Thrive Life Coaching
At the end of the school term, it’s easy to want to simply wrap up loose ends as fast as you can and check out (both physically and mentally) as soon as possible. But there’s a tremendous amount of power in taking a few moments to pause and intentionally reflect on the year. Not only does this help give you closure, it can provide you clarity as you set goals for your time off and for the upcoming school term.
As teachers we probably often ask our students to be reflective learners, asking what went well and what they learned that could be done better the next time. But it’s easy to gloss over this important practice for ourselves or to think that we’ve done it passively by merely thinking about it but not making any tangible notes or evidence to help us process or refer to later.
So what does this look like practically? First, it’s important to reflect on every aspect of the school year – not just what you did in your classroom, but what your personal life looked like as well. Here are some categories and questions to get you started.
Physical:
- What did I do well this year that supported my personal physical health? What do I want to improve on?
- What was good about my physical environments (home and school) that supported my well-being?
- What do I want to improve on?
Mental:
- What did I do well this year that supported my mental health (both at school and in my personal life)?
- What do I want to do better in the future?
- What practical steps can I take to do better in this area?
Emotional:
- What did I do well this year that supported my emotional well-being?
- What drained me emotionally?
- How can I minimize the things that drain me emotionally?
- What can I do to nurture my emotional well-being?
Spiritual:
- What did I do well this year that supported my spiritual journey?
- What challenges did I face, and how did I/can I overcome them?
Teaching:
- What systems did I have in place that worked well for me this year?
- What systems do I need to add/improve on for next year?
- What subject(s)/unit(s)/lesson(s)/activities worked well for the students and for me this year? Which ones need to be reevaluated?
I strongly encourage you to take the time to write down your reflections because the act of writing makes your thoughts more tangible, gives clarity, and allows you to easily reference them as you make goals for yourself.
Maybe this school break will provide you with the down time you need to create new, healthy, physical habits. Or maybe you’ll recognise how much you’re already doing well and can take off your mental load. Whatever the case may be, the idea is to be intentional about looking back as well as planning steps to move forward.
My hope for you through this process is that it brings you closure from the school year as well as the ability to step ahead with clarity, self-compassion, and confidence.
And if you need some extra support along the way, I’m here to walk through it with you. Click here to schedule now!
