New Years Resolutions

Happy New Year and Welcome Back!

Like many of you, every year I find myself making New Years Resolutions. I'm going to lose weight. I'm going to drink more water. I'm going to stop procrastinating and be hyper focused at work. I'm driven towards my resolutions the first week of January, but often flail by the start of February, and if you ask my what my resolutions were by March, I often have no idea.

Antoine de Saint-Exupery (author of The LIttle Prince) once said, "A goal without a plan is just a wish." I can't think of a more apt description of New Years Resolutions-- especially for me! This year, however, instead of just wishing, it's time to make a plan. Over break, I found this great resource on doing better goal setting that includes the following steps:

1. Make a decision-- What is a reasonable action step you'd like to take? For me, I'd like to dig into classroom data (math and reading) with teachers at least once a month to ensure a focus on student learning.

2. Make a realistic plan-- What do you need to do to make this happen? For me, I need to dedicate one Friday a month to my own data analysis at least a week before scheduling and arranging monthly data talks with teachers and/or teams.

3. Take Action-- What do you need to get started? I purchased a planner so that I can look at all of my priorities for the month and make sure I'm not double or triple booking myself.

4. Check In-- Who is going to walk through your plan with you and hold you accountable/provide support for you? I'm looking to Anel, Semi, Taleen, and Yvette as my accountability partners in this. Their support and feedback on my plan will help me forsee any major issues and/or challenges that may arise in advance.

If you have a few moments, take some time to set some goals for the upcoming semester. I've attached the goal setting worksheets below:

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