Connecting With the Past...Meeting with Former Students (#4): Learning From an Artist

I am having many interesting take-aways from my conversations with former students. Some students

remember very specific details about our classroom experience, while other students have more general memories about their elementary experiences.

This past weekend I had the opportunity to meet up with former student #4, Lindsay. Lindsay was in the same looping 1st-2nd grade class as Keith from my last blog. In that blog, I shared how special this class has always been for me.

If someone was to ask me to name a few of my most memorable students, Lindsay would definitely be one of them.  No favoritism here...I promise! It was more about Linday's love of school and learning and how much she seemed to love me and our classroom that makes her so memorable. That and the dozens of pictures and letters along with homemade gifts she gave to me over our two years together.

Lindsay and I met for breakfast and had fun chatting about everyone from this class and what she remembered from our two years together.

Lindsay made this for me and it is still displayed in my office today 💗

Lindsay's memories are more general about her experiences in elementary school. She does remember that she loved school and is still in touch with several of the students from our class. She shared that second grade did have a homey feeling since it was the second year our class was together and we had really become a close-knit group.

Her memories from our time together include our hamster Speedy, the Scholastic Book Fair, the traveling planetarium that used to visit out school each year- StarLab, doing gymnastics in gym class, the school carnival each year, Halloween parades, our beautiful school library, and the very cool playground that had been built by families just a few years prior.

Lice invaded our classroom during the second grade year and unfortunatley Lindsay's long beautiful hair was not spared. I know that was a stressful time for all 😔

The summer between our first and second classes, I attended Lindsay's birthday party at her house. The girls from our class were there for a swim party and it was a fun afternoon catching up with everyone and hearing about their summer fun.

The Girls in 2nd grade

What I remember about Lindsay is how much she loved school and how creative and artistic she was. She was always drawing pictures and making projects, and a typical day either began or ended (sometimes both) with something on my desk from Lindsay. She was a good student and definitely an out-of-the-box thinker.

Lindsay taught me to find and nurture the gifts in all of my students. She taught me to see the beauty in every day and that giftedness comes in many different packages.

Linsday is now an artist and a high school art teacher who is expecting her first child in February. Her husband is currently deployed and I thank him for his service and wish him a safe return home...hopefully in time to welcome his baby into the world.

Just two of the dozens of letters, cards and drawings I have from Lindsay. 

Connecting With the Past...Meeting With Former Students (#3): A Familiar Voice

I have to say I have really been enjoying my time catching up with my former students, who now range in age from 22-34 years old. My "Connecting with the Past" blog series started due to my curiosity about these students, and wondering how they "turned out" after leaving my classroom.

In 1996, I was fortunate to be part of my district's multiyear classroom initiative (AKA Looping), which means I taught the same students for two years; from first to second grade. I loved being a looping teacher! Having the same group of students together for two years was an incredible experience! Essentially, we were given the gift of an extra month of school together, as September of 2nd grade became a continuation of 1st grade. There was no "first six weeks" of the new year for getting to know each other and establishing a classroom culture for learning. That had been done in first grade, so we began September right where we left off in June. I knew my students well, and the connections we made through two years together was strong. We were a family.

The students in my first looping class have always held a special place in my heart. They were a special group of kids and I feel we are forever linked by the incredible experience.

My Looping Class (1995-1997)-Keith is in the back center rockin' the 90s overalls

Keith is the first student from this class that I have been able to reconnect with, and we recently spent an hour talking and reminiscing about our class. Keith doesn't live locally, and I appreciated the chance to catch up over the phone.

Keith had spent some time preparing for our call, thinking back to his time in first and second grade.

One of the first things Keith shared was a thank you. He had been placed in our district's gifted and talented program starting in third grade, and he shared that this gave him confidence as a student and was the beginning of his journey towards academic success. As an adult he realized that I must have been the teacher to recommend him for this program, and he is grateful for the impact this experience had on his life.

We had fun talking about each student from our class and where they are now. Keith kept in touch with many of his classmates over the years and I enjoyed hearing about his later experiences with them. He is still in touch with a few of them today, and I look forward to catching up with some that I have been able to reconnect with recently.

I remember Keith as a friendly, outgoing, and chatty kid. He got along with everyone and was a great student to have in class. As Keith shared, he probably loved school because it was a social time for him. He remembers that I provided him with a lot of opportunities to talk to the class which not only helped feed his talkative nature, but has made him a confident public speaker to this day.

