Welcome to January 2020. I know it’s only the third day of the new year and most of us are still reeling in the holiday spirit, but have you decided on a New Year’s Resolution yet? Most of us choose New Year’s Resolutions for our personal lives – lose weight, rest more, travel more, eat healthier, etc. Have you ever chosen a New Year’s Resolution for your classroom? I often blend my personal and work lives together because after all we are both a teacher and a person, right? Todd Henry, in his book The Accidental Creative, discusses his idea of the big three. What are the three things you want to focus on? They can be ideas or tasks. For example, one year my big three were to exercise more, learn and implement AR in the classroom, and learn and implement design thinking in the classroom. Todd Henry believes that once you choose the big three all of the stimuli you input needs to connect to those three things – everything you read, watch, follow, etc should be connected to your big three so you can focus on learning everything and anything about those topics. It helps to maintain true change in your life instead of simply creating a New Year’s Resolution and dropping it by February.
If three are too many, just choose one. What is one thing you want to see change in your classroom? I am a big fan of pinpointing a focus and often choose one word per year to focus on throughout the year. In the past my words have been: trust, adventure, perspective, grit, and family. You can have your word printed on things to offer a daily reminder. I like to order bracelets from My Intent. Every morning, putting on the bracelet allows my mind to embrace the path I’ve chosen for this year.
Other educators simply create a resolution for their classroom. For example, some are to stay positive, spice up your classroom routine, build fitness in your classroom, get your work/life balance in order, give individual time and attention to students, get organized – work smarter, not harder, avoid auto pilot, dress to impress, get students involved (source).
So, what is your New Year’s Resolution? What is the change you want to see in your classroom this year?
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All sourced information is hyperlinked as applicable above.
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