It is the end of the school
year and we have endured 10 months of scrambling, phone calls, meetings, working
late, paperwork, crisis intervention, classes, stress, and meetings. We are
exhausted and at times frustrated that we never accomplish exactly what we set
out to accomplish. This feeling can be overwhelming
and demoralizing if we do not take
the time to reflect on the true successes we achieve each year. Here are 3
simple steps to help us realize the difference we make in the lives of our students
and colleagues each day. They help me and I hope they help you as well.
“It is a
huge accomplishment to learn the personalities, behaviors, strengths,
weaknesses, and needs of an entire class.”
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| Reflect on New Relationships |
1. Reflect on New Relationships
Let’s look at the new
relationships you have made over the past school year. Undoubtedly you have met
and worked with new staff members, students, and parents. It is a huge
accomplishment to learn the
personalities, behaviors, strengths, weaknesses, and needs of an entire class.
You spent 10 months communicating and working with family members to help these
students succeed…. This is no easy task! Working with new staff members has
required you to learn about these people and how they work. In order to create
a functional relationship with your new or challenging coworkers, you need to
enlist your teamwork skills and communication skills. Some work relationships
are more difficult than others, but for the good of the students you made them
work. None of this is easy, but you do it on a daily basis and probably never
think about it.
"Most students’ think of their classroom as a safe haven, and that is because of you."
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| Look Back at the Big Picture |
2.
Step Back and Look at the Big Picture
Now let’s take a step back and
look at the big picture. When working closely with kids on a daily basis it is
easy to over look the small changes and victories that are a result of your
hard work. Take time to reflect on the behaviors and academic levels of your
students in the beginning of the year and now. Surely there has been
improvement, and in a lot of situations a vast improvement. Look at the relationships
with parents and how they have grown over the year. Creating an environment
that is welcoming to students and parents is critical to a quality education
and is easily over looked. Most students’ think of their classroom as a safe
haven, and that is because of you. Think small! You make a difference every
day, but we don’t always take the time to reflect on how the little victories
we have each day contribute to the big picture.
“Part of what makes us successful educators is that we look to past experiences to help guide future instruction.”
3.
Take an Introspective Look at Professional Growth
Think about how have you grown
professionally over the past 12 months? School years are long and at times
stressful. You succeeded in conquering the difficult times and finding ways to
navigate through them. How did you do this? Take time to recognize the skills
you utilized and how they can be applied to future situations. Learning what
works and what does not is a huge part of being a successful educator. You got
to this point in the year for a reason…. What helped you get there??
In closing, take time to smile
and relax…. You made it through another year, more experienced and better
prepared to tackle the next school year. Not everyone has what it takes to be a
teacher. Not everybody has the patience and desire to do what we do. Successes
do not always jump out at us; we need to know where to look. In a world that
more and more focuses on the negative aspects of education, we do make a
difference each day.
Don’t dwell on the negative! Part of what makes us successful educators is that we look to past experiences to help guide future instruction. By looking at shortcomings as learning experiences, we can improve ourselves professionally and have an even greater impact on our students. The fact that you are self-reflective is proof of your dedication to becoming the best educator you can be. It is not easy to look at yourself and say I can do better. Congratulations to you and here is too another successful year.
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| Here's To Another Successful School Year |
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