Forward Momentum

on


Oof. Has the excitement of a new year died down? Maybe your patience has worn thin and you're tired of giving "reminders" (how do they not know already, SERIOUSLY!?!), and/or none of your well laid plans have gone...as planned. Maybe what worked for your class(es) last year have been epically flopping this year. Maybe you're just tired because you're human and you have a life outside of school. Maybe it's all of the above! If so, just know you are in good company and this post is for YOU! We've all been "over it" at some point or another, but the good news is that every time the bell rings is a chance for a fresh start. Here are my top tips for forward momentum: 

1) Stay the course
  • Keep your expectations high and continue building relationships with your kids, particularly ones who you are having issues in class with. Reinforce routines, expectations, and behaviors you want to see. If you set an expectation, follow through...otherwise, don't set it. You are not a babysitter. You are a professional educator. 
  • Utilize your 3 strike behavior system as an opportunity to reteach and connect with students vs a traditional "punishment". Start with a quiet warning/redirect. Sometimes a whole class redirect is appropriate, but calling students out in front of the entire class to shame them is the fastest way to damage any relationship and it can also backfire (because, hey, attention is attention!). Move to a private conversation as a second warning. As you speak, lead with empathy and state what you notice before asking "what's up?". You'd be surprised at some responses and how many students are just waiting for someone to ask, particularly as they get older. From there, actively listen and then level with your student with age appropriate verbiage. Let them know why you are frustrated, what you see happening, what your expectations are...and explain why those expectations are important to you. Change often happens slowly and is rarely a straight line. Consistency is important to see forward growth. 
  • You will always have students who challenge and test you but they should not dictate the direction of your classroom. Model the behavior/language/actions you want to see and handle situations as the adult in the room by keeping your cool. Take time to reflect on what is happening and consider why it could be happening. Brainstorm changes that you can make and focus on what you have control over. Start there. 

2) ERASE the mistakes

  • We tell our kids all the time to have a growth mindset, so let's practice what we preach! Any time that you feel like you've "failed", flip the script. Think of a mistake as an opportunity for growth. Erase it, learn from it and move on. You've identified what didn't work, so try something else. Rinse and repeat as needed. 
  • Look for bright spots and build upon those. Don't forget about all the good that is happening in your classroom just because a few low points knocked you down. I promise that you are doing an exponentially better job than how it feels on your worst days. 
  • Take a moment every now and then and look back at where you started from compared to where you are now. Celebrate growth. You are doing great things. Keep doing them. 

3) Lean into your WHY. You can't do this job successfully by just showing (again, teaching is not babysitting). Teaching can slowly drive you insane, but it can also be the most rewarding adventure because every single day is different.  At the end of each of those days, including the hard ones, what gets you up to do it all over again? Here are just a few thoughts from our building. We truly work with THE BEST: