It’s a New Year

Teachers,
Here is your weekly dose of “5-Point Friday.

It’s a New Year —
Each day brings many opportunities for us to see what we need to do to be a better person. We should be encouraging ourselves and others to be better. Becoming a better person is what making resolutions is all about. What can we do to better those around us and ourselves? Traditionally we put together a few resolutions to get the year started off right and within a few days or weeks or even months, the resolution becomes part of the history of our lives. Something we look back upon that just brings us to the realization that we are who we are and there is no changing our habits and patterns.

We just need to set goals that will help us in our lives. Resolutions get broken. Goals are achieved. We need to set goals. We all have a few goals that we want to help us do better in our daily life whether it be exercise, eat better, stop a bad habit, or start a good habit.

I listened to Hyrum Smith, of Franklin planners, a few years ago give a talk about how to manage finances. He pulled out picture of what he called the spending matrix. He also uses it for time management. He told me he uses it for many decisions he makes. I have started doing the same with many of my decisions.

Draw four boxes on your paper. Label above the two top boxes, Urgent and Not Urgent. Next to the left side of the boxes label them Important and Not Important.
Urgent/Important= Crisis, deadlines, pressing problems=Needs.
Not Urgent/Important=Prevention, Values, planning relationships=Needs.
Urgent/Not Important=Meetings, activities, some pressing matters=Have to do.
Not Urgent/Not Important=Trivial, Time Wasters, “Escape” activities=Wants.

We will work from left to right, top to bottom and write in all the resolutions on your list into the proper boxes. What have you written in what boxes? Are there things that you think are urgent to change or improve?

Life gets itself made up one way or another. We should set goals that will help our lives get made up the way we want it to be, not to have it made up for us. I will encourage you to use the matrix if defining the urgent/important things in your life. Concentrate on the top two boxes. Those are the most important resolutions. Place your creation somewhere you will see it. most of all, write some goals.




Quote I’m pondering —
“What people need to keep their morale up to par is the ability to throw away their dime store glasses and begin looking through life with the long lenses of eternity. We need to acquire the power to live beyond the “terminals of the day’s happenings” and in the words of Emerson, “to hear what the centuries say, not merely the days and the hours.”
― John Miller

What I’m watching —
Mapping out the Shape of a Story
Graphing out a story based on what you are learning in class. Fun. Exciting. Mathematical. Amazing. Try it.

Favorite Article This Week —
So You want to do Mystery Skype
Mystery Skype is a lot of fun. If you just want to do it with Kim or I am sure we can work it out. There are a lot of classrooms and people around the globe that will do it also. I love technology.

A Big Thank You —
Thank you Kim. I have learned a lot about being an administrator, but especially being an administrator of a school that in not your run-of-the-mill-traditional-classroom school. Dual Immersion is tough. It has schedules that can be nightmares for administration, and two different language and need to be one for team teachers. I have learned about budgets and meetings, and working with parents and families, and taking care of families in need, and so much more. Thank you for taking me in and letting me learn. I love being here. Thank you Kim. Thank you for working with me. Thank you.

I appreciate every one of you and your hard work. Have a wonderful New Year.