Approximately half-way through the school year is a good time to not only reflect, but to be intentional and strategic in setting goals that will guide my work and actions for the remainder of the school year. Building positive relationships is an important aspect of my role as administrator and I want to focus my goals on building better relationships with students, parents, and teachers.

1. My first goal is to be intentional about learning student names. I interact with students all day long and learning more student names will allow for more positive interactions. As the assistant principal, I am often tasked with dealing with discipline problems and supporting students to make positive choices. As a result, students don’t often want to be sent down to my office. There is a certain comfort that comes with people addressing you by name and I want to make this a priority in all my interactions with students.
2. To build on my first goal, I need to be more proactive with getting out to recess more often. During my time on the playground and sports field I want to positively interact with students and build those relationships outside of the classroom setting. The simple act of being present more often can go a long way.
3. For my third goal I need to find ways to be more involved in the classroom with students and teachers. I often walk-through classes during the school day, however, I want to start spending more time in classrooms. Not in the sense of evaluating teaching, but more to spend time with students while supporting the teacher with instruction and/or conferring with students. This will provide me the opportunity to be more involved with classroom activities while also building on my first goal.
4. Finally, I plan to attend more team meetings to have a better understanding and big picture of upcoming events and activities at different grade levels. Although I will be unable to attend all meetings, I am excited to get involved more often and continue to build positive relationships with teachers.

As you reflect on your position and role, what are some of your goals for the remainder of the school year?