Last Day

My classroom is empty. No kids. Nothing left on the wall's. Most of my colleges are gone already. I am here. In a really strange way I am already nervous for next year. Probably because this year, I failed horribly as a teacher. I didn't make connections with my students, my enthusiasm never peaked, and I can't think of a single lesson I taught this year that I was excited about then and continue to be excited about. So I am nervous because I never want this to happen again. I don't imagine that I will ever be the teacher that all of my students rave about and vote teacher of the year, but I know I can do better. I know I can build relationships. I know I can plan and deliver engaging lessons and units that encourage thinking and reasoning. So for me, who will be the primary reviewer and commenter on my blog here is my to do list:

• Change my grading system to be based on standards.
• Engage my students in rich and meaningful stories about the mathematics they are learning...at least twice.
• Make the classroom experience meaningful, and really believe in what I am doing.
• Use this new Smart Board as more than a super expensive white board.
• Blog as a journal to keep myself aligned and to open my successes and failures to the world.
• Ignore policy and stay focused on what lies within the four walls of my classroom.

It is too many things to tackle at one time but I feel determined. Did I mentioned how I felt about the now officially completed school year. It was terrible. I was terrible. I am truly excited to turn the corner and to actually be the teacher I talk about being. I might be a day late and a dollar short in arriving at my to do list (seven years late if you were wondering), but hey, they are still working out the kinks of the burning wood so...