Now that the school year is well underway, with many schools having fall breaks or looking forward to the longer holiday breaks, it is a great time to ​t​hink about the progress made so far this year. The year starts off and before you know it, the first couple of months of school have passed by quickly. Sometimes it can feel like we don’t have time to catch our breath or process what we have experienced. Fall is the perfect time to come up for air, to stop and breathe, pause and reflect on how the year has gone and set some new goals for the next couple of months.

Breaks provide a much needed time to rest and recharge while also creating time to think about how we have grown and more importantly, the growth we have seen in our students. We should think about what the learning experience has been like for our students. Fall is also the time to express gratitude for the people in our lives and the opportunities that we are thankful for. As educators, we have tremendous and unique opportunities every day to work with students and connect with our colleagues. It is important to reflect on and show gratitude for these opportunities.

Although t​he start of any school year can come with its challenges for getting back into a routine, there are so many wonderful things about teaching. The new year is a time for deciding to try different methods and tools that will benefit our students and transform learning. And the most important area that teachers need to focus on at the start ​and throughout the year is on building relationships. To do so, we have to be intentional about evaluating our teaching practice. How have we grown this year? What are some areas that we need to work on? How can we be better tomorrow?

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