Update to Retirement Post

So in January I wrote about goals to reach before I retire. I thought I'd do a quick update on that post. First of all rereading that post made me think about how I really need to change the negative attitude I have towards some things going on in my district and refocus myself on the positive things that will be happening for my students.

Here is what I wrote in January and the update will follow in red.

1. Skype-it takes me forever to work up the courage to make a phone call so the thought of Skyping with someone is simply terrifying to me!! So, that is number one on the list. And it's still on the list-call me chicken. :)
2. Get at least one teacher in my building on Twitter and using chats. This one is not so scary for me but it is for my coworkers. Hmmm, I forgot about this one. Summer would be the perfect time for this. I think I'll contact a few teachers that I think would try this and try to meet some place for coffee and wifi and get them signed up, following other teachers and discuss Twitter Chats.
3. Put in a conference proposal for NYSCATE one more time. I won a grant a few years ago for iPads and never did the payback of presenting. I hate presenting but I do it from time to time to just push myself out of my comfort zone. I don't think this will happen. Last year I tried to go to a reading conference but was told I go to too many conferences. :( So even if a proposal was accepted I doubt I'd be allowed to go.)
4. Contact Kimberly Wright to set up something with students between our two districts. Need to do this.
5. Get a tech club set up. I've been approved but have been dragging my feet on getting it going mainly due to scheduling conflicts with my principal and fear-what will I do? What if the kids don't like it? and on on with the self doubt. I tried but nothing ever got off the ground. I decided not to bother for this year, the work involved doesn't seem worth it for one year. 
6. A coworker sent me a link to apply to become a PBS LearningMedia Digital Innovator. I dismissed it because.... I'm retiring. But now I'm thinking why not? I'm sure I won't win but why not try? I didn't win to go to ISTE but I did win as an area rep. This gets our district a free year of PBS online resources. I have to sign an agreement so I showed it to my principal and he says it needs to be approved by our superintendent, still waiting.... :(

Ok, the next three are not scary but things I want to continue.

7. Continue to strive to help my students develop a love for reading and improve their comprehension but never by filling in worksheets. No problem!
8. Continue to find ways to tie in technology with reading and share with coworkers. Using SeeSaw more and more and plan on continuing with that because it lets me/students do so much. We did coding once a month last year, even during months of testing and I hardly saw my students, I'd made a promise to coding once a month and I kept it.
9. Continue to read new books-both kid lit and professional and share with teachers. Ok, some teachers might fill in that blank above with I'm tired of her pushing books, apps, websites to us. :) Easy and I've already sent out some suggestions to the 4th and 5th grade teams. 

My retirement isn't official yet but I'm fairly certain it will happen. Keeping positive and focusing on the students will be my main goal this year.