This time of year I am especially reflective. At different points this week, I have looked back at the last ten months and asked myself - Did I really make a difference? Even though I have poured out my best and I'm running on empty, I still think I could have done more. I evaluate - I wonder - I reflect.
I'm not alone. In fact, I'm one of over 95,000 just in my home state. Do we all take this time to look over our shoulders at the past days, weeks, months? Absolutely not. But the good ones do. The good ones do it on a daily basis. The good ones look at what we do and ask the hard question - how can I do this better? How can I make a bigger impact?
Who are we? We are group of individuals dedicated to trying to make a difference - a difference in the lives of people we may never meet again after our ten month sprint - our students. We are teachers.
Good teachers take what others may see as ordinary, incorrigible, and even at times, unloveable and we encourage, model, and love. Good teachers look beyond the ordinary and truly believe that each student holds promise. Do we believe it everyday? No way. But then we pause, we take a step back, we reflect, and then we believe again.
So while most, most outsiders that is, think we are olly olly oxen free because summer break is on the horizon; think again. We are taking a good hard look at we've accomplished and also, facing a head on collision with the goals we didn't. We are looking ahead to how we can make the next year better. We live Standard 5.
Standard 5: Teachers reflect on their practice.
