Here I will outline how I plan to grow as a teacher. I hope this will only be a snapshot of what I will accomplish over my career. I believe that lifelong learning is integral to being a great teacher and that means identifying both strengths and weaknesses in order to grow. It is important to work at improving areas of weakness because these obviously need work but it is just as important to work on strengths to keep these areas strong. Too often it is easy to neglect areas of strength after a while because of the assumption that these areas will always be strong. As a sports lover and coach I know that this is not true. If the best player neglects part of their game, that part of the game will suffer. I also know that it is important not to try to do too much all at once and so I have outlined what I perceive as my greatest strength and my greatest weakness.

Identifying what I need to do

My greatest weakness is my organization skills and so this is definitely an area that I need to grow in. I find that I am sometimes unable to carry out ideas because I am either disorganized or I lose track of what I am doing. I also struggle to keep to a system of organization (especially with technology) and that I spend too much time trying to get myself organized.

My greatest strength is my interpersonal skills which is something that I think can be easy to lose when settling into a teaching position. I was very lucky to get along with my SAs and my FA on practicum and was in a school with a very friendly and welcoming staff; however, I know that cliques can be an issue on staff and it is very important to be able to communicate with staff, students, administration, and parents.

How I plan to do it

I believe that focusing on improving on my organization skills while also strengthening my interpersonal skills is a good goal for the next year, especially as I will most likely be a teacher on call. The two goals also fit well together because I can work on my organization skills with the help of others. There are so many tools out there for keeping organized and staying in contact with others which I want to try; however, my plan is to start small. I think this is key to undertaking effective inquiry, making a series of smaller, achievable goals along the way to a larger goal. In terms of organization this sort of planning will help me along the way to improving. I too often make large goals without thinking about steps along the way.

It would not be helpful to try to run a marathon before you have done a 5 km run first. My 5 km run will be using a calendar consistently. This may seem like a small goal but it is something I have always struggled with. I often write things down but then do not check it consistently. My goal is to get into a rhythm of checking my calendar each morning and evening and to input events into it the day that I hear of them.

In terms of my interpersonal skills, I am quite a social person, but I am entering into new experiences with a move to Calgary. Also, I am entering a new profession as a TOC and will not have a built in social network as I have had at UBC. I have a strong group of friends and colleagues in Vancouver; however, my goal is to find a professional colleague that I can discuss professional matters with (and socialize) within the first month of work. I think that this is a good professional and personal goal for me because it will be good to have someone to share these new experiences with in a professional sense. I am fortunate to have a loving wife who is also a teacher as a support network, but it would be good to have another person to collaborate with.

It is difficult for me to think too far ahead at this time because everything is very up in the air for me. These small goals may not seem earth shattering; however it is achievable personal and professional growth that will help me as I enter my teaching career. From there, who knows, but this is just the start.