Prior to our first day at Cohort 21, I had never really thought about the difference between urgent and important. This small exercise was eye-opening and helped me see what things are holding me back from furthering my practice and feeling accomplished in my day-to-day work. It often comes down to time; there is just never enough of it. Over the past few weeks, I have spent my evenings getting back to the work that didn’t get done during the day without ever getting to some of the exciting projects I had in mind in the beginning of the year. I think reflecting on TIME is what I needed to jump start my experience and learning goals in Cohort 21. I look forward to learning about the experience of others in the group and how they manage their urgents and importants. I joined Cohort 21 to connect with like-minded people and get inspired to develop dynamic learning goals.

The strands that interest me most at this time and that are most relevant are: 1. How might we engage, support, and assess 7-12 learners, and 2. How might we further develop our leadership and wellbeing strategies to support school culture and improvement. I am currently Director of Guidance and Counselling and teach middle school Visual Art. So these two areas best fit my current roles and learning goals this year. The questions I am considering circle around cross curricular learning in Art and differentiated instruction to enhance student engagement.

-What cross-subject projects can I incorporate this year with other teachers?

-How can I further infuse UN SDG’s into my projects this year?

-How can I get students to better reflect on their learning and think about next steps beyond the classroom?

-How can I provide an individualized experience to promote growth and development in art?

-How could I promote a growth mindset for students with varying achievement levels?