(by Amber Dembowski)
The start of the new year offers a powerful opportunity to reignite the energy and enthusiasm of your teaching staff. The time we have with the staff before the students return from the holidays is a true gift to spend time with each other. Winter break provides much-needed rest, and as teachers return, they often bring renewed motivation to tackle the challenges ahead. As a school leader, your actions can amplify this momentum and create an environment that sustains their energy throughout the second half of the year.Â
One of the most powerful parts of planning is understanding where you are and gathering up all of the wisdom of your experiences. Each of your experiences is here to teach us, so it’s important to take time to reflect on them – which is why each of these ideas includes reflection questions for you to ponder and work through. These questions can be ones that you use and reflect upon personally as a school leader, or you can choose to share these with your staff and create meaningful conversations to set the stage for the remainder of the year.
Where are you and where do you want to go? And be clear about what’s working and what’s not working.
Here are five impactful ways to support your team, complete with actionable strategies and reflection questions to guide your planning.
1. Start with Gratitude
Recognizing your teachers’ hard work sets the tone for a supportive and appreciative environment. Personal touches, such as handwritten notes or small tokens of appreciation, can make a significant impact. Acknowledging specific efforts—whether it’s leading a new initiative, supporting colleagues, or creating a positive classroom environment—demonstrates that their contributions matter.
Reflection Questions:
Have I acknowledged my co-worker’s individual contributions this year?
What personal or collective wins can I highlight to show gratitude?
2. Celebrate Wins
Reflect on the past semester by revisiting the highlights. Go through your calendar, scroll through your camera roll or social media posts, and even review emails from the year to jog your memory. If you’re struggling to recall anything, consider making it a goal—both for yourself and your team—to focus more intentionally on celebrating highlights, wins, moments of joy, and positive milestones in your school moving forward. This could become a shared effort for the rest of the year.
Remember, it’s not just about accomplishments. Highlight the moments that bring joy, warmth, and reflect the positive culture you’re working hard to create. This could include student growth, creative projects, acts of teamwork, or anything that shows the progress and spirit of your school community. Sharing these achievements fosters a sense of accomplishment and motivates everyone to keep building on their successes.
Reflection Questions:
What milestones or achievements from the first semester deserve recognition?
How can I creatively celebrate these wins?
3. Set a Collective Vision
The first staff meeting after the break is an ideal time to align your team around shared goals. Focus on creating a collaborative environment where teachers feel connected to and invested in the school’s direction. By setting clear priorities and encouraging input, you can build a sense of ownership and foster teamwork.
Approach any unmet goals from the first semester with compassion. Consider that perhaps they weren’t as necessary as they seemed, or that they might have been signs of an overwhelming workload.
Reflection Questions:
What are the 1 or 2 things that we’re doing really well?
What do we need to let go? Where do we need to pivot?
What are the key goals for our school’s second semester?
How can I ensure everyone’s involved in shaping those goals? Are we invested in this goal?
4. Professional Development Reimagined
Long, intensive workshops can feel overwhelming after the break. Instead, offer short, actionable sessions that teachers can immediately apply. Consider practical topics that address current challenges or spark creativity, and make sure the format is respectful of their time.
Reflection Questions:
What adjustments need to be made to our professional development plan for the remainder of the year?
How can our professional development become more manageable and relevant?
What topics would resonate most with my staff right now, now that we have one semester under our belt?
5. Wellness Check-In
Teacher wellbeing is critical to sustaining their energy. Organize activities or provide resources to promote self-care. Small gestures, like a mindfulness session or even providing snacks in the staff room, can go a long way. Digital tools like the TeacherWell app, which offers meditations, podcasts, and self-help book summaries, can also be invaluable for supporting teachers in sustainable ways. Here’s the FREE (no questions asked) workshop kit of tools when sharing TeacherWell with your staff. Request a quote for TeacherWell today.
Reflection Questions:
What have been the hardest parts of the year?
What have I learned about myself, and about us as a team, through the first semester?
What simple wellness initiatives do we need to implement?
How can I prioritize self-care for myself and all teachers?
By focusing on these 5 areas and reflection questions, you can help your teachers feel valued, focused, and equipped to finish the year strong. As you plan, consider how small, intentional actions can create a ripple effect that transforms your school culture and capitalizes on the momentum of the positive energy that January always brings.
Set Yourself Up To Win The Rest of the Year
How can you use these ideas to help you plan for your first meeting welcoming the teachers back and kicking off second semester?
These reflection questions create the playbook for the rest of the year and feeds the souls of your teachers to finish the year strong. Lean into what will create an amazing end to the year. And don’t do it alone, share this blog post with your staff, and use it as your guide to collaborate and support one another knowing that the best is yet to come this school year. The collective wisdom that comes from this reflection is incredibly empowering and motivating for everyone.
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