New School Year Resolutions

First of all, I PROMISE to post my Olympic-themed cupcakes this week, and hopefully some more pictures of my classroom. It isn't finished yet, but is well on its way! 

Yesterday was our sixth grade registration day! Every year I look forward to meeting my new group of kiddos, and I love watching their wide-eyed, scared, excited, and eager little faces as they migrate through the big middle school hallways! :)

Since I totally have school on the brain, I thought I'd link up with Amanda over at Teaching Maddeness for her New School Year Resolutions Linky Party!

Resolution #1: Focus on my kids. I have a hard time saying "no" to people, and it can sometimes wear me out. I love being extra involved in my school and helping other teachers, but this year I want to keep my focus on my kids (my current kids, at that). After all, they are the reason I'm there in the first place!

Resolution #2: Keep my circle close. I have a few close teacher friends at work, and rather than worry about the other teachers in my building and get "caught" in the drama that seems to be endless in a middle school environment, I plan on sticking close to my few amigos and teaching my heart out. :)


Resolution #3:  Pass back graded work faster! I am great about grading work in a timely manner, but for some reason my graded papers seem to sit in my file a little longer than they should. I plan on using my "Science Job of the Week" time on Fridays to pass back any graded papers.

Resolution #4:  More parent contact. I plan on emailing my parents on Mondays with a link to our classroom website and I need to get better about calling parents (for nice and naughty reasons). With directing the Drama Club, it's sometimes hard for me to call after school since I rush down to practice every day, so I need to improve that this year.


Resolution #5: MORE ORGANIZATION! I am using a new "No Homework" binder (more on that in a future post) and a new Team binder to keep track of lunch detentions, tardies, etc. I'm already extremely organized, but this school year I'm taking it to the max!

What are your new school year resolutions?