We laughed about the lice...which wasn't funny at the time. In second grade, we had a lice outbreak in class that lasted for several months. We just couldn't get rid of it! Keith never got it, but does remember having to put his belongings in a trash bag each day and sitting on the tile floor because our class rug had been removed until we were cleared of the critters.

And of course, Keith remembers the Pog craze of the 90s, our class hamster Speedy 🧡 and how exciting it was when the Scholastic Book Fair came to our school, even if he wasn't allowed to buy I Spy books. He also remembers that Officer Buckle and Gloria had just won the Caldecott Award that year (1996) and we read it as part of our study of Caldecott-winning books. 

One time Keith called me "mom", as many students did over the years, and was teased for it. What a memory!

The Boys of Room 23- Keith is second from the left

We also talked about many of the families of the students in our class, and I mentioned that I felt fortunate to have had so many supportive and involved parents. Many of the moms were able to volunteer in the classroom on a regular basis, which only enhanced our sense of community.

After our phone call Keith sent me a text to say how much he enjoyed talking to me, and also to share how he remembered my voice after all these years. It's always interesting to hear the things that are remembered, and how our senses trigger specific memories. For Keith, it was the sound of my voice.  I can only hope it was a good sound for him full of positive memories. 

Connecting With the Past...Meeting With Former Students (#2): It's All About a Feeling

It's All About a Feeling 

This is the second in a series of blogs about meet-ups with my former students. As I shared in my first blog, my students now range in age from 22-34 years old. I recently connected with many of them through Facebook, and plans have been made to get together and catch up.

In 1996, I was fortunate to be part of my district's multiyear classroom initiative (AKA Looping), which means I taught the same students for two years; from first to second grade. I loved being a looping teacher! Having the same group of students together for two years was an incredible experience! Essentially, we were given the gift of an extra month of school together, as September of 2nd grade became a continuation of 1st grade. There was no "first six weeks" of the new year for getting to know each other and establishing a classroom culture for learning. That had been done in first grade, so we began September right where we left off in June. I knew my students well, and the connections we made through two years together was strong. We were a family.

I taught my second looping class from 1997-1999, and the end of our second year together culminated (for me) with the birth of my daughter. As I was waiting to become a first-time mom, my students pampered me and even threw me a surprise shower. Of course, watching my stomach move around while I was teaching math (right after lunch) became entertainment for my students (and me!) by spring of that year.

Our Looping Class during Year 1- 1996
Rachel is right next to me. 

Rachel was one of my students in this looping group. I remember that she always had a smile on her face, and was a genuinly happy kid. Rachel's twin sister was in the other looping class right next door. I honestly couldn't tell them apart, but I always knew Rachel because her face would light up with a smile when she saw me.

Rachel and I recently met up for dinner, and the first thing we realized is that we hadn't seen each other in twenty years! After my daughter was born that June, I transfered schools within my district to shorten my commute. I hadn't seen her since.

Rachel's first question to me "how do you remember me?".  Honestly, I remember every student from my looping classes. They have a special place in my heart. 360 days together over the two years where students demonstrate more academic and social-emotional growth than any other years in school was pretty significant to me.

Rachel shared that she doesn't remember a lot of details from our classroom. She explained that it was more about the atmosphere, or feeling she remembers and less about the specifics. She does know that she liked school and that she felt smart in first and second grade.

Rachel and I on Halloween

She did remember our class hermit crab (Bud) and hamster (Speedy), and a class trip to Duke Gardens in second grade. Reading groups (guided reading) was a special time and she has always loved reading. Rachel specifically remembers changing groups during the year, and that she was intimidated at first in her new group because she knew they were the "good readers".

A memory Rachel shared that I don't recall, is that someone once put glue on the toilet seat in our classroom bathroom. Apparently, I was not happy.

On the whole, we both agreed that this class was a pretty amazing group of kids. There were very few behavioral issues...we really couldn't remember much of anything,  but these were six and seven-year-olds so there had to be some amount of behavorial issues/lessons, right? I guess I just forget things like that 😊

We looked through pictures together and remembered the students in our class. Rachel is still in touch with several of them, and her classmate Megan is still one of her closest friends. We both noted the lack of diversity in the class and the school as a whole. We had a great conversation about education, equity, and multiple intelligences. It was a fun time together reminiscing and telling stories.

The thing that most resinated with me after my dinner with Rachel was her comment about her memories being rooted in a "feeling". Though specific memories fad, the feeling of connections, relationships, and belonging remain. Children need to feel a sense of safety and belonging and that someone cares. Only then are they ready to learn.

