I have always told my students and athletes that reflection is key to progress as much as it is a great thing for emotional stability. Whether it be the end of a lesson, a chapter, a semester, or, in this case, a year, I find it valuable to sit back and reflect on the greater picture over the course of a year and be proud of what was done while remaining inspired to continue to do better.
I sat back and attempted to create a theme for the last school year but only thought of cliche teacher lines that you see flooding memes everywhere this time of the year. Then, upon visiting the local pub last weekend, I was absorbed by their slogan of “Drink Better” and for some reason it resonated. So we will dub 2016 as the year I “Taught Better.” This does not mean that I taught bad in the past, but this year I had the gift of time as I did not coach in the spring, and I had the anger of graduate school because I thought we were supposed to be learning something for all of the money we are investing. Every day, I approached it with the questions: What can I do better to reach more students, bring more content to life, make this more relatable, and enjoy it? Here are the things I learned.
You need a space for collaboration
We are moving out next year while our building is under construction and I could not be more worried. I do not fear it because I have to teach outside of my normal classroom or that I am going to be out of our normal wing, but rather, I fear losing our collaborative office that inspires growth and hard work. Our office can tend to be mocked by outsiders as being a “lounge”, a man-cave, or a clubhouse but I see it as a very important part of our department success. Yes, we have a coffee pot, popcorn machine, music playing, and plenty of treats, but smack dab in the middle we have a big table that we frequently come around period after period and discuss education. We trouble shoot, engage with others who are doing great things, and continue to inspire each other to continue to Teach Better. Instead of hiding in our classrooms or sitting at our individual desks, we collaborate and share during off-time, meals, and before/after school. It drives us to compete, share, energize, and teach, something that should be considered for every department.
You need to separate school and home
Yes, it took me 7 years to learn this, but separating work from home became very important to me. My first semester of teaching my mentor and co-teacher sat me down and said, “at some point you need to go home and be home. You can’t keep working everywhere or you will burn out.” I was young though, invincible, and I would never burn out. Then, year after year, I would hit May and be exhausted, angry, and ready to leave work and never come back (for two weeks until camps start of course). Seven years later, I decided to listen. When I go home, I limit myself to an hour of work but only if necessary, otherwise, I stay at work until done. I can bring home work on the weekends, but my weeknights am free from it to do grad school homework, cook, and relax. It is May, and although I am ready to be done, I am much happier and far more content with teaching than I have been in the past.
Seek out your own professional development
Schools do not provide enough professional development so if you really want to innovate and improve, you need to do it on your own. This year I have joined three beta-testing organizations, follow five Twitter chats, and have built a great online tech community. Instead of sharing all of the cool things I am finding, I implement them first, enjoying the investigative process and letting others seek me out when they hear what we are doing in class. I was always so worried about others that I was running out of ways to make my own class better. Now, I put my research into practice to prove that what I do has value.
You need to comment, comment, comment
In rolling out Google Classroom, I had a much easier platform on which I could launch discussion boards, assignments, and communicate. I made it my goal to comment in detail on 50% of everyone’s work on a normal assignment and 100% of projects. What I found was, I was commenting on 100% of everything because kids were taking my positive remarks and constructive criticism to heart when I provided feedback, and it made them better in and out of the classroom because they knew I cared about them and their work. I cannot tell you how many thank you’s I received when posting affirmations on brilliant work and how many kids made a change when I caught them slacking when we both knew they performed below ability on something. This allowed students to take pride in their work and know that nothing was “just busy work.”
Be a positive role model
Acknowledge positive role models
Every two months, I dub two students my “Student of the Month.” I do not acknowledge it in class, do not create a certificate, and do not post anything about them in the classroom. Terrible award….am I right? Instead, I email home. I email their parents, the student, and their guidance counselor to tell them that they have raised an outstanding human being. This is not something that I choose based on academic ability, but rather, usually to broadcast students that I feel have a greater impact to the class than a grade would demonstrate. They care about others, the content, and me. They participate, enjoy life, and invest into class. They demonstrate EFFORT, something I treasure in my seniors. The impact that this email has is more profound than I ever thought. Not just for the parents who hear about how great their kid is, but the student who hears about how great they are as a person and that I see all of the many great things they do beyond just earning a grade. I know that most parents/students cringe when thinking about a teacher emailing home, but I want to kill that vibe. Try it once...you will not regret it.
You have to use summer to your advantage
Take a month and travel, relax, sleep, break your caffeine addiction, and binge watch Netflix (I suggest Silicon Valley and the Americans). Then, after a brain break, read Steve Jobs biography, followed by “The Outliers” by Malcolm Gladwell, followed by “The Originals” by Adam Grant, and then sit back inspired by all of these books about innovation, entrepreneurship, and creativity, only to let your wheels spin for a couple months. Go on Twitter and participate in EdChats, attend a conference, go to an EdCamp, and meet some co-workers for coffee. As the summer hits the halfway point, get some ideas down. Don’t wait until the school year starts to plan and don’t expect work to teach you how to use technology, instead, go out and do it yourself. Be the independent learner that you hope all of your students become.
As I reflect on my year, I am very proud. I provided some great kids many great opportunities to learn many great things. I formed bonds that I am proud of, taught lessons that reflected my work ethic, and let my students leave as more educated/prepared individuals than they came in as. Now I am going to nap, cook, read, and bike ride until you are ready to sit down and start planning for next year with me.
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