If you could sum up a New Year resolution in just one word, what would you choose? One short but very BIG word immediately popped into my mind. It is something teachers struggle with on a daily basis. I want to stick with my teaching goal this year so I’m not even going to call it a resolution. This year, it’s more than that! I will be on a MISSION!
What I want to improve can be summed up in this one word!
FOCUS has several meanings. I think all of them are just SO perfect for teachers!
- focus: to concentrate
- focus: a thing or place that is of greatest importance to an activity or interest
- focus: a guiding or motivating purpose or principle
- focus: to view clearly
Spending a day managing a busy classroom of 28 seven year old learners can cause anyone to feel like they have attention problems. It’s hard to ever have a complete and organized thought without an interruption of some kind. It’s a day full of constant distractions. But I also believe that life and teaching has gotten so COMPLICATED lately that it is challenging to stay on track when there is so much going on at once and so many demands. Do you feel like this too?
I can only imagine how much more effective and productive teachers could be at work if we could only FOCUS better. To me this means… better concentration, prioritizing tasks, sticking to a plan, and accomplishing as much as possible so we can then focus on the things and relationships that matter most in life inside and out of the classroom.
Right now, I’m honestly not sure what my MISSION will look like but here is a tentative plan. It might work for you, too:
- limit distractions you can control like email alerts
- ignore behaviors that you can and focus on your teaching
- make lists and remember where you put them!
- no chit-chat during prep (mornings only)
- finish something before moving on
- simplify life in and out of the classroom
- stick to your lesson plans and schedule
- begin with the end in mind
- be at your personal best every day
- don’t over plan
- prep ahead
- caffeinate!
Hopefully improved FOCUS will come in baby steps and we can begin to notice a change in that work/life balance! 🙂
I hear you about now chit-chat during prep. It's so hard to stay focused when I have so many great co-workers who want to check in. Any great tips on how to give them the shoo-shoo without hurting feelings? I'd love to hear them because I could stand to focus a bit more during prep! 🙂
That's a great word! I think we could all use a little more of that now that technology is here to stay!!
Slainte,
☘ Molly
Lucky to Be in First