¡Feliz año nuevo!

Today is the last day of 2013 and as I reflect back on this year I have a lot to be thankful for - I finished my first year of teaching in the US, passing KTIP (internship program in KY) and getting my full certification. I attended the MOPI (modified oral proficiency interview) training over the summer and came away with a better understanding and zeal for teaching for proficiency and communication. And I've implemented new performance based assessments and Whole Brain Teaching classroom management in the first half of this school year. And I started this blog, which has really helped me reflect on my practices and why I do what I do.  I saw a lot of professional growth in 2013 and I can't wait to see what 2014 has in store.

 

So what are my goals for 2014?

1. Continue to strive daily for 90% target language in my classes. Especially with some of my rowdier classes where I sometimes give up and switch to English. It's easier for me and them but it isn't helping anyone.

2. Connect with other language teachers, especially other FLES teachers. My team at school is great but it's so helpful to talk with people who truly understand what I do and am trying to accomplish. I need to make participating in #langchat a priority and hope to see a #FLESchat start in 2014!

3. Assessments, assessments, assessments! This is one thing that doesn't come naturally to me because I never had to worry about it when I taught in Japan. I'm getting better at backwards planning and designing performance based tasks but I need to continue to focus on writing rubrics that make sense and communicating them to the students.

4. Feedback to students and parents. This is part of our program review next year and something I don't do well (or at all in regards to parents.) I need to figure out a way to do it that is feasible for 670+ students and 1 me.

5. My goal this school year was to be a meaner teacher. By that I mean that I communicate my high standards to the students and enforce them. I realized last year that I sometimes played favorites and wasn't always fair.  Students who continuously struggle in class I've been pulling out sooner, documenting when they miss recess, and calling home sooner before small problems become big problems. I've also not been as afraid to stop class and practice routines because ultimately it helps me get more done and stay in Spanish. I need to keep this up in 2014.

6. Have fun! When I have fun and enjoy class then so do my students. When they are having fun then they are more excited to speak Spanish.

So what are your goals for 2014? Share in the comments below!