Rachel and I at dinner together 2019

Starting Your Year Trauma-Sensitive

Educators are getting ready to welcome students back to school for a new year. It's a new year full of promise and excitement for both staff and students.

As a curriculum supervisor, I oversee both language arts and social studies at the elementary level in my district. We have worked to institute some changes to our district curriculum over the past few years to better support all of our students (as we know better, we do better), while being aware of and sensitive to the differing life experiences our students bring with them to school each day.

Some of those changes have been met with push-back from staff as we work together to balance traditions established in the classroom through specific activities with an awareness that some of these traditions can actually be traumatic for our students.

The other day I saw the following visuals on the Instagram site of trauma_informed-montessori , and they definitely demonstrate the sensitivity that needs to be taken with our students as we prepare activities to begin another school year.

As you begin a new school year, I implore you to think about the family-centered/historical activities you will have your students complete, and then take another look from the perspective of your students. How these might these be perceived by or effect your students? Think about the "why" behind these assignments, and use the suggestions below to help you meet your objectives in a more trauma-informed way.

All graphics from trauma_informed-montessori

Connecting With the Past...Meeting With Former Students (#1)

IT'S ALL ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS

I recently got to thinking about my former students...

Just a reminder that it's been 14 years since I made the move from being a classroom teacher to a building reading specialist and then eventually my current role as a curriculum supervisor. This means that my former first and second grade students now range from 22-34 years old. They have all grown up!

Curiosity began to sink in as I wondered how each of my students has "turned out" and what, if any, impact I had on them. What do they remember from our classroom?

So I turned to the boxes I have in my basement. These boxes contain hundreds of pictures, student-made cards and notes, letters from parents, etc. I got lost for a few hours down that rabbit hole, smiling as I remembered particular students and events, reading through the heart-felt student notes to me.

Next I searched on Facebook, locating and friending many former students. My curiosity began to grow and I knew that I wanted to talk to these students who had once spent 180 days (double that for my looping classes) in my care.

I contacted several former students through Facebook messenger, and to my surprise, many of them responded!

Today I had my first meet-up with Caitlyn.

Caitlyn was in my second class. I was 25 years old and teaching first grade. When I think about this year, I usually remember two things:

• I had 25 students in this class (12 boys, 13 girls), which was a bit overwhelming in a classroom where I was differentiating reading instruction to meet the needs of each emerging reader...as a second year teacher. 
• It was the "year of the Js". I had three boys names Joseph, along with a Jeffrey, Justin and Jerry. 

My 1994-95 Class (Caitlyn is in the middle row, just next to me)

I met Caitlyn and her beautiful, five-month old daughter for breakfast, and I loved our conversation. We reminisced for over an hour, and she also told me about her life and current connections with many of the students from our class. 

The one big question I had was "what are your memories from our first grade classroom?". 

Caitlyn shared the following:

• Pizza on Fridays at lunch was a big deal!
• The students had a job chart and were able to move their own names to new jobs each week. She liked the freedom of this.
• I met with reading groups on the carpet, and being on the carpet always made it feel like a special time with me in small groups.
• Reading was challenging for Caitlyn, but she was able to memorize Green Eggs and Ham. I allowed her to read the book to the class which gave her confidence as a reader. She still has a "Good Job" reading certificate from me. 
• We hatched duck eggs and even had pet ducklings in the classroom...until they moved to their new homes. 
• The students did animal research and Caitlyn chose to research ducklings. She still has the book she checked out from the county library for her research...shhhh!!!
• We once did math outside and that was fun. Hopefully I made math fun more than once. 
• Behavior chart....ugh! This one hurt. Caitlyn remembers the one time she had to move her card. She also remembers the students who were frequent card-movers in my public shaming discipline method. Not my proudest moment. See my former blog on this topic: http://kidsfirst-passionateleadership.blogspot.com/2019/05/an-apology-to-my-former-students.html
• This one cracks me up...I wore a lot of festive tops, sweaters, and pins around the holidays and she always thought of me as a "fancy dresser". 
• I went to see Caitlyn play baseball one weekend. Several of the kids from our class were on the team.
• When Caitlyn was in 7th grade, she came back to visit my classroom to read a book and help out with reading groups for a morning. 

Caitlyn's memories reinforced for me the importance of relationships to learning. Students don't learn in classrooms where they don't feel safe and loved with a connection to the teacher. I've always hoped that I was this for my students. I know more about social-emotional learning and my pedagogy has developed significantly over the years; there are many things I know I would do differently today. 

