Partially reposted from 8.28.08:

One of the best things about being a teacher is that you get two new year’s each year.  Two chances to start over; to set goals; to feel refreshed.

In September my goals are usually school related.  Keep my classroom neat, keep up with my lesson plans, be a better teacher.  Sometimes they include eating better, walking more, laying my clothes out the night before.

In January my goals are more personal.  Lose weight, watch less TV, declutter my house, eat better.  I also include school related goals, keep up with the planning, be more creative in the classroom, get stuff done.

I am lucky.  I get to start all over every few months.  It is such a blessing.

Today is my fourth day of school.  It is interesting to see how my goals have changed, just a little.  For example, this January my only resolution was to have a baby.  Okay, so I was already 4 months pregnant at the time, so that was an easy one.

This fall I have similar goals to last year (when I wasn’t pregnant quite yet – only a few days though), keep my classrooms neat (doing okay on that one a week in), keep up with my lesson plans (have not written a plan yet), be a better teacher (I was so tired last year, it will be easy to be better this year.).

This fall I am also going to have to work on picking out my clothes in advance and making my lunch at night.  But I also have to be out of the house on time because now I have to drop my little guy off at school before I head to work.  I have to have clothes for him clean and ready.  I have to have my stuff together.

So this fall I am falling back on an old favorite: “try harder”.

I feel so good starting up this year.  I have already started cleaning out a cabinet in my tech lab and soon will be asking for it to GO AWAY!  I want the room to be cleared of all the crap I have been saving for the last 10 years and never used.  I want to see if I can start fresh.  Have a good new year.