If you follow me on twitter (@kellycondon) you know I’ve been sharing almost daily about what I’ve been up to this summer. Here on my blog, however, I have been pretty quiet. Okay, I’ve been silent. And you’re probably thinking, Kelly, did you forget about us? And no, I haven’t. I haven’t blogged because I decided to take time off this summer from all things “teacher”. I’ve been very intentional about making summer vacation truly summer vacation. Family and friends have been a priority for me these past few months and I have to say, it’s been amazingly refreshing.
As educators, we spread ourselves very thin throughout the school year. It is important to refresh and recharge during the summer months so that we can return in the fall feeling energized. I am proud of myself for taking time this summer to be with the ones I love, doing the things I love. Now that there are two weeks until the start of school, I am starting to think about going back. I am feeling excited, nervous, and all of the emotions a teacher feels before a new year. Before I return to the trenches, I am already gearing up for the school year ahead and starting to get back into the school mode. Here are some things I’ve done so far to get ready for the year ahead.
Last week I ordered my Erin Condren planner and have been refreshing the FedEx website like a maniac to check the delivery status. The cover I ordered for the planner is SO ME and I can’t wait to show it to you guys. If you are unfamiliar with Erin Condren, you can read about how her planner makes my life as a teacher so much less stressful in my post here. If you want to order a planner from Erin Condren, click here.
Would you guys like to see a more indepth view of the planner once I get it? Let me know in the comments if you’d like to see a blog post.
I’ve been into the school a few times this summer working on curriculum development with other language teachers from my building. (Okay, I know I said I was taking off the summer to recharge but I couldn’t stay away completely!) We are revamping our curriculum to fit with the new ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines and Standards. Our work has been challenging but I think it is going to help me a lot with my teaching this upcoming year. With more direction, my teaching is going to become much more intentional and goal-oriented. These are good things!
I am thinking hard about my goals for the year ahead. I always start the year with two or three goals in mind for me and for my students. I’m not talking about my goals for evaluation. These are personal goals. Goals that will ultimately make me a better teacher. I want my goals this year to be challenging but attainable. I want them to calm me down rather than stress me out. They should help me to become a better teacher and inspire my students to be better students. While I’ve spent lots of time this summer thinking about my goals, I can’t say that I have nailed them down yet. When I do, I will share them in a post. What are your goals for the upcoming school year? How are you going to motivate yourself to be the best teacher you can me? Please share in the comment what your goals are for this year!
The Confident Classroom 