Ten Goals for Wrapping Up the School Year

Thanks to its partnership with publisher Eye on Education, Education World is pleased to present the following blog post by PJ Caposey, author of Building a Culture of Support: Strategies for School Leaders.

We are nearing the end of the school year—and we have two options: grind to the end or think of new and exciting ways to challenge ourselves to continue to grow. As most schools are now approaching the final 45 days of school, I would like to provide 10 challenges to teachers everywhere to complete before the end of school to facilitate their personal growth. Hopefully this process will ultimately benefit the children we serve.
 

1. Connect or Help Others Connect: When connected educators are asked about Twitter, the consesus response is typically that it is the best free professional development they have ever experienced. I agree—and you will, too, if you give it a chance. If you are already connected—make it your goal to inspire two colleagues to become connected educators. This process will not only promote great practice, but it will also help you grow in your level of expertise as you help others learn.
2. Contribute: There are many ways to contribute to the profession—you can blog, present, write articles or any number of things. The important thing is to start somewhere. If you think you are not an expert—you are wrong. All of us have expertise in some area from which others can benefit.
3. Collaborate: Reach out and discuss new ideas with new people. Within organizations, we often tend to think we have great ideas, but what makes those ideas better is the incorporation of ideas that have worked in other areas. Consciously find a way to collaborate outside your normal circle of friends and peers.
4. Seek Divergence: Find an opinion you do not like or agree with, and study it in depth. The more I learn in education, the more I understand that even the most divergent opinion from mine is usually grounded in the same desire—to make the lives of children better.
5. Earmark July: July must be about you if you are to come back to school refreshed. Being about you, however, is about much more than sitting by the pool or coaching your daughter’s soccer team. July must be the time that you reflect and recharge for the coming year in whatever manner best suits you. For some it's reading, for some it’s writing, and for others it is something different. July must be about you consciously scheduling activities to recharge and prepare for another year in the most important profession in the world.
6. Survey Students: Create on online, anonymous survey asking real questions that hopefully result in real feedback. Often the people who truly know our strengths and weaknesses are the ones we never ask. For this to be effective, however, it must be set up in a completely non-threatening manner in order to promote direct, frank feedback.
7. Give the Work Back: Each day from now until the end of the year, write down one thing that you did while teaching, while prepping for teaching, or during record keeping that you could give back to the students. This is something many educators struggle with—some things that I often observe that should and could be given away include: the writing of newsletters, completion of data sheets, and preparation and holding of student conferences.
8. Pre-Order Two Books: Lots of teachers read over the summer, but far more read for pleasure than for professional growth. Before the end of the year, pre-order two books that you think will help you improve your practice and recharge. This would be a great topic on which to collaborate with others during the summer months.
9. Invite an Audience: Before the end of the year, invite administration and your colleagues in to watch a lesson for feedback. Take the initiative to ask others to come in to your room so that you can get feedback to fuel your thoughts over the summer.
10. Set SMART Goals: The act of writing down goals that are measurable and time-bound can be a career-altering process. This simple process provides direction and meaning for summer activities and all things associated with creating professional growth. This may be number 10 on the list, but may well be the most important thing you can do before the end of the year.

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