Which way to go?

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This is kind of the way I feel right now. Oh heck, this is kind of the way I feel every summer. I have a lot I want to accomplish but don't know where to start first. Then I will work on something for a while, then put it aside and work on something else, and generally end up getting a bunch done but nothing completely. I absolutely need to change that this summer.

I had thought that I would devote some time each day to a specific task. Like mornings I would spend lesson planning, afternoons I would spend working on my license, something like that. But I have realized that just distracts me even more. If I get into a groove with the lesson planning and then have to stop and switch gears I usually lose the train of thought I had. Same with the other way. If I've just spent a good couple of hours of lesson planning, then to switch gears to working on my stuff usually prevents me from getting much on that done.

Plus I just found out yesterday that I will be going to school for 5 of the remaining weeks this summer. That means that I need to get things done in the next 2 weeks so that I am 'free' for 3 weeks. Then I have a week break where I can work on more stuff before the final 2 weeks of classes. Then there is a week before school starts to wrap things up. So if I'm going to accomplish everything I want to, I'm going to need to be laser-focused on the things I need to do. And I need to prioritize what I want to accomplish.

In order to prioritize my goals, I need to consider a number of things.  First, do I have all the resources necessary to complete that goal? In the case of lesson planning, not exactly. The courses I will be taking are in teaching chemistry a different way, so I will want that information before I work on my chemistry curriculum. Second, the college board has released new course guidelines with help for teaching them. I need to go through those before I can really start working on the AP courses. Finally, I have to review the new chemistry standards and work those into my new way of teaching. So lesson planning should wait until further into the summer so that I have more of those resources at my fingertips. Also, the time limit on these goals are flexible at best.

Another goal is getting my teaching license. There are a number of concrete steps that are just waiting for me to complete them in order to get my license. I have to finish 3 classes and take 2 tests, then submit everything to the licensing board. Boom, done. This has a definite time limit on it, I believe that I only have a few more weeks to complete this. So for this goal, I have everything I need, I just have to finish it. So this goal will become my priority for the next 2 weeks. I will put all my other goals aside and focus strictly on this. I should not have a problem completing everything within the 2 weeks, I just need to buckle down and get it done.

So, to recap, goals in order:

  1. Finish the license within the next 2 weeks
  2. Review the AP CED and new chemistry standards
  3. Get curriculum for all 3 courses set before school starts. 
I can do this. 


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