Hello and welcome to 2018! Before we get too far into things, I want to take a moment and reflect back on the goals I set for myself in 2017 just to see how I did so that I can better help myself going forward. While I'm posting my goals below and reviewing them individually, you can click HERE to view my goals and the reasoning behind why I wanted to focus on them this year. Without further ado, here is my year in review!
1. Read Up On White Privilege And Race.
I did do this, although not necessarily in the way I expected to accomplish this goal. I expected to read a lot of nonfiction. I read some nonfiction, but honestly not as much as I wanted to. I did, however, get the chance to dig into this topic through a variety of fiction in addition to some of the nonfiction I read. One of my favorites was 'Still I Rise,' which is a graphic history and 'The Hate U Give'. This year, I am continuing this goal, but I'd like to expand it to many different races and focus on nonfiction. I'd like to look into race in education as well.
2. Read 40 Books.
I knocked this goal out of the park! I read well over 50 books in 2017. I set my goal lower than I normally have it because I knew that 2017 would be a year of big change for me. I wanted to focus on getting through those changes, but it turns out I didn't have anything to worry about. I guess it just goes to show you that if you really want to do something (even just having a little time to read), you'll find a way to make it happen.
3. Half Of The Books I Read Will Already Be On My Shelves.
This did not go so well for me. I read a number of books from the library, there were a few Half-Price Books trips throughout the year, I thought I was going to have one teaching job (meaning I bought all of these books I was being asked to teach) only to get another job, and there were several new books that came out this year that I just had to get my hands on. I think for this year, my goal is more specific, so I have something to shoot for. I'm more hopeful this year.
4. Blog Regularly.
Looking back, I realized that I kind of stopped blogging around June after I went to New York. I posted very occasionally since then. I'll work on this in the future, but next year it's not a goal for me since I have other things I need to focus on. This blog is meant to be an outlet for me, not a source of stress.
5. Reread Harry Potter.
I started this goal and almost finished, but I only made it as far as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows which I will finish this year. I read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone as a book, but the rest of the books I've been listening to on audiobook and that has been working much better with my need to grade my students' work and clean the house. It's been magical to return to this series again. Because it's been so long since I've actually read the books (as opposed to watched the movies, which I love), it's almost like reading them for the first time again. There are so many small things that I forgot about. My husband probably thinks I'm nuts because when I listen with headphones, I sometimes burst out laughing or I get really angry and have to take a break before diving in again. These are such powerful books... I love this series...
Goals For Healthy Living
1. Slowly Cut Out Meat And Some Animal Products.
This was a rocky goal... I think there were one or two months where I was able to go pescatarian (meaning I still ate fish, but no other meat) and then the further we got into the year, the more I slipped. Suddenly I was eating so much meat I didn't know what to do with myself. I am planning to go full vegetarian this year. Maybe removing the temptation of fish will make things easier. I'm going to try and be a bit more forgiving of myself too. Especially as I'm transitioning, it's not the end of the world if I slip up for one day. The point is that I'm cutting back and I'll get there eventually.
2. Get An Exercise Routine With Varied Exercises.
I joined the gym with my mom and then got my husband to join. I have gone several times, but not lately. So I can't say I've formed a routine. I didn't try any new exercises that became part of my repertoire either. I'll try this again next year.
3. Drink More Water.
This is another one where I had good days and bad. I think in general, I was more aware of how much water I was drinking each day, so that's a positive step. In my bullet journal, I believe I specified that I wanted to drive 64 oz of water every day and that DEFINITELY didn't happen. I'm told that it's kind of like a muscle-- I need to train myself to drink that much, so it's a process to get up to 64 oz every day.
4. Remove Useless Crap And Mess.
I made some progress, but again, nothing that seemed to stick. Part of this is from living with someone who is even messier than I am, but it mostly comes down to me. I got rid of a number of things this year, but you can't really tell just by looking around the house. I want to try and form more of a ritual for cleaning and picking things up. I want to continue going through and getting rid of things I don't need.
Goals For Life In General
1. Attempt NaNoWriMo A Couple Times This Year.
I did this! And even better, I won NaNoWriMo for the first time! I did this as a unit with my class and I think that's what finally pushed me over the edge. I had to be an example to them, but more importantly, this was something we could bond over and cheer each other on for. There was a community around this project.
2. Volunteer Regularly.
Yes and no to this one and the reasons why I would say I didn't meet my goal is out of my control. At the beginning of the year, I volunteered regularly with my 5th graders like I've been doing over the last several years. Then their school year ended and I got my full-time teaching position and I couldn't go back to them, so I sought out something else. I became a volunteer bunny socializer and so I got to play with bunnies once a week and that was really fun! But we're currently in the middle of a "bunny drought," meaning there aren't a lot of unadopted bunnies in our area right now. So I've had several weeks off because we didn't have a bunny at my PetCo. So I've always had something lined up, but my volunteer opportunities haven't always panned out.
3. Obtain My First Teaching Job.
Check :) I talk about this a lot, so I won't go on about it too much. I'm really happy with where I am though and I don't think I could have found a more supportive school. I feel very lucky, truly.
