The purpose of this page it two-fold.
First, this page gives me a dedicated space to communicate what I am doing. I will update this page from time to time as my goals and plans develop and evolve.
Second, as I update this page it will act as an accountability tool which will help to keep me focused on the goals I have set. It will be much more difficult for me to wander off on a whim after I have publicly declared my purpose and intention for the near future.
CAREER
One of the most notable parts of my current life is the career shift I made seven years ago. After years of working in the business world I decided to become a high school teacher.
I was fortunate to land a job teaching geometry and computer science in the BETA academy at Bayside High School in Palm Bay, Florida. At the end of the school year I was offered and accepted the position of Director of the Academy of Business & Finance at Melbourne High School just up the way in Melbourne, Florida.
This year we submitted our application to the International Baccalaureate organization to add the Career-related Program to our offerings. We have transitioned the Academy of Business & Finance to a three-year International Business Program to make all Career & Technical Education (CTE) programs at Mel High similar in scope and to give Business Program students access to the IB Career Program.
I helped create a new three year Applied Cybersecurity program at Melbourne High School. The program is designed to prepare a diverse student population for careers in the growing field of cybersecurity.
The most recent development is that I am preparing to make a move from the classroom to administration. I began working on an Educational Specialist degree last year, only to find out this past December that the Ed.S. degree would not meet the Florida certification requirements. So, this January I switched to a Masters in Educational, Educational Leadership program that should conclude next summer.
Organization/Productivity
I have had this long-standing love/hate relationship with structure and organization; I love the results that come from plans and lists but have always felt organization would stifle my creative process.
I don’t know if I am finally maturing past my fear of structure or if I am just tired of doing the same thing over and over (I am sure my wonderfully organized wife has had some influence as well) but I have realized that my potential is best realized when there is a structure and an order to my life. In light of this revelation, I have started using a planner and am in the process of establishing a strategic plan for my life.
I have borrowed the idea of the My 3 Words approach to yearly goal setting (borrowed from Chris Brogan).
The words I have chosen for 2023 are Family, Education, and Health.
Family: I am the proud father of 5 boys and 1 girl, and as they grow I am ever more cognizant of not only how quickly children grow up but also how important it is that I am present in their lives. I plan to use this year to build deeper connections with my children and to help them learn to better understand their own minds and bodies through teaching them about taking responsibility for their choices and actions.
Education: This year I started working on an M.Ed. degree in Educational Leadership in order to prepare for transition to an administrative position. The return to formal education has been invigorating yet time-consuming.
Health: Physical fitness has never been a priority in my life, and as I get older I am starting to understand the need for that to change. My family history of heart disease means this goal is just as much about making sure I see more years and not just making this one better. My goals for the year will be to get back down to 210 pounds and to improve my physical health by lowering my cholesterol and blood pressure measurements.
This page was inspired by Derek Sivers.