As a New Year is on the horizon, it’s time to think about making some New Year’s Resolutions for your classroom. Resolutions for your classroom are goals you make for yourself as an educator. I’d like to keep it simple, and choose just three.

1: Take Time for Self-Care

You will be in the best position to provide care for your students if you first take care of yourself. Make a commitment to decrease your workload through more efficient planning, by taking a moment each day or at least each week to appreciate what is going well, and strive to find a better balance between your work life and your personal life.

2: Increase Efforts to Reach Out to Students

Increasing your efforts to reach out to students should be on the list of goals for any educator, not only for New Year’s, but every day you walk into your classroom. Take time to remember that relationships are at the heart of any teaching program. You’ll be richly rewarded for any effort you make to connect with students.

3: Try Something New

Trying something new, creative, and innovative periodically is very stimulating. It’s important to avoid getting stuck in a rut. If you haven’t tried anything new for a while, now is the perfect time. Create a new lesson for a concept you have taught many times before, or integrate a new technology tool into your curriculum. Read a book about pedagogy for your subject area, do some research, or take a free online course. Whatever you choose, always strive to better yourself and your instruction.

Incorporating these three strategies into your New Year’s instructional practicers will very likely result in a more productive and rewarding year for yourself, and for your students. Give them a try!