Hello, 2022
Happy new year!
January 10th, 2022
Hello my lovely readers, long time, no blog! It has occurred to me that I have not posted on the blog in an absurdly long time...an entire year! In all honesty, 2021 was quite the whirlwind year for me. Not only did the pandemic continue to skew my sense of time, but some major personal milestones occurred, the biggest and most exciting being that I graduated with a Bachelor's in English from my undergrad studies this past May! I am no longer a Baldwin Wallace Yellow Jacket, and have moved on to grad school studying English Education at the University at Buffalo. It feels so nice to be back home, and I am very excited about what the future holds for me.
That being said, I wanted to revitalize this blog for the new year, and what better way to optimize my intentions than with a post about my resolutions for 2022! My personal resultions look a bit different than my professional ones, so I had to categorize, naturally.
Personal Goals:
Get Healthy! I know this is one of those stereotypical resolutions that so many people never follow up on (myself included), but I'd really like to get serious about it this time--more intentional. A someone living with an autoimmune disease, health is very important, and I've slacked off on it during the pandemic. But no more excuses! I've come to realize that "getting healthy" doesn't have to mean going for insane runs or lifting tons of weights. While it can involve that, it can also mean something as simple as drinking more water, or going for a walk, or even remembering to take multivitamins. Sometimes the smaller goals are better achieved first. I don't have my sights set on running a marathon, but I would like to feel a bit better in my own skin.
Put Myself "Out There." This is something that, historically, has been hard for me to accomplish. I am quite the introvert by nature, and I often find myself falling into the comfortable habit of not leaving my house, and not seeing people. A big goal for 2022 is to make myself talk to more people, meet them out for dinner/drinks, and just generally get myself out more often. Now that my four year stay in Cleveland has come to an end, and I'm living back in Buffalo, I have some good opportunities to reconnect with people I haven't seen in a long time.
Professional Goals:
Good Grades in Grad School: I started my first semester of grad school in the Fall of 2021, and I have two more semesters of academics and a semester of student teaching standing between me and the teaching career I've always wanted. 2022 will serve as the last year of academics for me. That is very hard to believe, and I plan to make it count. Prioritizing my grades and my work ethic will be of utmost importance to me this year!
Make Connections! I have already begun working at this, but making connections has become a real priority for me this year. Teaching is a feild that, whether I think it's fair or not, hinges on connections. Whether it be for recommendations, or getting into a specific district, connections really do matter. I have always been fascinated by the power of human connection and the ways it can help us achieve our goals in unexpected ways. I really hope to exploit that this year!
Learn How to Teach! This may sound strange and obvious, but I really want to become comfortable in a classroom setting this year! I've only really ever been in a classroom as a student, and if I'm being honest, the thought of standing in front of 15+ adolescents and keeping them attentive and learning is very scary! I know I'll feel more confident once I'm in the classroom practicing, and I plan on subbing, as well as completing my observations in order to achive that feeling of confidence.