Learning Goals

“I think in terms of the day’s resolutions, not the years’.” – Henry Moore

I am currently reading “Small Acts of Leadership” by G. Shawn Hunter. In this book, he goes through 12 small things leaders can do to help them and those under them be more successful. While they might seem small on the surface, they can be challenging if done correctly. The main idea is that you inspire and lead people through your actions and not through gifts. Some people think that a great company is one that offers free lunch and fun things to do on-site. While a free lunch would be great and appreciated, those things don’t inspire us to be successful. One of the things he talks about is the difference between a learning goal and a performance goal. Most goals are performance goals in the workplace. As an educator, my goals are typically based on the number of students who need to be successful by the end of the year. This idea has me thinking that maybe my goal should be more about what new skills I am developing to help students be more successful as opposed to just the numbers. Obviously, I want my students to be successful, but I need to focus on where I can grow as opposed to just being focused on performance.

Another area in my life I like to grow in is my photography. I feel like I do better when I try out different skills and techniques. One area I have been practicing more on lately is street photography. I feel like with street photography you never know what you are going to see, from random people to protests in the street. During spring break, my family and I took a trip to Helen, Georgia. Helen is an alpine-themed town in Northeast Georgia. The shops and restaurants are always fun to check out. We visited several different places in town. One of our favorite days was when we spent the day walking around Helen. Of course, I grabbed my camera and brought it with me. At first, I used my normal lens, but I realized after a minute that this was not the lens I needed for the day. I used my lens from Retropia. I love this lens because it is lightweight. This makes it perfect to bring with me while on a walk. I also love that it is made from recycled disposable camera lenses. It looks like a film camera.