Reflect, Refocus, and Refresh for a New Year
While most school years begin in August or September, many people use the start of the calendar year—January—as a time to reflect and refocus on growth. Now may be a good time for you to consider how you’re doing on your goals from last year and make plans for what steps you need to take to meet those goals, if you haven’t already, and establish new ones.
As school professionals, we’re experts at setting and managing school-related goals, but we also need to focus on ourselves. This blog examines some potential areas for your growth, professionally and personally, over the coming year. Using these strategies and ideas may help to ensure your well-being throughout the rest of the school year and the rest of 2025.
Professional Growth: Goals for the School Year
The new year (and, therefore, New Year’s resolutions) is conveniently placed just about halfway through the school year, so this may be a good time for you to reflect on which practices and strategies have been working well in your classroom. In addition, you may want to consider methods or styles you use that could be improved. The new year presents an opportunity for you to reassess practices, try new strategies, or dedicate more time to continuing education. Some examples of school-related goals may include the following:
- Expand Your Knowledge Base: Commit to learning about one new professional-development topic this year. You could read a book, attend a workshop, take a course, or spend time talking with other professionals to build your knowledge base.
- Enhance Classroom Management: Improve your classroom management by trying new, positive strategies. You could set a goal regarding how much praise you want to give or how much time you spend building relationships with students. You could also focus on greeting students each day.
- Achieve Work-Life Balance: Establish the much discussed “healthy work-life balance.” Set boundaries around work, such as considering when you are willing to answer work-related emails and grade student work.
Setting positive goals to be pursued while you are at school can help give direction and structure to your work and potentially reduce your risk of burnout. In addition, seeking and engaging in better mental health at work by implementing the above strategies can contribute to better mental health all around.
Personal Growth: Goals Beyond the Classroom
Making sure you’re keeping up with your healthy habits and hobbies can be an important part of establishing and maintaining your overall health. Some goals that may be worth considering this year include the following:
- Learn a New Skill or Hobby: Look, you’ve been thinking about buying roller skates for years. Surely, the excitement and adventure that learning a new skill will bring are worth the investment.
- Strengthen Relationships: Work on increasing how frequently you meet with friends; commit to calling a loved one (hands free) on your commute home once a week; take an exercise or drawing class to meet new people.
- Cultivate Mindfulness: Adding a mindful practice, such as journaling or breathing exercises, to your schedule, even if just for a few minutes a day, can help you stay calm, grounded, and focused.
A Successful Year Ahead
By setting thoughtful goals and taking deliberate steps to achieve them, you can make 2025 a year of growth and balance. Whether you focus on professional development, personal enrichment, or both, these strategies will help you thrive.
For additional resources on self-care and goal-setting, click here.
Reference(s):
Lesh, J. J. (2020). Don’t forget about yourself: Words of wisdom on special education teacher self-care. Teaching Exceptional Children, 52(6), 367–370.