And just like that 2022 is here! Some teachers have already been back in the classroom, while others are getting ready for it. Some teachers have been teaching online and others have been doing in-person classes. No matter how you are teaching right now, my best wishes are for you to finish the school year healthy and strong!
Here is a craft that will help you start 2022 in your classes. It’s a simple and relaxing activity for the first days back in the new year. Click HEREto download it!
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If you feel like every break is like a mini back-to-school period, here are some tips that you might find helpful. What other tips would you add to this list? More than happy to read all your tips and learn from you!
Check On Your Students
Although the break was meant to rest, we never know what our students could have experienced or gone through during the break. Greet them at the door or at the beginning of class with a simple “how are you today?” or drawing how you yourself are feeling using an emoji might help.
Keep It Simple
Give some time for your students to adjust. We know the first days after the break are tiring not only for us but also for our students. There is no need to rush into the class content right away. Use the first class as a warm up class, playing some of your favorite games. Doing your favorite brain breaks and mental pauses might be ideal!
Año Nuevo, Vida Nueva
This doesn’t necessarily translate into our classroom community. We are getting ready for the continuation of the school year.
Although the break gives you an opportunity to introduce new routines, it’s also a time to reinforce what has been working great in your classes already.
Continue Working On Building Relationships With Your Students
Especially for World Language teachers who don’t get to see their students often, looking for opportunities to connect and get to know your students is an ongoing process.
Review Your Classroom Norms, Rules, Routines, And Procedures
It doesn’t matter what you call them or what system you have in place in your classes,just be sure to reinforce and keep working on a safe classroom environment for every student in your class.It’s important to talk about them, model them, and practice them a lot! This is also an opportunity to rethink and get rid of what hasn’t been working in your classes.
PAUSE
You might have already been doing this in your classes. If you haven’t done it yet, this is a great time to start adding times in your class for you and your students to pause. This might look different in every class, but taking the time to breathe, making time for quiet moments or listening to relaxing music, and allowing space for everyone to rest.
It’s official! 2021 is about to end. Do you make a list of resolutions for the New Year?
I confess that for many years I dedicated myself to making lists with resolutions but since I never achieved them, I stopped doing it. I have decided that if there is something I want to change, any time is a good time to do so. Obviously there is nothing wrong with having a list of resolutions or goals, because for some people with more discipline than I have (!), they sure can work. Having a visual with the resolutions list may help.
With regards to the school year, in my opinion and experience, this year has not been easier than the previous one. In my case, I am teaching in person, and it is nice to be able to share the same physical space with my students, but it is difficult when some must be at home due to quarantine. Also, the mask can cause a little more fatigue and I also have to be on my toes, thinking about teaching the curriculum and staying safe with masks and distance, too.
My philosophy of life is to take one day at a time and sometimes go with the situation a bit. Take moments in the day to pause, unplug, and breathe. Something that has worked very well in some of my classes is having minutes of silence. To be honest I started using them because I needed a transition space between classes. I didn’t think my students were going to like it and was surprised when they started asking for it. It’s not complicated at all. I just use Google’s “timers” and schedule it for one or two minutes. The students decide what to do during those two minutes of total silence. Some close their eyes or practice breathing exercises, while others color or simply look and observe their surroundings. It feels totally peaceful and is a way to give ourselves a break as a group. I highly recommend it!
I also want to take this opportunity to thank you for your support, for reading my messages and my blog, for purchasing my resources, and for interacting with me and with the content that I share on different social networks. For that and much more, thanks a million!
Well, I don’t want this post to be any longer than it already is. I can only wish you the best for 2022. Have a year full of peace, health, and tranquility!
We have already started the countdown to the holidays and the end of the year. The days before a break are often difficult. We feel tired, that we are running out of ideas, energy, or both.
Something that works very well for me these days is planning classes in which I know my students can relax a bit. I focus on sharing a little about some of the traditions that I grew up with in Colombia and do art activities. I have to be honest, the art activities require a bit of preparation on my part because time with my students is limited but generally the result is positive and I feel like it was worth the investment in that preparation time.
In the interest of keeping this post short, I thought you might like this list of resources for the last days of the school year in 2021. This list includes resources on my blog and Teachers Pay Teachers:
