Focus

       I chose the word focus for this semester because I am a first year teacher and in my last semester of my graduate degree.  It has been a challenge to balance my focus on my students, my education, and my personal life.  It is difficult to come home at the end of the day knowing that I have many things to prepare for my students and homework to complete for school, as well as every day life needs like laundry and dinner.  The meaning of focus is to place something at the center of attention.  I am hoping that I can find the right time to place my students at the center of my attention, the right time to center my attention on my education, and give time for self care.  My plan is to create a schedule for myself to ensure that each of my responsibilities receives the right amount of focus.

 Focus has also been a large part of my academic literacy journey.  It is easy and relaxing to read books for pleasure but for me it takes a large amount of focus to retain information from academic texts.  I still often times find myself reading textbooks only to reread them because I did not fully grasp what the text was saying the first time. 

"Whenever you want to achieve something, keep your eyes open, concentrate, and make sure you know exactly what it is you want. No one can hit their target with their eyes closed."
-Paulo Coelho