Pre-ADK Post

Tomorrow is the big day! I am completing my first post fashionably late, but I won't be late for the boat. :-) Why am I taking this course? Because I cannot think of a better way to earn three graduate credits than spending six days in the Adirondacks learning more about the environment, energy and ways to bring nature into my student's lives.

Why did I want to become a teacher? I have been working with children as a career since 1997. First, as a youth program manager running non-profit and for profit ice hockey clubs. It was a good job. Except, the higher I advanced in the field the less contact I had with kids. I was managing more coaches, training coaches in clinics, negotiating ice contracts and balancing budgets. I decided to make a lateral move in my career into the trenches of public education. It has been a wonderful decision. And I can still volunteer to coach ice hockey.


My Professional goals in teaching vary. I have yearly goals. Such as, last year my goal was to not use my overhead machine because I had an interactive smartboard installed into my classroom. I had another goal of differentiating my grammar lessons on three levels to meet the needs of all my students. If I step back, my teaching goals get a little broader. I want to complete my master's degree and achieve my professional teaching license. A long term goal I have for my career is to do a teaching exchange with another professional from a different country. My number one choice is India, but I'll compromise. The biggest goal I have is my daily professional goal, which is to show up everyday to work, minus sick and personal days, and check my problems, concerns and issues at the door and give everything I can to make my students day awesome! This does not happen everyday and it is a difficult goal to accomplish, but that is why it is my goal.


I am making a career in teaching right now. This will be the start of my fifth year as a full time teacher. The bigger question I wrestle with is will I be a lifer in teaching? I do not know. For today, and next year, I will definitely be in the trenches working with kids and sharing in their successes and failures, tears and laughter, problems and celebrations. It is a wonderful place to be.


I have several goals for this week. First, be engaged! I want to get the most out of this experience and that means it is up to me to be present and actively listening to others. I want to ask a lot of questions to my peers about two projects I am working on for the upcoming school year. I wrote about both of them in my pre-essay. It is a goal of mine to be open to other ideas about my projects and see if they might morph into something more exciting than I thought of. And the last goal I have is to give honest and constructive feedback.

Anyway, I know this posting is almost at the eleventh hour, but hey, what can I say? I am headed to the ADKs, to one of the great camps and wanted to be make a grand entrance! Can't wait to see everyone tomorrow!
Michael

http://adkclassroom.blogspot.com/