The word that will inspire me in 2015
The word that will inspire me in 2015 is
Relationships
Professional Relationships
I am changing schools yet again in 2015. I'm teaching Grade 2 for three days a week (something new for me) and will be sharing the class with another teacher (something new for me) so I can work on my role. Part of this will be leading the introduction of online assessment and reporting using Compass, using data to inform teaching and learning and supporting staff and students in their use of ICT.
In a previous post, I talked about advice I would offer teachers new to the role of ICT co-ordinator. and focused on the need to understand 'where things are at'.As a classroom teacher, this will involve getting to know each of the students in my class; their interests, their strengths, their weaknesses, their hopes and dreams for the future. I will need to build relationships with their parents as partners in their child's learning. I will need to build a positive working relationship with my co-teaching partner so that together we can achieve the best for the students in our care.
As a school leader, I will need to build relationships with the rest of the staff. Understand their experience, their beliefs, their needs and desires, their professional goals and what they each need from me. I need to make time to work with them, to celebrate their successes and set goals for continuous improvement. I will need to build relationships with those in nearby schools and beyond so I can draw on their expertise and experience to help shape and guide my own.
Personal Relationships
I also need to work on building a better relationship with myself. I touched on in a previous post about how tired and burnt out I felt at the end of the year. Too often I let 'professional me' take over 'personal me' and things like exercise and eating well are always the first to drop off. I need to remember that these are just as important and help me to function at my best.
I need to remember the personal relationships with friends and family and ensure that I make time to connect with them.
Whilst I love education, I also need to remember that this should not be the sole thing that defines me as a person. In his book, “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People”, Steven Covey talks about the need to "sharpen the saw". I need to develop other interests outside of this field and engage in activities that contribute to a work\life balance. I am excited to be working closer to home this year and using time that would have previously been spent traveling to explore and search for other interests.