6 month mark/ student achievement

Friday (the 11th) was my 6 month appraisal at work. (I've been at Umoja for 6 months already?!) I was super nervous about what my supervisor would have to say about my performance to date. Not that I thought I was doing horrible work, but I had a good idea of the areas where I could still improve. A week or so before the appraisal, my supervisor discussed what I should expect. Something that I like about Umoja's approach is that there should not be any surprises; we meet weekly with our supervisors and the appraisal should be a reflection of the work you have done, things you have discussed in supervision, and areas in which you have grown or can grow further. My supervisor filled out the necessary documents and I was asked to fill them out as well as a sort of self-reflection and to compare it to my supervisor's comments. I need to stop being so hard on myself. My supervisor gave me "consistently exceeds" in areas where I said "meets standards." In one area, I was given "consistently exceeds" in an area that I said "needs improvement." It was nice to see that my hard work has been noticed. I am looking forward to my next 6 months since my supervisor and I have begun discussing areas for increased professional development. My fellowship has made me think, lead, and challenge myself in ways that I never would have thought I was capable of before my fellowship year.

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Now that I have been at Umoja for 6 months, I feel more comfortable at the organization, at the highschool where Umoja is located, and I have built many strong relationships with students and staff members.

Example: One of my freshman students in the Writers Workshop that I run brought me his report card- straight A's! He was so excited about his grades and he wanted me to keep a copy of his transcript. I put the copy up next to my computer. He looked so full of pride as he saw me tape it up. Little moments like that make me so happy to work with young adults and share in their successes.