My One Word: Growth

This post is very late in writing. Since the new year, I have read several posts by great educators sharing their "One Word" for the 2015 calendar year. It has been great being able to learn from so many people. Being connected has allowed me to learn a lot from so many of you, and I am extremely thankful for that.

My "One Word" this year is Growth. I wanted to choose a word that would keep challenging me every week and month of the upcoming year. I loved the idea of focusing on one word instead of a list of resolutions. These commitments generally get pushed to the back burner when life gets hectic and busy. This is why the "One Word" Challenge intrigued me. I think the word I chose allows me to branch out into so many different directions. The following paragraphs will explain how the start of this year has been a Growth Experience for me already.

I challenged myself to grow first in the area of conferencing with my students. I have been wanting to schedule time to meet with my students individually, but something always got in the way. To be honest, the excuses were usually self-created because I was convinced I did not have the time for it. Well, after the Winter Break, I decided to just jump in and do it. I decided to limit the conferencing to one class. I informed them that they would meet with me to be able to demonstrate their understanding of solving systems of linear equations. I quickly blocked out times to meet with all 21 students. This took about over four periods in addition to two lunch sessions. Needless to say, I had to plan activities for the students to work on while meeting with these students.

Overall, the conferences went well. Most of the students did a great job demonstrating their understanding of the topics. This was a big jump for me, but I am glad that I took this opportunity to change things up. I need additional time to process this experience, and I will write about this in more detail in the near future.

In addition to this classroom experience, I have used my "One Word" to push myself to more actively pursue my interest in obtaining a job in administration. I am happy to report that since the break, I have had two interviews: one for an Assistant Principal's job at a middle school. The second was for an Elementary Principal's position. I found out a couple of days ago that I have been asked back for a second interview for the Principal's position. I am excited about the potential growth in my learning this opportunity will provide me. I am excited for this great opportunity and potential growth opportunities it could provide me. I will provide a follow up later this week...

What have you chosen as your "One Word"? Please share!