My Goals for the School Year

I love to make lists. I make lists for groceries, packing, cooking, and even reading. At the beginning of every school year, I make a list of goals that I want to achieve over the course of two semesters. I fail at completing many of my goals and sometimes, I add more along the way. Teaching is a never ending process that requires me to shift my focus and desires from one day to another. While I know the goals that I share with you will change over the course of year, I want to challenge myself by making them public and holding myself accountable.

1. Blog every day: I named my blog "187 Days with Mrs. Hayes, " because in Alabama we have 187 days of school each year. I want to create a blog every day, so that I can document my journey this year.

2.Grade essays in a timely manner: This is my first year as an AP teacher, so I am a little nervous about staying on top of grading essays. In order for my students to succeed on the AP Language test, I will need to assign multiple essays this year.

3. Write at least 3 grant requests: I love to find "free" money for my school and my classroom. I have received multiple grants in my nine years of teaching, so I know it is possible to find more. I will be blogging about grant requests, so stay tuned!

4. Attend every AP workshop available: I am very new to teaching AP Language, so I need a lot of help. Throughout the year, AP provides a lot of workshops for teachers, so I hope to take advantage of as many as possible. I know that I need and will need a lot of support this year.

5. See a need, meet a need: This is one of the my classroom policies, but I feel that it needs to be a part of my every day life in an even bigger way. When I see a need in my classroom or among my fellow teachers, I want to try to be a true helper!