It’s a long road to the end of the school year, but the good news is that you’ve reached the halfway point of the first semester. I think this is a good time to take a brief pitstop to stop and reflect on how the journey of the school year is progressing for you and for your students. I know you’re busy and don’t have all the time in the world to sightsee at the moment, so I’m going to limit the reflection to four topics that just so happen to spell out the nifty acronym ROAD.
Relationships: How’s everyone doing midway through the first semester journey? Are you continuing to discover things about your students each day, or are you so absorbed in your curriculum that you’ve forgotten there are young people in your classroom? Are you and your fellow teachers acting like grown-ups and getting along, or do we need to stop this car and have a little discussion with the passengers? Are you remembering that the human element is the most important factor in every learning experience? Do some of your students walk into your room every day with two strikes, and you’re just waiting for that one last strike that’ll send them out? What can you do to rebuild relationships that have slipped into dysfunctional patterns (because it’s a long time until June, and you don’t want the remainder of the journey to be an ordeal)? What can you do to infuse some joy and laughter into your work life and into the lives of your students?
Overwhelmed: Check your gauges to make sure they aren’t overheating. How overwhelmed are you right now? How about your students? How much of this is your own fault? What can you do to reduce the pressure on yourself and on the kids? Do you recall that students have five, six, or even seven classes besides yours and that many of them have lives outside of school that involve rehearsals, practices, meetings, and events on evenings and weekends? Do you have a life outside school? Have you figured out some ways to give yourself time to breathe and step away from your job? The engine needs some time to rest and cool off during a long journey.
Attitude: Think back to August. Remember that optimistic teacher who was excited about learning, wanted to change lives for the better, and looked at every misstep or pitfall as an opportunity for growth? Where did that teacher go? And remember those students who walked into your class with smiles and feelings of hopefulness, ready to be the best they could be? How are they feeling about themselves, about you, and about your class now? Do they know that it’s too early to give up? What can you do to give them a quick tune up to get them back on the road with smiles on their faces? How much of your students’ attitudes is a result of your own attitude?
Direction: Are you and your students headed in the right direction? Are you on this journey together with the same goal in mind? Is everyone aware of the destination, what it’s going to take to get there, and what you’re likely to experience along the way? If you or your students have veered off course, what can you do to recalibrate your GPS and redirect your efforts? Do you need to increase the level of guidance for some students and give others a little more leeway to chart their own courses?
I apologize if these questions added to your overwhelmedness. Some of you probably want to reach through the computer screen and punch me in the virtual face for being so inquisitive. I think, though, that taking a moment to reflect is important for us as professionals as well as for our students. Whether you use these questions or not, take a moment to check in with yourself to see how things are going. Perhaps you’ll find some adjustments you can make that will ensure the remainder of the semester is a much smoother ride than the first half. Don’t forget about allowing your students to reflect on how things are going for themselves. I wish you all success on the remainder of the journey.
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