Caitlyn remembers the learning that was fun and when she had voice and choice. My heart and passion for teaching and my students is the one thing that has never changed, and that is what I hope they each continue to hold in their hearts as they remember their time in my classroom. 

When I was a classroom teacher, I made a class yearbook for my students at the end of each year. I would include pictures from the year along with a list of student-generated memories, and I wrote a note to each student in the back of their book. Since these were photo-copied, the quality wasn't great and the pictures were dark...it was the 90s. Caitlyn shared that she still has her book and keeps it in her classroom for her own students to read.

Did I mention...Caitlyn is now a first grade teacher 💖 

* I have several more meet-ups scheduled with former students over the next few months. I look forward to sharing my take-aways. 

An Apology to My Former Students

Teach, don't punish

My Turn-a-Card System

  

The saying goes, "as we know better, we do better".  I have certainly learned a lot through my journey as an educator, and some of my earlier practices would not be found in my classroom today (if I had a classroom).

While I don't necessarily agree with all of the decisions and instructional practices that "past Maureen" supported, only one actually haunts me. OK, haunt is being dramatic, but I do feel strongly that if I could only go back and change one thing, this would be it.

Confession time...I had a public behavior chart in my classroom. 

Yes, it pains me to say it, but I had one. It was the "turn a card" system, where each student had a pocket in a chart with a green, yellow, and red card. Each child started the day on green, and if a behavior infraction occurred, the child would be directed to change their card to yellow. Further infractions would result in a red card and a call home. A card with the student's name on it sat in the front of the pocket. If no infractions occurred during the day, a small sticker would be placed on the card. At the end of each week, the card would go home for parent signature.

Ugh! How did I ever think that this public display of humiliation was good for my students and my classroom?  Whenever I instructed a child to turn a card, I was stopping instruction to publicly draw attention to the behavior while embarrassing the child. Tears were usually part of this process.

Not only did I bring attention to a child's behavior in front of their peers, but I also knew that daily behavior reports (AKA who turned a card that day) were often the subject of family dinners in the homes of my students.

Cringing!!

Don't get me wrong. I understood developmental appropriateness and the importance of student engagement, collaboration, and interaction. My classroom was never a quiet classroom, and I didn't expect that of my 6, 7 , and 8 year olds. I was not a "yeller" (usually) and I could handle (and adored) active and excited children who were still learning self-regulation. I was not "crazy-card-turning-teacher" and my students most often went home each Friday with five stickers on their name card.

But I did do it...

now I know better.

I now have a better understanding of the importance of supporting children on the path to self-regulation and impulse control. A misstep in behavior should be an opportunity to teach, not punish.
If a child is being punished for a behavior, they are not learning alternatives that help them grow and make appropriate decisions in the future.

I have learned many lessons about social-emotional learning and positive discipline from my friend Elizabeth Merce (www.emercedlearning.com  @emercedlearning  #DitchTheClips). Elizabeth always stresses the importance of teaching social-emotional learning skills as you would any other subject.

For example, if a student is struggling with a concept in math, we don't call this out to the rest of the class or embarrass the student for their struggles. We use data to determine where the child is struggling, and then we provide scaffolding to support their learning. We must treat SEL this same way.  

So I would like to offer this apology to any child I ever publicly shamed or embarrassed through my behavior management system.

                                                    

The research and the case against public behavior charts is growing. Here are just a few to check out. If you are still using a chart in your classroom, please read the research and do what is best for kids.

Resources:

Podcast: Leader of Learning Podcast: Social Emotional Learning: Rethinking Student Discipline with Elizabeth Merce

Blog: Ditch the Clips: Create a Behavior Management System That Works (Elizabeth Merce) 

ASCD Article: Tear Down Your Behavior Chart (Lee Ann Jung & Dominique Smith) 

Article: 6 Reasons to Question Using Behavior Charts (Tony Kline, Ph.D) 

Article: Why I Will NEVER Use a Behavior Chart Again

My Day As a 7th Grader...

This year our superintendent challenged all district administrators to shadow a student for a day. After thinking about the grade level I'd like to experience for a day, I requested to shadow a 7th grader. As a K-6 curriculum supervisor, I wanted to see where our students go after leaving the elementary world. 

I was assigned a 7th grade girl to shadow for the day. Now, I need to share that my own middle school experience was not full of warm memories. Peer pressure and the social hierarchy, and don't get me started with puberty. Not a fun time in my life!

