10 Simple Ways Teachers Can Reflect on the School Year
The sun is out, and so is class! The team at Mobile Ed is reflecting on the past year, our challenges, achievements, and our plans for the future so we can continue educating students around the country with the best fun and educational school assembly programs. Our team is working to plan our programs so they can be more impactful, accessible, and entertaining. While we reflect on this past school year, we invite you to join us.
Our summers as educators are often filled with rest, vacations, summer jobs, home improvement projects, and everything else we couldn’t do during the school year. The summer also provides time to reflect and plan for the next year. While you don’t have to start planning yet, here are a few simple and easy things you can do now to help your planning process this fall.
- Compare this school year to your first year of teaching. How has your mindset changed? How has your approach, your lessons, your students, and your communication changed? What has improved and what do you feel you could improve? What are your thoughts on these changes?
- Make a list of lessons, technology, and activities that worked well (and not so well) for your classroom this year. What technologies did students seem excited about? What activities weren’t as effective as you thought they'd be? Make a note so you can use this information as you plan for next year.
- Write a letter to a new teacher. Write this to someone you know or keep it as an exercise for yourself. What have you learned this year as an educator? What have you learned since being an educator? What was challenging about this year? What would you have done differently?
- Share a few goals with your colleagues. Goals can be personal, professional, small, or big. Sharing goals with others can help us stay accountable for those goals that sometimes seem hard to reach.
- Write down those memorable moments. Create a journal where you can keep the moments you don’t want to forget. What do you want to remember about this school year? What experiences impacted you as an educator? What did you learn from your students and your colleagues this year?
- Ask colleagues how they’ve seen you grow as an educator. This may seem a little awkward at first, but they might see things in you that you don’t in yourself. Ask a few trusted colleagues how you’ve changed. Do you agree with them? How do you feel you’ve grown?
- Draw out your dream classroom. Find a comfy spot, get those pens out, and draw out what you’d like your classroom to look like one day. Examine small aspects of your masterpiece and see what is doable for your classroom next year. You may be surprised!
- Create a few collages. Grab your scissors and glue sticks and make a collage that represents this school year and one that represents the next school year. You can easily find some quotes or images that reflect your experiences, attitudes, or goals during the year as well as ones you have for the upcoming school year. Use these collages as motivation and direction as you plan the next year.
- Share some laughs. If you have any memories or memes that represent how you felt this school year went, share them! They might make you (or a colleague) smile.
- Write a letter to yourself. In what ways are you proud of yourself? What was the funniest moment you can remember from this year? You know yourself the best: what advice did you need to hear in those challenging moments? Write it down and open it in a few years as a motivator during those times when you face high demands and high levels of stress.
Mobile Ed is always producing programs, resources, and blogs that equip educators for walking through their classroom doors each day. Follow the Mobile Ed blog for more tips and tricks for educators!
