Article by R.K Henson

Congratulations on making it to the end of this school year! 

The last few days of school can be stressful. From standardised tests to award ceremonies, at times it can feel like there’s not enough time in your school’s schedule for everything you need to get done. But if you have not made time for self-reflection yet, you’re missing a great opportunity. The end of the year is the ideal time to do this.

Reflection is one of the most functional tools in a teacher’s wheelhouse, especially in the last few weeks of school. It can encourage educators to recognise their successes over the past year, particularly those wins that sometimes go unnoticed.

If you’re looking for ways to improve as an educator, using reflection now can give you self-improvement ideas to try in the new year. It can be tough to fit another activity into a teacher’s busy schedule, but self-reflection can help with goal-setting, strengthen the school atmosphere, and prevent teacher burnout. 

Professional Development for Teachers: End-of-Year Reflection
If you are a teacher looking for professional development ideas, self-reflection is one of the most beneficial end-of-school-year activities you can do. The end of the year is the best time for teachers to make an improvement plan for the upcoming year. If you set goals before the holidays begins, you will be more familiar with classroom dynamics and have a better sense of how and what is it that you would like to improve.

End-of-year reflection can also help fight teacher burnout, which is a serious issue. Evaluating what you have achieved this year and how you can still improve can help you keep from becoming complacent or even bored with your career. New teachers in particular are most at risk of burnout because they are less experienced than their colleagues. Self-reflection can teach educators how to identify their strengths and weaknesses and prevent them from burning out.

When teachers use self-reflection to learn and grow, it can transform their school’s entire climate for the better. When schools foster self-inquiry in their educators, teachers are more equipped to improve their classrooms and better meet their students’ needs. Teachers sometimes think they don’t have the time for “self-centred” activities at the end of the year. But by making space for personal reflection, you can have the power to make you and your school the best it can be.

Self-reflection is one of the most effective methods of professional development for teachers because it promotes self-efficacy, or the belief that you can change or grow, as a teacher. One of the most popular methods of reflection is writing. If you have a journal or even a spare sheet of paper, you can free write about how you feel the school year went and what your next year academic plans are for self-improvement.

Source: Waterforg