By Carly Muetterties
January 5, 2015
“Many people look forward to the New Year for a new start on old habits.” – Unknown
I don’t like New Year Resolutions. It’s not that I dislike the idea of setting goals for myself. My friends actually tease me for constantly having a list of goals – from participating in a triathlon to finding 30 minutes to read every day (for pleasure) to trying a new recipe. (I’m thinking I want to try chocolate-dipped bacon).
My beef with New Year Resolutions is how we limit the idea of personal revision to the beginning of the New Year – and how many of us barely keep them into February, let alone the entire year!
As teachers, we’re guilty of setting new resolutions for ourselves at the beginning of a new school year in August/September, but often fall into the same cycle of New Year Resolutions. So, even though this is the beginning of a new calendar year, I am not setting new goals for 2015. Instead, I am reflecting on the good habits I began, how I want to continue on with them, as well as where C3 will be headed.
In 2015, C3 Teachers will continue to create more teaching materials to help you implement the Framework in your classroom. We released the C3 Bulletin and introduced the Library of Congress Instructional Modules at the NCSS Conference in Boston in November. Stay tuned as we roll out more teaching blueprints to help inform your teaching.
For the spring, my posts will revolve around the five instructional shifts as I continue to integrate them into my classroom. Though I couldn’t completely rewrite all of my classes (and find time for eating and sleeping), my goals in the fall were to make revisions so as to better reflect the Framework. As the pressure of a new semester mounds, I will continue to use the C3 to keep me focused on these new habits and find more ways to help guide others as they do the same.
C3 is growing – as managing editor of C3Teachers, I want to foster this growth and increase our collaboration within the teaching community and YOU. You are our strongest asset. Learning from each other, the good and bad, is one of the best ways to cultivate our practice. So, I encourage you to share resources, concerns, successes, those less successful learning experiences, reflections – anything you feel would help others in the field.
It’s a new year, but not a new you — remember to continue on with those good teaching habits, old or new.