Happy new year colleagues! I have always found New Year’s to be an interesting holiday. I am not sure about you, but I don’t make New Year’s resolutions for a few reasons. The first is, as a teacher, I feel that New Year’s should fall in September, in accordance with the school calendar. Second, I have always believed that if a person wants to change something, whether personally or professionally, they can start at any time of the year.
When it comes to goals, I tend to work in a backward design approach — determine what I would like to see, then work my way back from that, setting smaller goals and tasks along the way. I think that comes from the drama teacher in me — set the production date and work backwards.
However, making new goals requires some reflection on previous ones. To me, a new year’s resolution is dependent on what occurred in the past year. Teachers have had another challenging year, with the impacts of the ongoing pandemic on our students and classrooms and political uncertainty being top of mind.
There are a lot of things we need to see change for the better in public education. Along with a change in the calendar, 2023 brings us a provincial election during which politicians will try to create a direction and future for education in our province. It is up to us, as teachers, school leaders, parents and citizens to make sure they are making informed decisions around public education. This is what the ATA’s Stand for Education campaign is all about, making sure that public education is a top priority.
I have talked to teachers who have never really been politically active for a variety of reasons. However, this election will require all of us to be active and use our voices. What is your hope for your students, colleagues and school? Together, we can work toward that goal to make 2023 a better year for everyone. ❚
