S3: E75 Setting (or Resetting) the Tone in Your Classroom for the New Year

Season Three
Episode 75
Setting (or Resetting) the Tone in Your Classroom for the New Year

If you’re listening to this in real time, you likely either just returned to teaching last week or at the start of this week.  It’s always bittersweet returning to work. I enjoy breaks where I can have extra time with family and friends, sleeping in and getting way off schedule for a short time, having a little slower pace to the day, and making it a priority to do a few things I can’t usually do during regular school weeks.  I also enjoy structure to my day, making music with students, investing in their lives, seeing growth in what students are able to do musically, and overall all the things that come with being a music teacher. I’m a nerd who loves planning and creating and thinking through possibilities. Then trying them.  

By the end of December I was exhausted.  Students, teachers, admin - all of us were eager to have time to simply be.  And after having this gift of time, how we begin back matters. The tone of our classroom begins with us.  We are difference makers and our attitudes, our energy, and the effort we give towards planning what our students will learn all begins with us.  Whether you’re eager to return to teaching, already missing break, or a combination of mixed emotions surrounding both of these, how you approach the return to school can impact everything.  As we return back to our school routine I want to encourage you with three things you can do to set (or reset) the tone of our classrooms.

1 - Mindset

How you reenter the school schedule can impact how you continue to feel the remainder of the school year.  Remember what you love about teaching. Think back over what you love about being with students. Focus on the positive.  And think about what is coming up that you’re excited about.

2 - Your health is as important as what you’re teaching - prioritize it

My youngest daughter began the break with the flu and three days ago she came down very quickly with a high fever, lethargy, and general malaise.  By the time this is live we’ll know if she’s fighting flu for a second round (she was - Flu strain B the first time and Flu strain A the second time). She finished her meds and did everything we needed to do - house was lysoled and deep cleaned, lots of rest, water, liquids, and washing hands.  But here we are again. She has needed me in simple ways - just sitting next to her, getting her liquids, making sure she’s as comfortable as possible, and cleaning to give her the best chance to recover.  

When you prioritize your health, you have more energy and focus.  

An area of priority for my health is sleep.  I notice that when I’m overly tired things slack.  I’m not as ‘on top’ of my work or able to react to situations as quickly.  I let things slide that I shouldn’t. I don’t have the energy to plan and my plans become too basic with not as much depth.  The area I notice this most is in how I plan transitions. If transitions are not well thought out I notice that the lesson not only feels choppy, but I don’t have a plan for how to get from one thing to the next and I end up talking.  Way too much talking. The less I talk, the better. The more engaged students are. Not even talking about major things here - it’s the small details that make an amazing lesson. Preparation ahead of time can make a huge difference. Pay attention to how you’re feeling and what the difference maker for you might be.

For you your area of priority for health might be drinking water instead of soda.  Eating protein snacks or nuts instead of chips or high sugar snacks. Packing a healthy lunch.  Moving your body sometime during the day. Taking time to meditate or workout.  

3 - Start small

After a break we’ve had time to evaluate how the year has gone so far and notice things that we want to do differently.  After all the start of the new year is a great time to reset. Rather than making many changes - choose one thing. Choose one thing - only one thing that you want to focus on the next two weeks.  Don’t make major changes or revamp everything you’ve been doing. You’re more likely to follow through if you make small changes rather than reorganize the way everything has been done.

A few ideas:

• Seating charts
• Transitions
• Add more of one element: singing, recorder, instruments, movement
• Plan a new unit of focus: orchestra, Peter and the Wolf
• Read a new book to students

Keep in mind what had been going well before break and what you want to continue.  Focus on what is working well and build on that.  

As you return back to the school schedule, set or reset the tone in your classroom through positive mindset, taking care of your health, and starting small with any changes you’re wanting to make.