Simplicity and Struggles: Reflecting on this School Year so Far

Like many young teachers, I started out as a first year teacher full of zeal. I had tons of fun and niche ideas that had been festering in notebooks since I was a student, waiting to be shared with future students and classes. Since then, each school year started by laying out my unique systems and ideas with zest and enthusiasm that was contagious to my classes. However, as a fourth year teacher, I’ve realized that a lot of my ideas haven’t been as sustainable as I planned. As I grow as a teacher and become a little older (and more valuing of my time outside the classroom), I’ve come to the point where I’ve needed to simplify some rituals and routines of my classroom. And well, being in a global pandemic, teaching on a hybrid schedule is a good time to reconsider my teaching practice and make some changes. This week, the second quarter commenced at my school. So looking back at the last two months, here are some changes that I’ve made this year:

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