The start of a new semester and a new year comes with excitement for new ideas and seeing continued growth in our students. Pausing over the holidays gave us some time to rest. We all need a break sometimes. Working in education can be very challenging. Our brains need regular opportunities to recalibrate and refresh.
With a fresh perspective, we can reflect on what is working, the challenges we're experiencing, and identify ideas for how to create systems to support our students fully. We can look at this new year with a fresh set of eyes on each of our students to tackle their needs and bring them an environment of growth.
This time away, though incredibly important for all of us, can also bring some challenges. The regular rhythms and structure we had set will need some reminders. You spent the first semester honing your student's skills and your approaches to supporting their learning. As you start this new semester, explanations must be clarified and reset to help you all get back on the same page for the next half of the school year.
Ready for some ideas and practical steps to start this new year off strong?
1. Take some time to re-evaluate your plan.
Leverage your fresh perspective coming back into things from the break to evaluate how your classroom management plan is going.
The goal is that 90% of your class meets your daily expectations and is on-task with their assignments. Are you there yet?
If you aren't there yet, look through the routines and procedures you have in place to identify ways to refine them. What tasks are you having to remind and repeat instructions a lot to your students (maybe it felt like they never caught on to the goal of the task)? What clear steps could you put in place to set expectations and help them understand the ideal routine for the task? By setting expectations and creating a routine, you'll find less need to repeat yourself.
2. Plan for some recalibration.
Don't assume as you head back into the semester that because you taught something before, your students will remember it. Their brains need to reset and be reminded of the routines and systems you have set up. You also can leverage this chance to be inclusive with any new students that join your classroom. Instead of singling them out to learn the routines, bring them into the community with the whole class and calibrate your learning together.
Some things to remember:
Walking in your shoes…
As a teacher, I used to be timid about giving reminders. I'd get the ominous eye roll. You've gotten it; I know you have. One day this changed for me.
When I got my driver's license, my dad seemed obsessed with reminding me about the rules for driving, how to be safe, and being a careful driver. Every time I left the house, these reminders would flood in, and my eye rolls would go into full motion.
Even as an adult, my dad still gives me these reminders whenever he knows I am on the road. I reflected on this and realized these reminders are because he cares about me.
Our reminders to our students are because we care about them. We want to see change. We want to make a difference in their lives and help them be their best selves. We need to be relentless with our reminders regardless of the response from students. Because deep down, our continued support for them will show them we care.
Here are some additional resources to help you:
If you’d like to set up a group training for your team, let us know here.