2022 Reflection. 2023 Beginnings.

This year’s summary: Transitions, closing chapters, relief.

“2022 Wrapped” work edition.

• Began teaching a new subject that I love – Anatomy & Physiology.
• Became department chair of the science department and slowly adjusting to its roles and duties.
• Defended my dissertation!!
• Completed my California preliminary administrative services credential.
• Obtained 3 CTE teaching credentials in Health and Medical Technology, Child Development, Education, and Family Services, and Information and Communication Technology.
• Started a role as a mentor teacher to an awesome UCI student teacher. This one feels full circle because I graduated from that same program 5 years ago.

This year felt amazing because I accomplished a lot of short-term goals that I felt like I was working on for years and years. Between my second and fifth year of teaching, I felt like there was a lot of “in progress” goals and this year, those goals were completed at the same time. It was overwhelming towards the end of these programs, but I wouldn’t have had it any other way. Part of it is that I’m glad that the formal education component finished at the same time. It financially frees up my family, while preparing myself for future roles when I’m ready to pursue them. It also allows me to have a wider scope of education that just teaching, while being a teacher. I am a much better teacher because of my admin program and I didn’t realize how impactful it would be towards my teaching practices. It’s a lot to dive into right now, but it’s something that I want to reflect on more in a later post. In summary, having a wider scope of education, from both the perspective of a teacher and administrator allows me to understand the broad decisions that impact the classroom and the policies, practices, and vision that informs those decisions. It helps me be a better “executor” of decisions made by the school for the mission and vision, in addition to critically analyzing practices that may not be in alignment to these goals.

As I move into 2023, here are my goals:

• Submit component 3 for my National Board for Certification for Teachers (NBCT) process.
• Continue applying to adjunct lecturer positions at the community college/university level.
• Develop my teaching practices as an in-person teacher and a virtual teacher for the following school year. (I will be developing an Anatomy & Physiology course for an eLearning program within the district).
• Continue developing as an educational leader.

As you can see, my set-in-stone goals are a lot smaller this year than they were the previous years. The beauty of blasting through the formal education components is that I can take a breather and focus on using my knowledge to be a better teacher, department chair, and build my leadership skills further. I’m ready to take a step back and focus on teaching without the pressure of an assignment, interview with an administrator for my admin credential, or dissertation hanging over my head. I began these goals before 2023 and it has been really really nice.

I’m excited to be a future adjunct lecturer at the college level, continue the NBCT process, and be a better teacher. Looking forward to 2023!