Wednesday, August 3, 2016

Celebrate the Journey


It's hard to believe that we are just 3 short weeks away from the first day of school with students at STC. As this will be my first year teaching 7th grade at South Tama I am looking forward to working with not only my new students but my colleagues and administrators in the building and district. I have been busy this summer planning for the new school year as well as continuing my Ed Leadership program/courses through Drake University. I am also a new husband as I married by best friend on July 10th and celebrated with our friends and family. It has been an amazing summer!



As the calendar turns to August it's time to start thinking about the goals and expectations for the upcoming school year. As we all know, goal-setting can be both a benefit and a hindrance depending on your commitment to achieving them. This school year I'm laying out actions that I am going to be committed to rather than goals I plan on achieving because I feel as though I should be focused on these actions throughout my day-to-day rather than look at the end result. I plan on celebrating the journey this school year with myself and my students! Here are a few things I will be committed to this school year.

  1. I am committed to putting students first.
    • This summer I was able to read the book Kids Deserve It! by Todd Nesloney and Adam Welcome and it really challenged my thinking as an educator. I have made a commitment to never stop fighting for what's best for kids because "Kids Deserve It." This means being even more of an active educator, allowing for more creativity and risk taking, and being jacked up every day to be around kids! 
    • More important than just putting students first is being a champion for all kids, regardless of the challenges they bring with them or pose to you as a teacher. I am committed to reaching every student in some way and celebrating the journey with each of them. Every student has a story and it is important for them to share it.
  2. I am committed to growing as an educator and educational leader.
    • This has been an ongoing commitment since I started my Ed Leadership program back in January. I have gained valuable knowledge in just a few months but most importantly I have really started to grasp the idea of the growth mindset. I began implementing this in my classroom by creating activities and lessons centered around the idea of the growth mindset and hope to continue this in the coming year. 
    • As an aspiring educational leader, I also look forward to working with my school and district admin teams in various leadership roles to get a realistic vision of what the life of an administrator looks like. I will be piloting a Genius Hour component during our school's RtI/MTSS time and will be a member of our PBIS and SBG leadership teams. I also hope to have a role in a new Curriculum team that is being assembled at the district level.
       
  3. I am committed to taking time for myself and bettering my physical health.
    • This is a fairly new commitment for me and something I have always struggled with, even before my time as an educator. I have committed myself to taking time for myself as well as focusing on my overall physical health. A few years ago I made a strict commitment to this and ended up losing roughly 130 pounds over the course of 9 months. This was something that felt good at the time but over the past few years I have fallen off the wagon and gained much of that back. My plan is to incorporate time in my day for moderate exercise as well as portioned meals that are good-tasting and good for you. 
    • Along with taking time for myself, I plan on spending as much time as possible growing in my relationship with my wife. As we are newlyweds we still have plenty of growing left to do and a lot will be done unplugged in an attempt to spend some time away from the workplace. This is something I have also struggled with in the 2 years I have been teaching and hope to continue growing in this area. 
I challenge those that are reading this blog to make commitment statements for themselves for the upcoming school year. 
  • What are you committed to as an educator? 
  • What are you committed to as a leader?
  • What are you committed to in your life outside of school?
I plan on posting these commitment statements in certain places around my home as well as on my desk to remind me on a daily basis what I have committed myself to this school year. Part of the growth process is remembering that failure is just a part of the process and while the journey may be long it will be one that is filled with joy, love, and laughter. I am excited to get started on another new journey in three weeks! 

Until next time, Be A Light!

-Derek

2 comments:

  1. Derek,

    Congratulations on your wedding and also with joining the Compelled Tribe! Posting those commitments will be s powerful motivator and reminder for you throughout the school year as you maintain your focus. Looking forward to reading more of your posts!!

    Jon

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    1. Thank you very much Jonathon! I am a VERY lucky guy!!

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