End of year reflection - 2019
Dec 22, 2019
As the year (and decade!) comes to an end, it’s a great time to reflect on how the year has gone before setting goals for the new year.
Reflection is such a worthwhile thing to do, as sometimes I feel like I haven’t really achieved all that much, but when I really stop and think about it I can be amazed at what I have managed to do in the space of a year.
Whilst its very useful to reflect on each of your teaching programs and make note of any changes that you would like to make for the next year, I’m more talking about your growth as a teacher in general here. '
Some questions that you could ask yourself would be:
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How did you react to challenging situations?
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Did you step outside of your comfort zone?
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Did you challenge yourself?
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Were there any limiting beliefs that held you back from doing something you wanted?
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In what ways did you grow or transform?
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What was something new that you learned?
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What did you create or achieve?
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Did you form/ maintain strong relationships with your colleagues and students?
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What were the 3 best things that happened?
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What were your 3 biggest realisations/ lessons?
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What are you most proud of?
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What are you most grateful for?
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Did you achieve any goals that you set at the beginning of the year? Did your goals change and if so, why?
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Summarise your year with a few key words or a short sentence.
For me, this was a year of growth, transformation and self-belief. I’ve definitely had some setbacks, but I have learnt a lot about myself along the way. I became much clearer on my purpose, which is to help, empower, and support as many teachers as I can, so that we can work together to create a better world for future generations, and to equip and empower students with the skills that they will need to thrive in the future. I feel like I have also become much clearer on my own beliefs and values, and I am living in more alignment with them now (although it is a constant work in progress of course!).
As a result, I created Future Focused Teaching & Learning as a platform for providing support, inspiration, professional development and resources for teachers. The concept has morphed and changed over the year to something much bigger than I first imagined, but it is something that I am very excited and passionate about. I have loved having the opportunity to delve deeper into forward-thinking pedagogies, and to use my creativity to come up with innovative teaching solutions and resources.
There have been some challenges along the way and I have had to step outside of my comfort zone at times. I have learned a lot about entrepreneurship, and the importance of spreading my message. During this process, I have learned a lot about myself as well, and have become better at coping with setbacks, being resilient and overcoming obstacles. A big lesson for me is that sometimes its much better to be patient and chip away little by little using the time and resources that I have at my disposal, rather than trying to rush into something and then get frustrated or give up when I can’t achieve it straight away (which has always been a tendency of mine). As a result, what I have ended up with is much more impactful than what I first imagined.
What I want to work on going forward is being more bold and visible with my message so that I can help and support as many teachers as I can next year. This will be a challenge for me as I am somewhat of an introvert, but it is important to me, so it will be worth it.
That pretty much sums up 2019 for me. It’s your turn now, so take some time to reflect on the year that has been and celebrate your achievements. It’s a great way to get some clarity before setting your goals for the year ahead.
Kelly xx