Relax, Reflect, Renew
It’s hard to believe that summer break has finally arrived! This past school year was the first one that has felt somewhat normal after the COVID years but it still left me feeling exhausted and depleted by the end. It’s so important for educators to carve out the time to rest. Oftentimes, we leave very little room for ourselves to rest because we are running at a break-neck speed and putting others before ourselves. I truly hope that you have created space in your summer schedule to relax and rest!
I recently returned from spending the week with my family at our favorite beach. It was a nice way to welcome in summer break! I completely unplugged from my computer, let phone calls go to my voicemail, and spent the week enjoying all of the things I love: my family. the beach, and reading new books. I returned feeling renewed and excited to spend the next 8 weeks doing things that I love.
When I got back, I had an all day meeting with my school’s leadership team to discuss end of the year data and begin our planning for next year. It was amazing what a week of R&R did for me when I returned. I was excited to dive back into my job and look over data. Some of our data showed tremendous growth in areas that we focused on and other pieces of data gave us insights on what our next steps should be as a school. The nerd in me loves looking at data and determining the implications and problem solving about the next steps we should take.
As I studied the data in the area of intervention which I am responsible for, I began to notice patterns. I started taking notes in my notebook as I came across interesting findings or similar patterns that I was noticing between data collections. The patterns began to create a blueprint for me for the upcoming school year. Some of the things I noted were things I already knew from my own observations that we needed to add to our priority list for next year but some of the patterns I noticed in the data were hidden until I really dug in yesterday. After writing down the patterns, I began creating a list of priorities and focuses for next school year. This is why I think it I so important to spend time reflecting each summer.
We often think we know what we need to work on the following year or the practices that we need to adjust or abandon from our own observations and experience in the 180 school days. However, we also need to look at data to determine if our observations are correct or if it reveals another area that we may want to look into further. The importance of this time of reflection can not be overlooked before the new school year begins. Once August comes around, your focus will be back on the workload of starting up a new school year and the fresh perspective of the previous year will be long-gone from your mind.
While you are scheduling your time this summer to relax and rest, find a block of time that you can schedule a time for reflection. It doesn't have to take up an entire day but a block of time devoted to jotting down things that went well this past year, things that were frustrating, things that felt scattered or unhinged, things that brought joy to your classroom etc. and then looking through your class data will reveal areas that I truly think will rejuvenate and excite you to tackle during the 2023-2024 school year. I know I left yesterday with a tired brain but an excited heart to begin thinking about all of the possibilities to begin new work next school year.
After you identify the things you want to work on next school year, reach out to your school supports: instructional coaches, interventionists, school counselors, administrators, teacher mentors, etc. Believe it or not, they want to be a part of the work with you! Your excitement about trying something new or adjusting a particular teaching practice will excite them! The instructional coaches in your school are a wealth of knowledge and are there to help support you and the work you envision for your students in your classroom. You are not alone and there are people in your building that want to help support you!
Savor the slow mornings, warm coffee, less hectic schedules, and more! We all deserve it! Happy summer! -Hope
