Goal Shift

I carefully outlined my goals in the spring of last year, and since then I've been refining and changing those goals. Similar to any natural system, life in schools is always changing and so are the goals I choose.

Yet, as the goals changed, there was also refinement. The more I know the students and the more the team works together, the better I understand what's needed. Hence when I present the goals this week, those goals will be more fine-tuned and responsive to the needs of the students as well as the betterment of my practice.

The first goal, the student teaching goal, will be a goal to provide sensitive, thoughtful, and encouraging student-centered, standards-based practice opportunities and response to all fifth grade math students each week. Specifically that will include the following:

• Responding to students' practice packets with comments and points.
• Reviewing students' online practice exercises and assessments.

Responding in class will include both verbal and written responses to students' in-class learning experience efforts. I will keep track of this effort with a record document that charts students' efforts and accomplishments in ways that I can analyze as the year moves along.

The second goal initially was to embed SEL into science/STEAM efforts, however in light of the work that's needed to fulfill the environmental education portion of our science program, I will change that goal to professional learning related to develop a standards-based, student-centered environmental education program for fifth graders. This is a meaningful, relevant goal for the work at hand.

I'm looking forward the goal-setting meeting I'll have this week with my evaluator and the work ahead to reach those goals.