3 Mistakes I Made Last Year that I’m Correcting

Welcome educators! Before we get started I want to share with you an amazing free tool I have available to you. It is “The Ultimate Guide to a Successful School Year”. In this guide, I walk you through how you can take those nervous jitters to have an undeniable confidence throughout the school year. All because you started with these basic steps in the guide. To download the guide go to www.myadventuresinesl.com/ultimateguide. 

We are going to start off today’s episode with your reflection question. What were some mistakes that you made last school year? How do you plan on adjusting them this school year? Take a moment to reflect on this question. Think about this question and answer to yourself honestly where you stand. 

 The beginning of last school year was rough for me. I was 7 months pregnant plus I was dealing with students who had not been in school for two years. I believe this led to a slight lapse in judgment. Let me share with you my three mistakes and how I plan on fixing them this school year. 

Mistake #3: I did not plan over the summer.  Last school year was truly the first summer I did absolutely nothing. I didn’t realize what huge mistake this was until the first week of school. I am so grateful I took a break, but I felt very unorganized my first week of school. This summer I plan on fixing it by having a balance. I am going to plan, but not to the extent I have previously. For example, this summer I will be planning for the first quarter. Previously, I would try to plan for the whole school year. This will allow me with a much needed break, but still feel confident that first quarter. 

Mistake #2: I underestimated the power of setting expectations. I KNOW! I also share with you all how important it is to set expectations with your students. Can you believe I did not do this efficiently this year. I contribute this to my lack of planning. I waited and waited and waited. By the time it

hit me that I needed to be doing this with my students, I had behavior problems starting to crop up. This school year, I moved to a new school in the middle of the year. I also made the exact same mistake at the new school. I am promising myself right here and now that I will not be making the same mistake. I am going to be intentional and plan for setting and modeling expectations the first week with the students. The moment they walk in the door, I will be modeling and reinforcing expectations. 

Mistake #1: Taking the time at the beginning of the year to build relationships with parents. The beginning of the school year is so hectic. Once I realized I needed to reach out to parents to say hello, it was close to report cards being sent home. I do not want to make that same mistake again this school year. My plan is to contact 3-5 parents a day the first two weeks of school. I plan on doing this either by text message or email. I want the parents to know that I am here to support them and the students. I also want them to know I am here to celebrate the students’ wins and support them in their areas of growth. 

Last school year may have been hectic for you as well. Think about the reflection question and brainstorm some mistakes you made last year. Don’t stop there though. Come up with a plan on how you plan on taking action this school year. Join our Facebook community My Adventures in ESL for ideas, tips, and support! Thank you so much for joining me today. 

You can download the transcript here.