The 30 Goals Challenge

“For the next 30 days a community of educators will aim to accomplish 30 short-term goals related to education. We support each other through various social networks. This year we will go above just blogging!”

After reading this message in Shelly Terrell’s blog, I decided to take the challenge and become part of the 30 Goals Challenge. Why? Because I feel it’s a great opportunity I have to reflect as an educator and to grow professionally since I’ll be learning about teaching and learning experiences from other educators all over the world. And why have I chosen blogging as the means to reflect? Well, blogging is something new to me and this challenge helps me to make a start. So here I go...

Goal 1: Be a Beam

If I think of this goal, I’m glad to say that I’ve already accomplished it. How? Having helped colleagues of mine who were struggling with technology, something I appear to be good at. I have to admit that I love helping others, which must be one of the reasons why I’ve decided to become a teacher. It feels so good to know that somebody really values the help you offer. Of course, having accomplished this short-term goal does not mean that I have done it all. If I think about a long-term goal, I still have to work out in what ways I can help my students in times of despair, when they really need me. So then, this is a goal I must accomplish. How? I have some ideas that my virtual colleagues from all over the world have given me. Next week, it’s back to school in Argentina and I feel I have all the enthusiasm I need to try to accomplish this long-term goal.

Goal 2: Re-Evaluate Value

“Everything that can be counted does not necessarily count; everything that counts cannot necessarily be counted.”

by Albert Einstein

Today’s goal is re-evaluating value. Einstein’s quotation is very clear in this respect. We should really give importance to value, the process, what we have, and forget for a moment about numbers, figures. Re-evaluating value is something that can be applied in all areas of our lives. Education is an area in which grades seem to count the most. Do we forget about the process? Why is it that we always pay attention to the grades that our students get? Isn’t it better to focus on the process and to value this precious moment rather than get a mark and may be not learn anything?

As an educator, I am ruled by marks, and we only value the process in the cases of students who cannot achieve according to the expected academic standards. But how about the others? We forget about those other students whose learning process wasn’t valued as they deserved.

So, even though I feel that the short-term goal has been partially accomplished, as soon as lessons begin here in Argentina, I’ll try again to fully accomplish it. After this, I’ll set my mind to helping students appreciate the value of the work they do daily and when the year ends, help them realize that they’ve come a long way in every single way