The Right Plan (practice post)

The creaky door opens, the light-switch turns on, and the few hesitant steps towards the workbench begin. Standing there, you look at all the instruments on the wall feeling overwhelmed. All shiny, they stare at you—awaiting there implementation. However, before you can reach out and grab the instruments, you have to plan your project right…you have to goal set.  

            My first three goals for this upcoming school year center upon the ideas of growth and consistency. My first goal for this year is to enrich my interpersonal skills when working with students. Being an AVID Tutor in the schools for a while, I am used to being in classrooms with students as an auxiliary means of help, and not necessarily a main figure of educating. As I cross that bridge into becoming a “main educator,” I want to apply myself in listening to student problems and being able to adapt and troubleshoot complications that arise in their learning. Moving on, and with being able to troubleshoot, I want to make sure I work on rectifying any weaknesses I have in my content area of English (e.g. extraneous grammatical concepts). I want to be confident with my subject matter in a wide sense so I can avoid future embarrassment and help my students grow in varying English concepts. With this work, I also strive on staying consistent with the level of my school work. Moving forward this year, I will dedicate more time on my studies and assignments to not only maintain a consistent work ethic, but also, enrich myself with the pedagogy I will be reading and reflecting on.

            Going into my placement school, my next two goals center around the idea of professionalism. Working within and amongst a diverse collective of individuals, I want to make sure I balance, respect, and maintain positive and beneficial relationships. This is important to me in creating an effective working environment where students and adults can feel free to share, collaborate, and deliberate respectfully. I plan on using a professional approach of communication that considers the nuances and idiosyncrasies of my students—ultimately cultivating their unique individuality. Next, I will implement some action research this year by trying out differing strategies within my placement. This is important to me because as a budding educator, I want to test things out now before the real journey begins. All the research, data collection, and reflection I do now will propel me higher into a level of comfort I want when working with my students as a first-year teacher.

            My last two goals for this year involve a mix of academia and professionalism. First, I want to read more. Taking a summer class this year that geared me into reading YAL (Young Adult Literature) really jumpstarted an old flame I had for reading.  Now, all I do is find myself at used book stores—lost in the lines of the greats. By reading more, I will be able to enrich my future library, build up my vocabulary, and keep in mind potential (hopeful) hits with my future students. Also, I want to make sure I keep up on all of my assigned readings. I don’t want to miss out on something valuable as I reach the end of this project. Second, and finally, I want to make sure I have fun with my experience. As I enter the classroom, I want to maintain a professional climate, but at the same time, I want to come across as a relatable person (a human). To me, the most important thing a student can see is the idiosyncratic nature of an educator that reminds them that all people harness a unique sense of individuality. With that, the most important thing an educator can do is respect that individuality. When students see that, they live vicariously through our example.

            You scratch your head as you look at your plan for this project. Finally, you come to agreement with your intended process. Now, standing there, you ask yourself: which instrument do I use first?

You think…