As part of my evaluation process, I was asked to write a goal setting statement. Here is an abridged version of my statement.
The answer came to me last June: My goal for the 2020-2021 school year was to take care of myself so that I would be around for the 2021-2022 school year. As hard as the 2020-2021 school year was going to be, I knew that things would not revert to "normal" the following school year, and with the crisis would come an incredible opportunity to rebuild.
Since last June, I've come to realize that "take care of myself" is more than eating well, getting enough sleep, and engaging in other self-care practices. "Taking care of myself" also meant engaging in the work that I am privileged to have in my life right now.
Parker has allowed me to go to sleep at night, knowing that time away from my family was work that will improve my students' lives and my own family's future. I teach lessons that deliberately work to create empathy deal with issues of racism to contribute to a world where Black Lives Matter. I am helping my students be more active and critical participants in discussions so that they will see through lies and speak out against the oppression of others, which will help prevent political crises in the future.
This work is stressful, it's hard, and it's complicated, but it also makes me feel whole and powerful.
Taking care of myself is a goal that leads me to think about how I can make my work meaningful and relevant for my students so that my time is spent engaging in work that lifts my spirit and brings me pride.
This school year, I can't teach singing or wind instruments, so I have to modify the previous curriculum and come up with new units. Also, I'm teaching fourth grade for the first time in my teaching career. Even though many of the lessons and the units are new, the values and the philosophy behind my teaching hasn't changed. We are still helping students develop their individual voice through music and help them develop different facets of their identity by having them explore windows and mirrors in music.
During in-person learning, my goal has been to focus on the joy of music and community. There's been a lot of dancing, varied projects, and space for students to explore what they love about music in their own lives.
Distance learning has provided great opportunities for learning in different ways. I have been focusing on music class, feeling like screen time. Projects like when students listen to music and create comic books to tell the song's story are ways for music class to have less time for screen time and more about their own creativity.
It's work that is right, it's work that I do with others, and it's work that is good.
I spend all my time as a teacher trying to help people, and I spent my professional time around people doing the same thing, trying to help people. In this time of trauma, turmoil, and tragedy, what an awesome thing it is to spend my time helping people and be around wonderful people who want to do the same thing.
I'm taking care of myself, so I'll be around next school year. I see now that an important part of this is how I care for others this school year, and while I am anxious about the challenges ahead, I am comforted knowing that I don't have to face the future alone and that there will be pride at the end of this journey.
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