With the turning of the calendar to August, the mornings begin to cool, the ads start, slowly the stores convert shelves dedicated to summer toys and activities to school supplies, and the flyers begin to fill the mailbox and email inbox with the dreaded phrase, “Back to School.”
In comparison to other workplaces, schools are unique in that they have a new beginning and end each year. In other work environments, the year simply continues unchanged. Some staff go on holidays, others don’t. It is rare to have an organization where everyone takes a break at the same time and returns (hopefully) refreshed and renewed.
With the structure of the educational system, this is the time of year where you hear educators make plans for the upcoming year, think about ways to setup their classroom, and vow to create new routines like – “I am going to the gym right after school” or “I am only going to pack salads for lunch.” Resolutions truly abound.
Now if you have already started making your school-year resolutions…I would encourage you to briefly review the following infographic. I don’t exactly know how I came across Michael Linsin’s book, “The Happy Teacher Habits: 11 Habits of the Happiest, Most Effective Teachers on Earth” – but as soon as I read the title, I felt I needed to give it a read. If you are interested, it is a very fast read. There are parts I love, and parts I may need a little more convincing on. However, I do like the simplicity of the 11 Key Habits and feel that they have applicability beyond the teaching profession. To share, I have created the following infographic. Take a look. I would also be curious as to which habit you would like to work on this coming year. I know for me, it is definitely #1 Narrow!
If you are interested in accessing the book, you may find it here: https://amzn.to/31ez3g7
