Thing 1: Life Long Learning

I had never heard of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People before starting this class. After browsing through this webpage I am intrigued to read more about it.

After watching the tutorial video I was able to come up with a list of habits
1. Begin with the end in mind - Determine what your goal will be, then develop a plan to achieve your goal
2. Accept responsibility for your own learning - This can be done through trainings, active participation, and asking questions
3. View problems as challenges - Rather than thinking of a situation as another crisis to be dealt with, think of it as a challenge to grow from
4. Have confidence in yourself as a competent, effective learner.
5. Create your own learning toolbox - It can include books, technology, classes, friends, mentors, and webpages
6. Use technology to your advantage - Work smarter, not harder!
7. Teach and mentor others - When you learn something new, share it with others.
7 1/2. Play! Be Curious! Read!

This tutorial made me think about who I am as a learner. The habit that is easiest for me is definitely "Accept responsibility for your own learning". I love going to training classes and getting new ideas. One of my favorite things is getting to talk with other teachers and pick their brains about what does and doesn't work for them. Every year we are required to take a minimum of 14 staff development hours and I always exceed this requirement. Some people tell me I'm crazy for spending my "free time" in class, but I feel like if I can take away even one thing from the class then it was worth my time.

The habit that is hardest for me, hands down, is "View problems as challenges". I often let problems overwhelm me and get me wound up before I take time to process what is going on. When I finally resolve the problems I am able to look back as see that I got worked up over nothing. I am also able to use those experiences to learn and grow.

One of my goals for the 2011-2012 school year is to set up an interactive parent communication website. Here is the link to my Learning Contract on Google Docs.