My yearly ritual now is to post a revision of my personal mission statement. Each year I’m astounded by how much I’ve grown, and how much I have yet to grow. Last year, I said that the greatest developments in my life have been: a fulfillment of my ambition to become an entrepreneur a deeper…
Tag: reflection
My Quarter in Review: Fall 2015
I’m building the habit of reviewing my priorities, goals, roles, and performance once a month. To keep myself accountable, and to build in the open, I’ve decided to publish these monthly reviews.
My Personal Mission Statement (v.2)
This is the second time I’ve posted my personal mission statement. The first time I did not open the post to comments, but this second time I will. While my personal mission statement continues to be intensely personal, I am now at the place where I’m comfortable enough with it to be accepting of comments,…
My Personal Mission Statement
Dear Readers, I read The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People the summer before my first year and second year teaching. Central to this book’s argument is that as people, we should lead principle centered lives, not outcomes centered lives, because principles are foundational to who we are and should be used to guide all other…
My Commitment for the School Year
Commitment is as much a mindset as it is a set of actions. So, this year, I am committing. I am committing to 100%. I commit to 100% of my students being 100% engaged, 100% of the time. This means that if I or another student am talking, all eyes are on the speaker, all…
Setting Up for Successful Collaboration
So I was reading this Harvard Business Review blog post on the Six Common Misperceptions About Teamwork and this immediately popped out to me: The hands-on activities of group leaders do make a difference. But the most powerful thing a leader can do to foster effective collaboration is to create conditions that help members competently…
Diverting the Waters
Never have I ever had a week as tough as my first week on the job as a middle school science teacher.
Why Teach For America?
My students come on Monday. I am terrified. There is nothing like it, the first day of being a teacher in my own classroom, MY classroom. I have so much to do. My long term plan (LTP) is in shambles, because I may be completely changing the order I’ll be teaching units. My unit plan…
The End of Institute
A single day at institute can fee incredibly long, but the entire five weeks goes by like the high speed train that whips through a busy platform, leaving only the shuddering of people and buildings in its wake. I said good-bye to my fifth grade students last Friday. They have one glorious month of summer…
Deborah Chang 