It’s a new year - and that means it’s time for resolutions. This year, make some easy-win teaching promises that you can actually keep.
Try some of these ideas on for size.
1. Plan your meals
Meal planning doesn’t suit everyone, and if lunchtimes aren’t a hassle for you, then you must already have a system that works.
However, if you are one of those teachers who spends their lunchtime feeling ravenous only to binge-eat later on, perhaps 2019 is the year to get your lunchbox in order.
Plenty of meal-plan suggestions are available to download online. Or you could just keep it simple by premaking a load of pasta, sandwiches and rice salads to get you through the week.
Moneymagpie founder Jasmine Birtles approximates that the average office worker would save more than £700 a year by taking a packed lunch each day, so it would be good for your bank balance, too.
2. Reuse your resources
In my haste to make a teaching resource, I often neglect to check what I already have. Then, when I come to save the file, a box will pop up asking if I want to overwrite another document with the exact same name. Resource-making fail.
The school term is often too hectic to save documents according to any kind of real system as you go along. This year, resolve to spend some time each week organising documents and checking over existing resources, to save yourself from continually reinventing the wheel.
3. Clear your desk
If you are based in one classroom, it’s likely your desk is growing clutter like an old mug grows mould. When was the last time you gave it a thorough clear-out? September? Arrive half an hour early on the first day back, arm yourself with a box for the rubbish, and clear it out.
Simplify things by introducing an “in” and an “out” tray if you don’t already have one. And for all those scrap bits of paper, use the obvious filing place: the recycling bin.
4. Reclaim those PPAs
In September, you probably made use of every minute of your planning, preparation and assessment time: marked, planned, resourced. Then, as Christmas approached, those precious hours were sucked up by a million miscellaneous tasks.
Make January 2019 the fresh start you need. Preplan what you’re doing in your PPAs a week in advance; and plan for your procrastination. If you’re a chatter, then find somewhere quiet. If you’re a phone checker, stick it on flight mode.
5. Be greener
Going plastic-free in your classroom can seem like a huge task, but it is probably easier to cut down on plastic than you realise.
A good way to start is by being mindful about what you bring into school, from the pens you use to the bags that carry your marking.
Talk to students about what you’re doing, too. Explain why you’re using a metal lunchbox or why your pen is made of paper.
To make this manageable, pick one plastic-free swap to introduce each month. And by 2020, you’ll have made a positive contribution to the planet.
6. Use your commute
The resolutions we make are often about trying to better ourselves. Maybe you want to learn a new language? Or read more books? Whatever it is, try to make the most of your commute to make it happen. Even if you drive to work, audiobooks and podcasts can be a great way to turn that dead commuting period into time for you.
