New Year Resolutions for Teachers

When considering your New Year’s resolutions for this year, think about how to make a difference in your professional life. Improving yourself as a teacher will make a difference not only in your life, but in the lives of all of your students as well. When we dare to dream outside the box, move out of our comfort zone a bit, we'll get ready for refreshing change.

If our actions remain the same as always, our results will be the same. One small step toward each of our resolutions is all that is required. Incremental segments combine to get us to the finish line.

Learn One New Skill this Year

Whether you decide to learn how to teach a child with a disability, learn about a new teaching style or learn how to crochet, make the resolution to learn one new skill this year. Making a concerted effort to continue learning will be a positive example for your students to follow.

Reach One Child who is a Discipline Problem

Deciding to reach out to that child in your class who is a constant disruption may be what makes the difference in that child's life. As a teacher, you wear many hats, and whether the child needs a disciplinarian or a confidant, being that to the child will not only cause your classroom management to improve, but most likely the child's academics will improve as well.

Make an Academic Breakthrough with a Struggling Student

Figuring out what will help a struggling student learn will not only help the student, but will build your skill set as a teacher. Every child can learn; some just learn differently than what is considered "normal". Thinking outside the box and being creative with your teaching in order to help that student who is struggling will provide you with a great tool box of strategies to use in the future.

Get a Master's Degree

Teachers must continue to take classes and earn a certain number of credits to keep their certification current.  Instead taking random classes to meet the minimum requirement, why not pick a program and go for a master's degree?  Not only will you jump to a different pay scale witht he additional degree, but you will gain respect and a grest amoung of knowledge that will help improve your teaching.

Make Better Use of Your Planning Time

Instead of taking home hours of work to complete after staying late after school, resolve this year to find better ways to organize your planning times. It is possible to arrive at school on time, teach a regular elementary level class, and leave on time with no extra work at the end of the school day. Strive to come up with systems that will enable you to cut down on the amount of time it takes for you to accomplish the necessary tasks of the day.

This New Year, make a resolution that will not only make you a better person, but a better teacher. This will make an impact not only in your career, but in the lives of each one of your students.

Assign a reward to each of the New Year's Resolutions that you can celebrate reaching the goals! that will provide you with a bit of fuel to keep applying the elbow grease toward your other resolutions!