Got goals?
But then ... (think the soundtrack to Jaws) it is time to set professional goals. There is nothing in the year that brings more discomfort than the goal-related meetings, and we have at least three each year. These meetings make me sweat and give me a horrible pain between my right shoulder and my neck, in fact, I am trying to stretch it out as I type.
Here is the issue: my goal needs to be in alignment with the school and district goals. In a nutshell, that means that my goal should have something to do with standardized testing. Our district has seen a dip in writing scores on the state's standardized test, so our school has put the focus on writing. That makes my goal about writing. Writing is good. Kids should write. Yes. Good goal for kids!
But it is not my goal for me this year.
I have stuff I want to work on. I want incorporate Marshall Rosenberg' s ideas of nonviolent communication into my classroom management. I want kids to self-regulate behavior, at the same time they take linguistic and intellectual risks. I want to be their resource, and have them devise meaning.
I am left with a big old personal disconnect. I have to write the goal they want, this is not up for discussion, and they pay me. So here is the goal for my administrator: I will work with the AVID curriculum to improve student writing. I will document the students performance by maintaining a portfolio for each AVID student with a sample from before they were taught the curriculum, at two points during the curriculum, and during their final writing assignment in the spring. I will grade all written material with the AVID rubrics for writing samples, and will periodically journal my challenges and celebrations as I teach this material. (Please note that this addresses only one of my six classes.)
Whew... (wipe brow)
So, let me share my personal-professional goal with you. I will work to create an atmosphere of personal responsibility, where people are able to express their needs of the curriculum, and get those needs met. I will have the kids write personal goals for the class, and have them do self check-ins every grading period, and allow them to adjust their goals based on where they really are, and what they really want to achieve. I will place emphasis on what the students can create, and guide them toward higher levels of comprehension, but allow the final product be their own. I don't have a mass produced rubric to assess their products.
I will keep close tabs on how the students' writing, speaking, and listening comprehension improves, and give them individual feedback on what I see. I will talk to the kids on a daily basis, even if it is just to see how their weekend went, or to comment on the cool socks they are wearing. I will periodically journal our challenges and celebrations here... and would love your feedback!
Be well!
Alison
Posted in Standards and EvaluationTeaching on Nov 18, 2009 - 10:57 AM
This is my thirteenth fall as a teacher. This year has been wonderful so far. I have great students, colleagues that I respect, and a curriculum for the majority of my classes that I agree with philosophically.But then ... (think the soundtrack to Jaws) it is time to set professional goals. There is nothing in the year that brings more discomfort than the goal-related meetings, and we have at least three each year. These meetings make me sweat and give me a horrible pain between my right shoulder and my neck, in fact, I am trying to stretch it out as I type.
Here is the issue: my goal needs to be in alignment with the school and district goals. In a nutshell, that means that my goal should have something to do with standardized testing. Our district has seen a dip in writing scores on the state's standardized test, so our school has put the focus on writing. That makes my goal about writing. Writing is good. Kids should write. Yes. Good goal for kids!
But it is not my goal for me this year.
I have stuff I want to work on. I want incorporate Marshall Rosenberg' s ideas of nonviolent communication into my classroom management. I want kids to self-regulate behavior, at the same time they take linguistic and intellectual risks. I want to be their resource, and have them devise meaning.
I am left with a big old personal disconnect. I have to write the goal they want, this is not up for discussion, and they pay me. So here is the goal for my administrator: I will work with the AVID curriculum to improve student writing. I will document the students performance by maintaining a portfolio for each AVID student with a sample from before they were taught the curriculum, at two points during the curriculum, and during their final writing assignment in the spring. I will grade all written material with the AVID rubrics for writing samples, and will periodically journal my challenges and celebrations as I teach this material. (Please note that this addresses only one of my six classes.)
Whew... (wipe brow)
So, let me share my personal-professional goal with you. I will work to create an atmosphere of personal responsibility, where people are able to express their needs of the curriculum, and get those needs met. I will have the kids write personal goals for the class, and have them do self check-ins every grading period, and allow them to adjust their goals based on where they really are, and what they really want to achieve. I will place emphasis on what the students can create, and guide them toward higher levels of comprehension, but allow the final product be their own. I don't have a mass produced rubric to assess their products.
I will keep close tabs on how the students' writing, speaking, and listening comprehension improves, and give them individual feedback on what I see. I will talk to the kids on a daily basis, even if it is just to see how their weekend went, or to comment on the cool socks they are wearing. I will periodically journal our challenges and celebrations here... and would love your feedback!
Be well!
Alison
Tags for this entry:
curriculum,
k-12 education,
standardized tests,
responsibility,
goals,
writing,
speaking,
nonviolent communication,
listening comprehension,
marshall rosenberg
