Every year, people make New Year's resolutions and try to stick to them as the year unfolds.

For schoolteachers, this time of year - halfway through the academic school year - is a time to reflect and see what, if anything, can be improved upon or changed in the new year.

Union Springs Central School District Principal Karen Burcroff has many goals for 2009. As the building administrator for A.J. Smith Elementary School, she hopes to bring the impact of the recession into the classroom.

“This is tough time that kids are going to be growing up through in terms of financial,” she said, “and we need to help them truly appreciate what they have. This younger generation seems to be all about not necessarily entitlement, but they are just used to have instant gratification, and as adults we need to make sure that we're teaching them values and appreciation.”

To achieve this goal, the elementary school will be launching a new theme, “Smart Kids Making Smart Choices for a Smart World,” through which instructors will teach students about the differences between needs and wants.

But that's not the only goal Burcroff has for 2009.

With technology changing at rapid speed, she wants to teach digital citizenship and appropriate usage of cell phones, the Internet and social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook.

“As adults we never had these growing pains,” she said. “We always say, ‘Don't talk to strangers' because that's always been a fear, but we don't say, ‘Don't take a picture and post it online,' because we never had to do that.”

For Weedsport Elementary School teacher Ryan O'Kane, he knows all too well that children say the darndest of things.

“I resolve to start writing down and collecting the amazing and hysterical things I hear my third-graders say each day in class,” he said. “They are priceless.”

Cayuga-Onondaga Board of Cooperative Educational Services Heavy Equipment Repair and Operation Teacher Darryl Jirinec has his own resolution for 2009.

“I think the main thing is to have a lot more patience because the students need more help and they come in with fewer life skills, so they need a lot of consideration and help and everyday basic things,” he said.

He said he will work on being a better listener and work with individual students to advise and work one-on-one with them.

2008 has been a good year for Union Springs Junior/Senior High School Art Teacher Jason Charles.

Two of his students garnered regional and national recognition for their artwork, earning American Visions Awards and Gold Keys as part of the Scholastic Art Awards sponsored locally by Citizen's Bank and Gold Awards through Scholastic's national art competition.

Charles hopes that won't be the end for Union Springs and its students.

“I'd like to see our program continue in the direction it's going,” he said. “We've won two Gold Awards last year, so I'd love to see the art program continue to blossom.”

He hopes to offer more after-school programs while maintaining his Saturday classes. Additionally, he is hoping to land a spot in a workshop this summer in Philadelphia taught by artist Nelson Shanks.

“I'd love to learn his techniques and be able to use that to teach my students,” he said. “I'm hoping he gives me great information that students can then learn from me.”

Staff writer Alyssa Sunkin can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 239 or alyssa.sunkin@lee.net