Start the Year Off Right!

Learning is a reflective experience. It is to not only take the time to sit down and recall all that you have retained but to also reflect on the adaptions that need to be made. As a new year begins, it is important that teachers take this time to ensure they start the year off right. Reflect on what you learned from the previous year and strive to make this year even better! Here is a list of five tips you can use to set yourself up for a great year:

•  Set Goals. The New Year allows the opportunity for a fresh start.  As teachers, we need to take advantage of this time to set goals for our students, our school, and ourselves. So before the busyness of school days resume, sit down, reflect, and write! What worked? What didn’t work? How can you make improvements? Then, take the time to create goals for yourself and be sure to revisit them throughout the year.

•    Get Organized. At the start of the school year, everything seems to be organized and in its place. However as the year progresses, you somehow have managed to accumulate towers of papers, have misplaced lesson plans and worksheets, and have no clue where those resources you saved and pinned have gone. Take this time to get organized. Go through old papers and file what is needed and discard what is not. Reflect on the previous semester. How well did you stay organized? If your previous intentions to stay organized crashed and burned after the first month of school, create a new plan for this semester.

•  Manage Your Time. When time is spent wisely, it can positively affect all aspects of our lives. Yet for teachers, it seems we have very little time to spend. It is as if the work never ends. Between planning, reading, researching, and grading, when do teachers have time for anything…right? Remedy this by planning to better manage your time. Make a vow to not take work home, utilize your planning period by tackling your most important items, and create checklists.

• Explore New Resources. Education is continually trying to adjust and adapt to our rapid developing culture. Due to the constant advancements in technology, there has been a greater need for teachers to stay up to date on the new and innovative resources accumulating at our fingertips. This year, make it a priority to explore new resources and save your favorites.  Then, try utilizing one of the new resources each week. Do not just let them waste away in a desktop folder or become lost in a sea of pins on your Pinterest board!

•  Take Time for Yourself. As teachers, we often put our jobs before ourselves. This can cause a teacher to burn out. Make it a priority to take time for you. You deserve it! Try a new hobby, focus on your heath, and spend time with your friends and family.  Taking some time for yourself will greatly influence and improve how you function in the classroom.