Teachers, how do you make it through the second half of the school year?

So now what?

When the first semester of the school year ends, it is time to look ahead to figure out your game plan for the remainder of the school year. At this point you have had half of a year to develop relationships with your students, identify their strengths and weaknesses and determine the expectations that your administrative team has for you. So now what? How do you develop an effective plan for the remainder of the school year? How do you create a plan that will help you to achieve your personal goals and your students to achieve their academic goals as well?

Reflection is the first step.

I know that this sounds cliche’ but it is true that you can develop a plan to move forward until you have reflected upon what you have already accomplished. I suggest writing your reflection or typing it somewhere, whichever you choose ensure that it is in a place where you will remember to refer back to it.

Here are a few considerations for you to consider in your reflection:

• What are your personal goals for the second portion of the school year? Do you want to renew your focus on your health by eating well? Do you want to ensure that you schedule breaks for yourself so that you don’t get overwhelmed? Whatever you choose, ensure that it is a goal just for you and that it does not include anyone else. We will get to them.

• What are your professional goals for the second portion of the school year? Do you want to take a class so that you can move into the next phase of your professional plan? Do you want to meet with your principal to ask them for experiences to help you prepare for your next step? Do you want to observe some of your colleagues to get some ideas of some of the best practices that they use?

• What are your goals for your students? Do you want to focus on students’ skill building to ensure that they are making the recommended academic progress for your system? Do you want to give your students more enriching assignments to ensure that they are enjoying more of what they are learning and applying it?

Developing a feasible plan is the next step.

A feasible plan, yes this is the next step. It can’t be a plan for the sake of a plan. It needs to be a plan that you will actually follow. We are all aware of plans that we do just to get them done and then we never look at them again. This can’t be one of them. If you really want to make the second half of your school year a successful one, this plan has to be feasible and followed.

So take your reflection notes and create a list of action items. Along with those action items you are going create deadlines for each item. If the item is something that is ongoing, you will need to create check in dates where you check on your progress with that item.

Once your dates are set, you will need to take the time to put them on your calendar. Use whatever calendar you use for your daily tasks such as doctor’s appointments and other events that you consider to be important. This will help you to be accountable to yourself.

Just two steps…

These two steps, if you follow through with them, will help you to have a very successful second half of your school year. You will be sure to accomplish the goals that you set forth which will lead to increased peace for you, more accomplishments in your career and more success for your students.