Educators’ Efforts for the New Year

JANET GUAN
Staff Writer

The start of a new year calls for new goals to set or the continuation of goals to work towards. Many New Year’s resolutions are very self-improvement based, from changing eating habits to pushing for more exercise. However, teachers create goals that push not only themselves, but also the class as a whole. Educators’ motivation affects their students’ productivity and innovation during the time they spend at school.

Educators can set multiple short-term goals or long-term goals for themselves to accomplish. Such is the case for Justin Minkel, a teacher who writes for Education Week. Of his top five goals for the new year, two goals focus mainly on students: to collaborate and to interact with students more.

“Rigor and joy can co-exist. The kids in my class need to work hard and learn to struggle through difficult material, but they also need to laugh, play, and delight in the world,” Minkel said.

Teachers at AHS also have their sights set high for the classroom setting as well. Many educators will place particular attention to implementing Common Core Standards to their teaching methods.

“All teachers nationwide are preparing for the Common Core Standards, which is going to require teachers to modify and adjust their curriculum,” history teacher Bryan Venti said. “My goal every year is the same, which is to help students to be academically successful.”

Many New Year’s goals that are completed involve dedication, continuous effort and time. However, objectives cannot always be accomplished with the effort of an individual. In order for the class to improve, all participants need to contribute. Teacher and student collaboration is a must to meet classroom objectives.