If you’ve made it to this post, it’s possible you’re not aware that this is the second of a three-part series focusing on teacher reflection. The title here says, “End of the Year” but these reflections can be utilized throughout the year as well.

The first post of this series was about self-care and self-advocacy. This was important to feature first because how we take care of ourselves (or don’t) directly affects everything else we do.

I’m featuring this topic second, because how we use our time and what routines/habits we have in place are another HUGE factor in the vibe and effectiveness of our space. These often “unseen” pieces even impact how our student-teacher relationships develop and the type of community we do or do not create in our classrooms.

Note: that last sentence may be a hint as to what the third topic of the series is.

What do I mean when I say: organization and efficiency?

So with this particular reflection topic, I’m talking mainly within the classroom…”on the clock” as it were. We could most definitely get into how efficiency and organization AT HOME also feeds into your sense of well-being on the professional level, but that will have to wait for another blog post (makes note for future blog topic…).

For now, let’s really HONE IN on the behind the scenes pieces of our classroom. Here you can reflect on the more “hardware”-type components like the layout of your room: how desks are set up, where your teacher desk is, what you showcase on shelves or inside cupboards, what your bulletin boards feature, and what your student access points look like (kleenex box, pencil sharpener, extra pencils, reflection corner/safe space, etc).

You can also analyze and reflect on the more “software”-type components such as your knowledge and user ability of whatever learning management system or other digital products you use (Seesaw, Skyward, Schoology, Google Classroom, your curriculum system, etc), your own organization system (Mac, HP, Google Apps, your desktop or physical filing system), student grading and feedback, parent/guardian/community connections and outreach, and/or your understanding of pedagogy or the curriculum/standards you are using.

What questions do we need to ask ourselves?

Before digging into the question below, you may want to start by asking yourself: How do I feel about the concepts of “organization & efficiency”? Are they something I have consciously tried to focus on in the past? Are they challenging for me? Do I excel at them? Where do my strengths lie? My weaknesses?

1. What did I spend most of my time doing? What do I wish I had more time to do?
2. What worked well in regard to how my space was organized? What didn’t work well?
3. What systems/routines were hard to maintain? What didn’t work and should be replaced? What new system/routine might be beneficial?
4. How did I maximize the use of before school, after school, prep time, teacher workshop time and professional development?
5. Where did I need more support? Who or what might provide that support? What steps can I take to seek out this support?
6. How did I keep myself on-track or accountable to my goals? Who could I partner with to help me reach my goals and stay positive?
7. How can I address large-scale AND small-scale projects within my contract time? Why type of backwards planning am I doing? Goal-setting? Use of calendars or tracking?
8. When did I last organize my materials? digitally? physically? Are my resources easily accessible? Can things be thrown out or deleted? Updated?

Again, it wouldn’t hurt to take two colored highlighters through your writing to create a concrete visual of WHAT WORKED and WHAT DIDN’T. This step makes answering the following questions that much easier!

Now what:

1. How can I rearrange the way I use my time to prioritize what I found through the above reflections? What needs more time? What can I streamline or throw out altogether to take up less time?
2. What supports or resources could I seek to address some of the struggles I found? (Think PEOPLE – WHO might have knowledge they’re able to share with you?)
3. What skills, tools, or content could I LEARN more about to improve some of the challenges I am facing?
4. What boundaries or structures do I need to set up in order to keep myself on track with the goals or realizations I’ve made here?
5. What routines can I create that will help me accomplish my short-term and long-term goals?
6. What supports can I use to identify, organize, and execute these routines? (i.e. planners, calendars, note-pads/post-its, timers, alarms, journaling, etc.).

Let’s do this…

Let’s REALLY think about how we structure our spaces and organize our teacher lives (both physically and digitally). Let’s really hold ourselves accountable and look with eyes wide open.

There are ALWAYS changes that can be made as long as we are brave enough to be honest with ourselves. This isn’t about catching people being bad, or unearthing a secret cupboard that is overflowing with materials that haven’t been touched in years.

This is about clearing out and focusing in. Clearing out what no longer serves us and focusing in on how we want to spend our TIME AND ENERGY – the two most important and hard-to-pin-down resources of all!

You can grab a pen and paper and get started with the questions above or download these free journaling pages to reflect there.

Either way, reflecting is the first step. It’s the best way to identify how to move forward.

So let’s take some time to look back before we jump ahead!

Wishing you all the best!