching colleagues.  But the question at the forefront for me is "What can I do better next year?"  August has arrived, and my summer learning notebook is filled with ideas.  The 2013-2014 school year begins a week from today...

• Continue to build relationships.  Relationships are central to my coaching work.  Nothing happens without them.  Period. 
• Incorporate technology into professional development.  Within the classroom, I believe it's important to embed technology into learning experiences grounded in best practice.  Similarly, I think there are exciting possibilities to embed technology into teachers' school-based professional development while staying true to effective PD practices. Stay tuned...
• Read more middle-grade novels.  Between having two young children at home and teaching second grade for many years, this part of my reading life hasn't been as much of a focus as I would like.  I've read some of the books with lots of blog/Twitter buzz like The One and Only Ivan and Wonder, but I would like to refocus on this area. 

Best wishes on the start of your new school year!

Annie