Excited and a little nervous about returning to middle school, I prepared for my day as a 7th grader. Due to a previous appointment, I missed first period (Spanish) and was introduced to my student for the day in period 2...gym class. Yikes!  Volleyball! I broke my hand playing volleyball in middle school and I'm also a terrible athlete....well, really just overall uncoordinated, but I joined in and had fun. Our team went 2-1 on the day, and all of my serves made it over the net. Whew!


Next, I joined my student in band class and then it was off to math class. My student was busy working with a partner on a volume/surface area project. They explained the project to me and I was able to give input as they worked and also join them as they circulated the classroom to offer compliments and feedback to other student projects.

Math Project Time!

                                                                              

After math class we headed to the cafeteria for lunch. I had planned to purchase lunch there, and my student informed me that today our table would be called last to get in the lunch line. Yikes! What if I didn't have enough time to eat my lunch? 

                  

The students at my lunch table were very friendly and welcoming, and made sure I got into line quickly once our section was called. I am a slow eater, so while my student and some others from my table went off to play volleyball for the later part of lunch, I stayed to finish eating. I barely made it to language arts class! 

Now it was time for language arts, my favorite class! The class was studying science fiction, which happens to be my least favorite genre, but I was still quickly engaged in reading and discussions around Fahrenheit 451. 

In science the students were busy completing a video project that was due at the end of the period. My student was working on the voice-overs for her project on cloning, and I even got to contribute my voice to the project!

Sketchnoting!

Science Research

We finished out the day in social studies, where there was a substitute teacher. We read about the "shot heard around the world" and answered questions.

I had several takeaways from my day, and I had the opportunity to share them with my student as the final dismissal bell was sounding. 

In some ways, middle school has changed a lot since my days as a twelve year old, and in other ways things remain relatively unchanged. 

The good changes come in the instruction and student engagement. Except for my last class, where the teacher was absent, every class was interactive and engaging for students. My student was continually collaborating, using inquiry to ask questions and guide research, self-assessing, providing feedback to others, engaging in higher-order thinking and questioning, and continually moving around the classroom. There was no "sit and get" or body parts falling asleep from sitting too long. Technology was purposefully integrated, and student voice and choice was also a common theme. My middle school experience, oh so long ago, was closer to the worksheet I completed with the substitute than my experience today. 

What things remain the same? The social structure and behaviors haven't changed. It was interesting to look around the cafeteria to see the social groups that were sitting together and how students interacted. It was actually nice to see the socializing that occurred, free from cell phone distractions in the school setting. Students actually talked to each other! 

As a student, I was encouraged to see all of the student-centered learning taking place for these middle-schoolers. I just finished reading What School Could Be (Ted Dintersmith) and am now about halfway through The One-World Schoolhouse (Salman Kahn), and much of my thinking about education is being both challenged and affirmed. 

Shadowing a student was a positive experience for me, and I'd like to think it was for my student as well. I had fun interacting with students throughout the day, and everyone was very kind and welcoming. It's definitely a day well spent for any educator. I am grateful for the experience and my take-aways, and I'm happy to say I once again  survived my time in middle school!

Your Classroom Library and 20%

I was at Sunday morning #CoffeeEduNJ this weekend when my friend Denise (@smilingteach) shared the following quote:

"If you're not losing 20% of your classroom library each year, you don't  have the right books."

Do you ever just hear something that resonates with you? Something of an "aha moment" that makes you think you've been doing it wrong all these years? Well, that quote did just that for me.

It sounds trivial, but really struck a cord with me. I have not been able to find the original person who said this, so for now I will credit Denise Weintraut.

Each year, I talk with classroom teachers who worry about students taking books home to read, worry about books leaving their classroom, all over the fear of a book not finding its way back to it's home in the classroom library.

So this quote got me thinking.

Aside from the books that get lost in student desks and lockers, where else do these books go when they leave the classroom?

If we truly want to get books into the hands of all students and develop a passion for reading, does it matter if some them stay forever in the hands of a student who went on a journey with it, learned from it, or connected to it in some way we will never know?

OK, I understand that ever-shrinking district budgets and lack of funding for classroom libraries plays into this worry and somewhat possessiveness over the books in our libraries. Teachers work...and spend...to build up their libraries and don't want to risk a never-ending battle to continually replace lost books while still adding the latest authors and series.

It comes to down to looking at it another way.
If books are missing from classroom libraries, it is because a student has it. A student. And isn't that the goal in the first place?

Why Mentors Are Important...and Paying it Forward

Who are your mentors?

Who has had the most influence in guiding and supporting your educational journey?

I've been reflecting on this lately, and the importance mentors have on who you become as an educator.

