Ringing in the New Year: 2016 Resolutions
The dynamic duo is back and it feels so good. When my sweet friend Jayme from TeachTalkInspire asked if I would be interested in doing a New Year’s Resolution link up with her I jumped at the chance. I have neglected my poor sweet blog and I hope to change that in the new year.
2015 certainly was a year to remember.
Professionally, 2015 was the year I started my blogging/TpT journey and I’m so glad I did. Not only has it given me a wealth of ideas and strategies to use in my classroom and put a pep in my step as I work with my students, but I have also formed friendships I cherish and groups of teachers who are supportive and always there. I have had the chance to organize and attend blogger meet ups and meet such talented individuals. It is truly inspiring to be around such dedicated and creative people.
I can’t wait to see what 2016 has to be bring.
Personally, 2015 was a whirlwind of a year. We put our townhouse up for sale in the summer and sold late fall. We found our dream house and moved in October. We also found out we were pregnant and can’t wait to meet our tiny blessing in June.
As 2015 comes to an end and 2016 rapidly approaches I can’t help but stop for a moment and think of some resolutions I would like to try in the new year.
1. Around this time last year I started a writing goal chart where I put a few writing goals and students chose what writing goal they would like to work on each week. Some of the writing goals included: finger spaces in between words, uppercase to start a sentence, put an end mark at the end of a sentence, add one more detail to my writing. It really helped to give the students more responsibility with their writing and take ownership of their work. I would like to try this again this year.
2. Oh man, this is a big one for me and I always seem to struggle with it. I really need to up my intake of water especially now that I am pregnant. I am the type of person who could go all day without drinking because I get so wrapped up in the day I forget. I really need to be conscientious of this because I want to be healthy and I want the baby to be healthy.
3. I love to read. Reading is such a great stress relief for me. However, as I try to read a page or two at night I find myself drifting off to sleep before I even get to the second paragraph. I really want to try to make it a priority to read for fun and finish a book each month. If anyone has any good book recommendations send them my way. 🙂
4. I’ve said it a time or two in my blog posts before, but I struggle with teaching math. Math was never an easy subject for me and because of it I tend to shy away from it. This year I have tried really hard to make sure I am putting 110% of my efforts towards math to make sure my students love it just as much as reading and writing. I have done well with teaching a whole group lesson and then moving into math centers where I can pull kiddos to the side table and do some small group guided math with them. It has been working really well and I want to continue to build my capacity in the upcoming year to continue to strength this subject area so that I can feel more and more comfortable as I teach it.
5. In the new year I really want to make an effort of powering down at least an hour a night. This might help with my number three resolution of finishing a book for fun. I want to turn off the iPhone, the computer, the iPad, the iWatch, etc and just be free from all electronics. It feels good to disconnect from the fast paced world and just be quiet.
6. The next resolution will help to make my blog feel not so neglected in the upcoming year. This fall got away from me and I do not know where it went. I am looking forward to making some time to blog at least once every two weeks. I really love blogging and I love reading other blogs. I think it is a great way to stay connected and learn great new ideas.
7. I’ve always struggled with number seven and perhaps in the new year I can do a better job of tackling this goal. I’m a worrier. I worry about worrying. I really want to make an effort to try and relax. Worrying does not solve any of my problems. You think I would have figured that out by now. 😉 I’ve really been trying to embrace the motto that opportunities for you will not pass you and everything happens for a reason because it really is true.
Well, thank you for taking the time to read through my 2016 resolutions. I have a feeling this is going to be a year for the books and I can’t wait to see how it unfolds.
If you would like to link up and share your 2016 resolutions grab the image below, write your resolutions, and share on your blog.
Thanks for joining in this blogging adventure and I hope you have a safe and Happy New Year!
Cheers to 2016!