End of Year Reflection ( Week 7)

Today was the last day of school for the 2012-2013 school year.  I can't believe that I've just finished my fifth year teaching at Jack Britt High School.  Today feels different than the last 4 "last days of school".  Not different in a bad way, but more reflective.  As I'm sitting here typing, I can picture certain days and moments out of the past five years of teaching (good and bad).  In the past five years I've taught 9th, 11th, and 12th grade English.  I've assistant coached and now head coach the Speech and Debate team (which is going to Nationals next week!!!).  I've become involved with my school improvement team and am constantly striving to be a better teacher.

Many people, articles, and statistics say that 5th year teachers are most likely to feel burnt out.  Do I feel tired?  Sure, but I'm becoming such an experienced teacher that it doesn't matter to me.  For those teachers out their that love their job, but are feeling tired and "burnt out", what can you do to make it better?  How can you make what you love, easier on you once again?  At the end of the school year I like to reflect on what I've done and what I can do next year. This helps with the warn out feeling.  The article, 25 Ways To Make Students Better Learners, is something that caught my eye.  This year my county implemented Common Core.  This was an arduous task, but overall transitioned well into what we were already doing.  Many of the things mentioned in this article go with Common Core and with making critical thinkers.  For example, "Use evidence and reasoning to support thinking" and "Synthesize diverse ideas" are strategies taught to my students.  Students always need to back up their answers with evidence.  This makes them think more critically.  Some strategies on here that I will emphasize more next year are "Question the credibility, accuracy, and relevancy of information and sources" and "Seek new and better solution."  These strategies will get my students thinking on a higher level.

Being a teacher with five years of experience is a neat feeling.  I finally have a handle on my teaching styles and what works for me.  I'm constantly reflecting and making things better for my students.  Whenever I get that "burnt out" feeling, I just take a step back and think about why I wanted to be a teacher in the first place.


Dunn, Jeff. "25 Ways To Make Students Better Learners." Edudemic. N.p., 6 June 2013. Web. 10      June 2013.