I feel very fortunate for those who I have had the pleasure to know and learn from over the years; mentors who supported and guided me during my first years of teaching and even today.

When I began my first year of teaching, I was fortunate enough to be placed on a 1st grade team with five other amazing teachers who were all at various stages in their careers. They each took me under their wing, supporting, engaging and inspiring me through my first and ever-important year of teaching. To this day I remain grateful to Jean, Brenda, Lorraine and Jan. I still have regular contact with Jean and Brenda, even though they are now enjoying the life of retirement. Their passion for children and learning has never waned.

During my initial years as a primary teacher, I also had the privilege of working under an inspiring literacy leader in my language arts supervisor, Dr. Joanne Monroe. When I expressed an interest in getting my M.Ed., she encouraged me to pursue my studies in reading and become a reading specialist. After earning my M.Ed. in Developmental Reading, she introduced me to the local chapter of the International Literacy Association, and before I knew it I was president of our local chapter. Those few steps have truly impacted the road I have taken. 

I have had many mentors and influences over my 25 years in education, but I would have to say that it was those early in my career who truly helped to guide my path. 

Paying it forward...

Although I continue to learn and grow as an educator, I will never "know it all". I feel it is part of my currently responsibility to make sure I am serving as a mentor to others. It is my goal to encourage and support young or new educators as they begin their own path towards affecting the lives of our children. 

Dr. Crystal Edwards hired me into my role as an administrator, and she once shared that one of our goals as leaders in education is to be continually growing the "next me". I would take that one step further and say not just the next me, but a better me; someone to grow beyond what I will accomplish during my time. For it is through this, that education and educators can continue to challenge the status quo and impact the lives of generations. 

Good-bye to "Intentional" and Looking Ahead to "Challenge" #OneWord2019

Happy 2019! With each new year comes the time to reflect on what has passed and also time to begin to set goals for the future. 

I began selecting a word for the #OneWordChallenge in 2017 with "inspire". Inspire set the tone for my year and helped to push and reinvigorate myself as an educator.

2018 brought me to "intentional", and once again gave me a focus and goals for the new year. I worked to be very intentional in the decisions I made to best support students and also be intentional in the conversations I had with teachers, administrators, students, and the community. It was a year where I completed my 25th year in education and met and became part of a PLN that has forever changed my path as an educator. They are the friends I have come to rely on daily to push my thinking, challenge my beliefs, and above all support me both professionally and personally. I spoke more about my 2018 accomplishments in a previous blog.

My biggest disappointment in 2018 came from not being accepted into a doctoral program at a local university. Earning my EdD has long been a goal of mine, and when the opportunity presented itself in a local university's new program, I jumped at the chance and was beyond excited to dive into my dissertation research. The "why" I didn't get in after getting through the screening and interview process still evades me, but I decided to take this time I would now have available and pursue other opportunities. This included participating in book studies through #2menandabook, starting this blog, contributing a chapter and a vignette to books being published in spring 2019, and working on an article for an educational journal which will also be published this spring. I chose to believe in the quote from the Bible: "When God closes a door, he opens a window". I had to believe in something better waiting for me.

Now moving ahead to 2019...my 26th year in education and the year I will turn 50. The word that encompasses all that I am feeling heading into the year is CHALLENGE. 

The CHALLENGE comes both personally and professionally. 

Personally, I want to challenge myself to turn 50 healthy and strong. This requires me to get back to regular exercise, something has been missing due to injuries over the past few years. No excuses. The words to Tim McGraw's song "My Next 30 Years" seems to sum up my thinking:

I think I'll take a moment, celebrate my age

The ending of an era and the turning of a page

Now it's time to focus in on where I go from here

Lord have mercy on my next thirty years

Oh my next thirty years, I'm gonna watch my weight

Eat a few more salads and not stay up so late

Drink a little lemonade and not so many beers

Maybe I'll remember my next thirty years

My CHALLENGE also comes professionally, as I want to expand upon my accomplishments of 2018 by continuing to be an active part of my PLN (#4OCFpln), continuing to read, write and publish, presenting professional development both in and out of district, continually challenging myself in my leadership position as I work to serve the students and staff in my district, and being open to accepting new challenges as they present themselves. I can already see some of these challenges on the horizon. 

I am looking forward to having CHALLENGE guide my year and provide focus for me both personally and professionally. Thanks to the #4OCFpln, I have become more open to embracing challenges and even seeking them out to not only help me continually grow, but to always focus on and  work for the best interests of the students in my district.