New Year’s Resolutions for Teachers
The new year is right around the corner, and I don’t know about you but I’m not quite sure how it is possible that another year is already here. With COVID, I don’t think that I have even processed the last two years and 2022 is going to be here in two weeks. If the last couple years though have taught us anything though hopefully it is to care for ourselves, our own mental health, and to care more about the world around us. As teachers this may be even harder to live into, and this is why I decided to come up with a list of New Year’s resolutions for teachers.
New Year’s Resolutions for Teachers #1 Know Your Worth
The first on this list is to know your worth. As teachers, we are worth so much. Our jobs are important and are really the basis for any other jobs. We inspire children and what they decide to do in life can be based quite highly on what we do in the classroom with them. I think oftentimes it is hard to remember our worth though when our paycheck and society in general makes it seem like we have little worth.
So for this resolution we need to not only find ways to self affirm our worth, but also demand that others treat us in a way that reflects our worth. We deserve more and we can demand more from our administration, from the government, and from society as a whole.
New Year’s Resolutions for Teachers #2 Stop Comparing
Also a part of knowing our worth and helping our mindset in life is to stop comparing ourselves to other teachers. Every teacher is different and since every student is different that is important. Your students don’t need another teacher, they need you.
It is really easy to compare ourselves to other teachers on Instagram and social media. Social media can be important for teachers because we can get some great ideas for our classroom, but it can also make us feel like all these other teachers have everything together. We may see gorgeous classrooms that are perfectly organized and then we look at our own classrooms that look like a tornado flew through them and we wonder why our classroom cannot be as organized no matter how much we try. Remember that social media is a place where most people show their best. These teachers probably have their moments of disorganization as well. Do not compare their best with your worst and think that you’re a horrible teacher or person. You got this and you are perfect just the way that you are.
New Year’s Resolutions for Teachers #3 Breath
Another on my list of New Year’s resolutions for teachers is to breathe. It is so easy to get wound up in all the things. Maybe all day you feel like you are running at 100 miles an hour. This year you need to take time to slow down and breathe. This will give you a better mindset that will affect every part of your life, not only your teaching life.
New Year’s Resolutions for Teachers #4 Hear Your Students Stories
The first 3 New Year’s resolutions for teachers were about you and making sure that you are the best version of yourself not always, but that you can even handle the times that you do not have it all together. The next two New Year’s resolutions for teachers are to help you interact well with your students. So first really hear your students’ stories. Your students are going to be from diverse backgrounds. They will have different experiences based on race, sexual orientation, where they live, how they grew up, their home life and so much more. This year, find ways to have them share their stories. Also, make your classroom a place that is safe to do that. Building a welcoming environment is important.
How can you have your students read diverse stories and hear many different perspectives so they can find stories that they relate to? Introducing diverse books and stories into your curriculum can help your students see themselves in stories and this will make them feel better about telling their own stories.
Decoration in your class is also important. Are you showing diverse people in your classroom decorations? Are there people of color represented? Are women represented? Can your students see themselves in the decoration? Do your decorations show that you are welcoming of all students. I have made a few posters to help teachers add some diversity to their classrooms. They are free for my subscribers. Click on the banner below to get those posters.
New Year’s Resolutions for Teachers # 5 Play With Your Students
Another New Year’s resolution is to play with your students. Oftentimes as students get older the concept of play goes out the window, However, play is helpful for learning across the board. If students are playing they are learning the concepts in a way where they are less likely to forget them.
Play is a learning experience and when students have learning experiences they are more likely to actually remember topics. In fact, without learning experiences students may not have really learned the concept in the first place which means they are more likely to suffer from learning loss. So find ways in all aspects to play with your students and incorporate games into your classroom. You should participate in these games as well. Your students will connect with you more and then be better students if they play with you. Believe it or not they will respect you more and this would help so much with behavior and classroom management.
Want to read more?!?!
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New Year’s Resolutions for Teachers # 6 Work Smarter Not Harder
These last two New Year’s resolutions for teachers are about the workload that you take on as a teacher. As teachers we have a lot to do, and we may also think that we have to do all the things. Truthfully, you don’t have to do everything. Make a list of your priorities that have to be done and let the other things go. You really cannot do everything.
However, even if we make a list of our priorities it may still be forever long this is why we still have to work smarter not harder. If you need a math center or a new way to teach a concept. Rather than write that all yourself see what curriculum is available online. You can find some great resources on Teachers Pay Teachers for cheap and then you do not have to spend all that time making a resource. Take advantage of someone else doing the work because you are too busy to be making all your own resources when you can buy high quality ones elsewhere.
New Year’s Resolutions for Teachers # 7 Stop Taking Your Work Home
Lastly, as a teacher you need to stop taking your work home. This is not helping you and it is not helping your family. Your husband and kids need you to be present to them. If you are single without kids you still are entitled to your freetime. You do not need to sell all your freetime to your job. You are not getting paid for the work you do outside of contract hours. No one is rewarding you for driving yourself into the ground by working so many hours.
Leave your work at work. Take advantage of prep periods and contract hours then go home and enjoy your time. If something doesn’t get done it will get done later or it is not that important in the first place. Value your time if you don’t it is going to make it hard to stay a teacher and not burn out. If you burn out, that helps no one.
I hope that this post was helpful to you and that you are able to implement some of this advice into your life in this New Year. If you benefited from this post please consider sharing it with your friends so they can benefit as well.