When I was in high school I was a member of the alpine ski team. I remember before each practice our coach always said to push the envelope of fear each time you make a run on the course. Get closer to the gates, take a more direct route to the gate, be more aggressive, etc. There were times that I'd crash and blow out of the course, but there were plenty of other times that I had my best run ever all because I pushed the envelope of fear!
This year in my twelfth year of teaching I'll be pushing that envelope of fear.
1. I'm doing away with rewards in my classroom. I've done a lot of reading this summer and a lot of thinking. In the past I've rewarded kids for just about everything: turning in homework on time, completing homework, being a bucket filler, etc. But the thing I've found is that handing out rewards took a lot of time away from my teaching and they really didn't work in the first place. This year I look forward to being able to spend less time managing rewards and spending more time with my students. Am I scared a little? Um... YES!
2. This year will also be the first time that I'll have a student teacher. And that scares me to death. My biggest fear is will I be able to share my students? Will I be able to share their successes, their funny stories, and their quirky sense of humor?
3. Trying things I've never tried before. Participating in the Global Read Aloud, Blogging, and creating a class wiki are just a few of the things on my list this year.
I strongly feel that in order to be a better educator I need to push myself to try new things. Will I be successful? I hope so. Will I stumble? Probably. But even if I do I will get up, brush myself off and give it another try. This year I will push my envelope. At times it will be uncomfortable but in the end I know it will be worth it.
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