LESSON LEARNED:
"It's so necessary to give and receive honest and
direct feedback. Once you are aware of your conduct, attitude, performance, it
becomes possible to change. (Sometimes you also need to step back and ask some
key questions of yourself.)" --Sam Geist (Internationally renown
motivational speaker and author)
For many teachers it’s THAT time of the year. The time to
receive annual evaluations and have discussions with administrators about the
successes and shortcoming of the just- completed( or about to be completed)
school year. What did you do to make your students a success? What have you
done to enhance your own professional development? Since most of us never
actually BECOME a great teacher- it is an ongoing and evolving process. What
strategies will you employ to be better and more productive next year? Feedback
from administrators as well as peers and parents are all ingredients in
developing a recipe for future classroom success.
If you have not already done so, you should be planning
for your summer in several ways. Selecting summer reading, both intellectually
stimulating as well as leisure reading is a good first step. Additionally, while
it may be a little late to apply for most summer programs for teachers, it never
hurts to see if there are any last minute openings due to cancellations. For
example you can check the web site for the National Endowment for the
Humanities (neh.gov) to see if there are any programs still available.) It
should be noted that most application deadlines for such programs are usually
in March.)
There are also on -ine opportunities for professional
development. Check out Harvard University’s Profesional Development programs at
(https://www.gse.harvard.edu/ppe/programs/online).
It is true that for many teachers, the summer is a time to
“recharge your batteries,” spend more time with family and take a much need
vacation. But if you truly take your teaching career seriously, you must set aside
time and resources to ready yourself for the fall.
c.2016 J. Margolis
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