Finally, Summer Break is in session. This past school year was an extremely busy year because I changed school systems and I had to learn a new system; I am still learning the system. I had some major hurdles to overcome during this transition, such as an evaluation system that is not based on research focused on evaluative practices; however, despite the hurdles, I enjoyed getting to know the other teachers, students, and families. Remaining focused on my true calling, working with my students, teaching them how to think and become productive citizens and citizen-scientists, helped keep me focus and prevented stressful situations from overtaking me. At the conclusion of each school year, though, I reflect on “Glows”, “Grows”, and self-care treatments to rejuvenate myself for the upcoming school year.
Glows
Finding areas of “glows” used to be difficult for me to identify, but as I have grown in my profession, I have learned to celebrate the smallest successes, such as a student arriving to class on time, or a student coming into class and immediately beginning the do-now assignment. This year was my first year at a middle school in a new school district, and learning a new system as well as a new student body, felt a little overwhelming on some days. However, I set goals for my students to achieve by the end of the school year. One goal was to help my students develop their literacy skills while studying science concepts. As a science teacher, I sometimes become engulfed with the idea of ensuring that my students understand a particular concept in science; however, to understand the concepts, students must be able to manipulate the written language. So, I am not only a science teacher but I am also a literacy instructor because I help my students further develop their literacy skills. One of the underlying literacy goals I set this year was to get my students to do more writing, whether it was through note taking in their science journals, or writing down key facts from an article they read; I just wanted my students to do more writing. Writing helps students comprehend information by manually manipulating written language. When students manipulate written language they can see the spelling of words and how words are used in context. Writing also provides an opportunity for the writer to consolidate and transfer ideas to written language, read written language, develop proofreading and editing skills, which are essential skills necessary for developing proficient writing skills. Did all of my students meet the writing goal? No, but the majority did. However, the majority of my students began to understand that writing helps them gain a better understanding of the science content, so I celebrate this “Glow.”
Grows
Identifying areas of growth help me to improve my pedagogy, and the more I improve, the more my students learn. One huge area of growth I have identified from the previous school year is providing timely feedback to my students. During the school year, I did not meet the mark when it came to providing my students with consistent timely feedback. Due time constraints and the number of scheduled classes, that were out of my control, I did not conference with my students like I wanted; however, the few times I set aside time to conference with my students, the conference sessions were a huge success. My students were extremely receptive and gave me the impression that they wanted to improve and be successful in science class; several students asked clarifying questions and examined how they could perform better in science. Feedback is essential to increasing student learning because it gives students the essential tools necessary for their success. Feedback gives students an opportunity to improve in areas of growth.
Self-Care Treatments
All teachers have to set aside time for self-care time because we are always caring for our students and sacrificing ourselves for the sake of helping students. When summer vacation arrives, some teachers opt to teach summer school, while most elect to take the summer off to rest and revive; I chose the latter. However, despite not having classes to teach there are so many other things that require our attention, such as laundry, house chores, and scheduling those dreaded annual doctors’ appointments. Once the necessary tasks are taken care of, then comes time for enjoyment and relaxation. A few of my self-care treatments that I want to share with you are as follows: spending time with family and friends, exercise more (get in shape for the school year), catch up on favorite television shows (my favorites are any show on HGTV), spend time outdoors (l like gardening and golfing), read for pleasure, and lastly, cook more. I know, you may be saying, “cooking is not relaxing”, but it actually can be a relaxing activity, and it will provide you with the opportunity to cook and eat healthy. This summer I wanted to cook more of my food instead of always going out and spending money, but I found myself cooking the same things. So, I subscribed to Hello Fresh, because I wanted to cook a variety of dishes. I am so pleased with the results of my new cooking endeavor, and my entire family loves the different meals, as well. The best thing is I can cook the meals at a later time because the recipe cards come with each selected meal. I am eating healthier and helping my family to eat healthier too.
Final thoughts
Teaching is an extremely demanding career which is why educators need to reflect and self care. So over the last few weeks of summer vacation reflect on the “Glows”, “Grows”, and develop a self-care regiment that will help you return to school refreshed and focused for your new group of scholars. Enjoy the rest of your summer!