I'm quite happy with where my goals have brought me this year! I hope that 2018 brings as much fortune for me this year.
Thanks for Reading!
--Jude
1. Read Up On White Privilege And Race.
I did do this, although not necessarily in the way I expected to accomplish this goal. I expected to read a lot of nonfiction. I read some nonfiction, but honestly not as much as I wanted to. I did, however, get the chance to dig into this topic through a variety of fiction in addition to some of the nonfiction I read. One of my favorites was 'Still I Rise,' which is a graphic history and 'The Hate U Give'. This year, I am continuing this goal, but I'd like to expand it to many different races and focus on nonfiction. I'd like to look into race in education as well.
2. Read 40 Books.
I knocked this goal out of the park! I read well over 50 books in 2017. I set my goal lower than I normally have it because I knew that 2017 would be a year of big change for me. I wanted to focus on getting through those changes, but it turns out I didn't have anything to worry about. I guess it just goes to show you that if you really want to do something (even just having a little time to read), you'll find a way to make it happen.
3. Half Of The Books I Read Will Already Be On My Shelves.
This did not go so well for me. I read a number of books from the library, there were a few Half-Price Books trips throughout the year, I thought I was going to have one teaching job (meaning I bought all of these books I was being asked to teach) only to get another job, and there were several new books that came out this year that I just had to get my hands on. I think for this year, my goal is more specific, so I have something to shoot for. I'm more hopeful this year.
4. Blog Regularly.
Looking back, I realized that I kind of stopped blogging around June after I went to New York. I posted very occasionally since then. I'll work on this in the future, but next year it's not a goal for me since I have other things I need to focus on. This blog is meant to be an outlet for me, not a source of stress.
5. Reread Harry Potter.
I started this goal and almost finished, but I only made it as far as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows which I will finish this year. I read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone as a book, but the rest of the books I've been listening to on audiobook and that has been working much better with my need to grade my students' work and clean the house. It's been magical to return to this series again. Because it's been so long since I've actually read the books (as opposed to watched the movies, which I love), it's almost like reading them for the first time again. There are so many small things that I forgot about. My husband probably thinks I'm nuts because when I listen with headphones, I sometimes burst out laughing or I get really angry and have to take a break before diving in again. These are such powerful books... I love this series...
Goals For Healthy Living
1. Slowly Cut Out Meat And Some Animal Products.
This was a rocky goal... I think there were one or two months where I was able to go pescatarian (meaning I still ate fish, but no other meat) and then the further we got into the year, the more I slipped. Suddenly I was eating so much meat I didn't know what to do with myself. I am planning to go full vegetarian this year. Maybe removing the temptation of fish will make things easier. I'm going to try and be a bit more forgiving of myself too. Especially as I'm transitioning, it's not the end of the world if I slip up for one day. The point is that I'm cutting back and I'll get there eventually.
2. Get An Exercise Routine With Varied Exercises.
I joined the gym with my mom and then got my husband to join. I have gone several times, but not lately. So I can't say I've formed a routine. I didn't try any new exercises that became part of my repertoire either. I'll try this again next year.
3. Drink More Water.
This is another one where I had good days and bad. I think in general, I was more aware of how much water I was drinking each day, so that's a positive step. In my bullet journal, I believe I specified that I wanted to drive 64 oz of water every day and that DEFINITELY didn't happen. I'm told that it's kind of like a muscle-- I need to train myself to drink that much, so it's a process to get up to 64 oz every day.
4. Remove Useless Crap And Mess.
I made some progress, but again, nothing that seemed to stick. Part of this is from living with someone who is even messier than I am, but it mostly comes down to me. I got rid of a number of things this year, but you can't really tell just by looking around the house. I want to try and form more of a ritual for cleaning and picking things up. I want to continue going through and getting rid of things I don't need.
Goals For Life In General
1. Attempt NaNoWriMo A Couple Times This Year.
I did this! And even better, I won NaNoWriMo for the first time! I did this as a unit with my class and I think that's what finally pushed me over the edge. I had to be an example to them, but more importantly, this was something we could bond over and cheer each other on for. There was a community around this project.
2. Volunteer Regularly.
Yes and no to this one and the reasons why I would say I didn't meet my goal is out of my control. At the beginning of the year, I volunteered regularly with my 5th graders like I've been doing over the last several years. Then their school year ended and I got my full-time teaching position and I couldn't go back to them, so I sought out something else. I became a volunteer bunny socializer and so I got to play with bunnies once a week and that was really fun! But we're currently in the middle of a "bunny drought," meaning there aren't a lot of unadopted bunnies in our area right now. So I've had several weeks off because we didn't have a bunny at my PetCo. So I've always had something lined up, but my volunteer opportunities haven't always panned out.
3. Obtain My First Teaching Job.
Check :) I talk about this a lot, so I won't go on about it too much. I'm really happy with where I am though and I don't think I could have found a more supportive school. I feel very lucky, truly.
I'm quite happy with where my goals have brought me this year! I hope that 2018 brings as much fortune for me this year.
Thanks for Reading!
--Jude
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