It’s that time of year again when people everywhere are pondering potential New Year’s resolutions. As a teacher nearing the mid-point of the year, you may find yourself lacking motivation, energy and enthusiasm in the classroom. Without these three qualities, the rest of the year can feel very long for you and your students. Get back your motivation, refuel your energy and let your enthusiasm be contagious again with the following New Year’s resolutions for every teacher.
1. Make a Fresh Start with Students
Invite your students (and yourself) to enjoy a fresh start in the New Year. Let old mistakes remain in the past, and give everyone the opportunity to create and strive toward new learning goals.
2. Try Something New
Ponder areas of difficulty and choose at least one to tackle. Try an alternate approach, such as using a hanging pocket organizer to collect homework assignments instead of having disorganized piles on your desk.
3. Make Better Use of Planning Time
Daily planning breaks often dwindle away while running in-school errands or refilling the coffee cup. Determine what you’ll work on during your planning period each day, and commit to staying at your desk for at least two-thirds of it to work.
4. Prioritize Work/Life Balance
Resolutions #2 and #4 will help you toward creating better work/life balance. Teachers will always have some work to do at home, but you can streamline this to allow maximum time with your family and friends.
5. Take Care of Yourself
Self-care should never take a back seat to teaching. You’ll be a better, happier and healthier teacher if you get adequate sleep, eat healthfully and make time to exercise.
6. Catch Them Doing Something Right
It’s easy to fall into the habit of catching students in mistakes or misdeeds. Resolve to do the opposite in the New Year. The more children are recognized for doing something right, the more they’ll strive to achieve.
7. Build Relationships with Fellow Teacher
There’s an entire network of resources, support and camaraderie walking around your school. Endeavor to build relationships with some of your fellow teachers. Everyone will benefit.
8. Take Scheduled Breaks
Working through lunch might make you feel more accomplished, but it may also lead you to feel burned out. Take scheduled breaks to wind down, regroup and refuel for the rest of the day.
9. Empower Your Students
Rather than stepping in to intervene or offering every little detail, empower your students to problem-solve and employ critical thinking skills on a daily basis.
10. Get Organized
If organization in the classroom has been a problem, the New Year is the perfect time to turn over a new leaf. Tidy up shelves, the storage closet, your desktop and utilize wall space to create a clutter-free room. Let us help you with the appropriate organizational items and supplies.
