With the school year in full-swing, many teachers across the country are looking forward to the upcoming holiday break as much (if not more than!) their own students. However, if you’re a teacher, you’re likely always looking for ways to better serve your students in the coming year. We’ve got some ideas for classroom new year’s resolutions you can tackle in 2017!
Better Organize Your Classroom
Start the year out fresh with a clean, organized, and de-cluttered classroom. Begin with your own desk, getting rid of any unnecessary clutter and organizing your papers into sorted bins. Keep personal items on your desk to a minimum in order to maximize space. You can also better organize your classroom, regardless of its size, by utilizing vertical storage space. You can find cheap plastic bins and shelving to hold books, supplies, and the like! Consider asking for help from your school’s maintenance or custodial staff to ensure shelving is safely installed and mounted to the wall as needed.
Finally, before you head back to school at the start of the new year, take some time to purge your supplies, donating or selling anything you no longer use. Continue doing this at least once a year to cut back on clutter.
Create a More Positive Space
Of course you want your classroom to be a happy, positive space for both yourself and your students. There are plenty of small steps you can take to achieve this. Consider, for example, picking out and hanging some motivational posters on the walls. If you don’t do this already, you may also want to begin each day by greeting each student individually as they want into the classroom. This is a great way to show each student a little special attention to brighten their day and get them off to a positive start.
Improve Kindness and Respect
Depending on the grade or age groups you teach, this is sometimes a little easier said than done. And while there are always going to be times when your students don’t get along or aren’t 100% kind to one another, there are some steps you can take to make your classroom a more kind and respectful place. For starters, you should always be reflecting on your own behavior and making sure you’re a model of kindness not only to your students, but to other teachers and staff you come into contact with around your students. Consider creating “rules of kindness” with your class and prominently displaying them for students to see.
So, which new year’s resolutions are you interested in committing to? By following these tips and using the right supplies, you’ll find that your classroom is a better place for everybody in 2017.
