NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION

We are very fond of making New Year's resolutions. This is not a bad practice as long as we try our hard to keep these resolutions. Because a teacher's everyday life however is so busy, we tend to forget these resolutions. Below are my top ten resolutions for the year 2009.

• I resolve to accept that bad days will happen and that sometimes activities and lessons won't go well. I am not a perfect teacher and never will be, and that's fine.
• I will remember what it was like to be a student. I will keep this in mind on days when I feel like wringing their necks.
• I resolve to say something nice to each of my students at least once a week, if not more.
• I resolve not to let students fall through the cracks. If someone is having problems, I will make an effort to do all I can to help.
• At the same time, I will recognize that teaching is a two-way street. I will accept that after a certain point, I've done all I can, and it's the students' responsibility to get motivated and learn.
• I won't forget to take care of myself. I will eat well, exercise, and get enough sleep.
• I resolve to try new things in my classroom. I will be more creative and look for new ways to present lessons. If some of these things won't go well, I won't worry about it but I will keep trying.
• I will put more time into my own continuing education. I will read at least one article every month about teaching methods, and read at least one article a month about my area of teaching.
• I resolve to leave the classroom behind at the end of the day. I may have papers to grade, but I don't have to go home with the frustrations of a bad day. I will let myself be someone other than the teacher when I go home.
• I will get to know my fellow teachers better - give them an opportunity to vent about their classroom problems with me, offer help if I can. I will be the teacher who brings in birthday cards for all the other teachers to sign.