Month-One Reset: Revisit, Reteach, Refresh

Congratulations! You are about a month into your new school year. By now I am sure that no matter how much effort you have put into your work you have probably hit few snags. That is perfectly normal, don't worry we are here to help. Also has your stress increased or decreased since the beginning of the year. That can also tell you if adjustments need to be made.

Truth Bite

Every year there should be a time that you give yourself some time to look at how things are really going. It is normal to hit some snags in the plan as the school year starts. The key is to revisit, reevaluate and make necessary pivots sooner rather than later.

Visionary Check

Are the Procedures you put in place at first working for smooth transitions? Where are the bumps? How would transitions work better or your classroom run smoother if you made changes? Decide, then teach the adjusted procedure. Just like you taught it at the beginning, make sure you are only teaching it one at a time and make sure you are telling them what to do rather than what not to do. Teach it model it, practice it, time it... because they love to beat the clock, and when the class can do it three times perfectly, move on!

How is relationship building going? Are you still doing desk chats in the morning? Are you getting them done? Are you forgetting any students? Do you need to change it to a different time of day? If you are getting too busy or harried to do these, find a way to step back, slow down and continue building relationships with your students.

Were you able to email or call into all the parents or caregivers the first week? If not, send out an email to touch base and give them a small update on how the first month has been. Remind them of your office hours and when and how you can be reached.

How are you lessons going? Are they taking the full classroom time, do you need to take a few hours and create a few more time stretchers to pull from. I know of one teacher that keeps 20 of these at the ready! Sometimes, depending on what is happening she does these instead of the lesson plan for the day. Are you trying to cover too much material each lesson? Are the students keeping up? These are great questions to ask to see if anything needs to change.

YOURSELF! Do you need to find a way to relax a little more?. Are you eating right and getting sleep? We will talk more about self-care next week but remember you cannot pour from an empty cup. We tell ourselves if we are better prepared or ahead on lesson plans, we are good, and nothing can throw us. But remember it's the ability to pivot, change, set boundaries and care for ourselves that is going to keep us in our field for the long haul. And that is how we reach the most students. Isn't that what it's all about anyway? We will post more about self-care next week.

Visionary Tip

Always allow time to revisit and reevaluate about one month in. That way you see how everything is working, and it's not too hard to change. However, schedule yourself a time every few months to take a look too. You will get to a point where you recognize where you need to adjust without having to sit and schedule time but until then, put it on your calendar. It will help. You've got this and remember, we are here for you.