We are entering our third week of 2020, and I had a chance to reflect on my goals for this year, my goals as an educator and as a principal. I was never one for New Year’s resolutions, but in a year where I want different results as a principal and educator, I figured it was time to do things differently. These 20 goals are personal to me; they are goals I have specifically for my school, for the community my school is located, and for educators in the city. I hope these goals will help me make an impact outside of Indianapolis and Indiana. These goals are in no particular order. Here are my 20 goals for 2020:
- Focus on children and always remember they are why the why behind work.
- Empower educators to be better and do better for children.
- Make sure the community understands the importance the school plays in partnering with the community.
- Restart my PhD program because I am a little under a year from completion
- Expand the work we are doing with Dubarry Determined at my school, Tindley Summit.
- Launch the Recess Podcast because it is time for Indianapolis to have a place where education is discussed.
- Repair the broken relationships with educators I previously worked with; it is important that we stick together for the benefit of children.
- Shift my focus to primarily think about the instruction and not the culture.
- Hire and elevate more men in the profession to teach in the classroom.
- Increase the letter grade of my school.
- Expand my school to a middle school to allow for my scholars to have a longer runway of success.
- Help elevate more black teachers who want to pursue administration.
- Empower the families to be more engaged in their child’s education.
- Make my school a place where parents feel more welcomed.
- Build a team of educators in my building that focuses on children, families, and communities.
- Do more to expand my reach outside of Indianapolis.
- Do more teaching to relight that fire that got me in this profession.
- Read more books on school turnaround.
- Be more present in the community helping to bridge the gap from my school to the community.
- Monitor and adjust 19 goals above as needed.