What's Your Intention?

Sitting down to create an after-care program, I considered its mission. I applied the school's mission and philosophy to establish goals for the program. The goals went beyond after school supervision  for children. While balancing activities with structure, an intention presented itself. The intention conveyed a sense of community and respect while providing student choice for the activities.

Naturally, I considered myself. As an adult, I have choices. Over the years, they have been shaped by experience, morals and values. Yet, I pondered my intention. Most of us have goals for the school year, to integrate technology, use social media, develop creative lesson plans, etc. In my opinion, a goal is materialistic while intention is the force that drives us. A goal can be achieved, while intention is the foundation of our decisions and actions.

My intention is to be the "space" and provide the platform for students to be aware of their thinking, to identify feelings and to understand the effects of behavior. By nurturing creativity, critical thinking and perseverance, I guide students to be empowered by, yet held accountable for their actions. As we emphatically jump into the hectic new school year, what's your intention? What drives you each year? Has your intention changed over time?

Hesitant to Blog

I was hesitant to tweet and hesitant to blog. It takes courage to share ideas and put yourself out there, yet taking that risk is valuable when learning and developing as an educator. At #ntcamp*, I realized taking the risk is worth it. I learned that others have similar thoughts, opinions and feelings. Administrators, specialists, experienced teachers and new teachers are in education for the success of the children and for the good of the community. As life-long learners attending this unconference, we are in "it" together.

The main reason I chose to attend #ntcamp was to learn, connect and put faces with the names on Twitter. For me, it was a new experience. I was nervous and uncomfortable, but the longer I stayed the more comfortable I felt. Although I didn't lead a session, I gained enough courage and confidence to speak, tweet and now, blog. 

Before this unconference, I hesitated to blog because I thought I didn't have the teaching experience (one year) to have something valuable to say. Conversations with others (@geraldaungst) changed my mind. Yes, I am at the beginning of my career. Yes, I will be subbing this fall and (so far) not in my own classroom. Does that mean I won't be learning, reflecting or not have anything meaningful to share? The truth is my rate of learning will most likely be faster than any other time throughout my career. 

It's time to move forward and continue new things, no matter  how uncomfortable I may feel in the beginning. If you are at a beginning and can relate, I would love to hear from you. If you are in a different position, I welcome your comments as well! Thanks for reading.

*New Teacher Camp, #ntcamp, is a conference for educators to network and share. It derived from a chat on Twitter, #ntchat (New Teacher Chat.) Like Twitter, it is free and anyone can attend, not just new teachers. Usually, it is called the "unconference" because of its laid-back and open schedule.
http://www.ntcamp.org/