A new year can bring your students so much new energy and hope…even if you as the teacher are not feeling it!
It also can bring burnout and senioritis.
So how do you get yourself and your students excited and motivated to finish the year strong?
Well I can’t say there is a 100% effective method but here are a few of the techniques I used in the classroom:
GOAL SETTING
I had students write three SMART goals for themselves for the upcoming year. One goal had to be focused on school, one on FFA and one interpersonal.
I then had students place these goals on the inside of their binder or school planner so they could see them. I would have students pull out these goals each month to review their goals and their progress towards achieving them.
You could take this technique a step further and have them write down areas of their life or goals from the previous year that were seemingly “unsuccessful”, crumble them up and use a torch from the shop to burn them. We would then discuss how although these areas are not gone (ash), they do not have to define who they are or how they proceed with the following year.
WORD OF THE YEAR
Another approach to goal setting can be having students select a word to set an intention for themselves for the new year. Words like TRANSFORMATION or MATTER can provide students with a different perspective to the traditional goal setting.
These words can be placed in commonly visited places such as their book bag, locker or even their FFA jacket. Or these words can be displayed on a bulletin board, a pennant or can be turned into a chain link, linking the entire class together.
Any way you do it, it can be inspirational for your students.
ENNEAGRAM QUIZ
I am a big enneagram fan! There are a lot of free digital quizzes on the internet but one of my favorite books that reviews this personality quiz is The Road Back to You by Ian Morgan Cron.
The reason I like this book is after it reviews the personality quiz results, it then reviews where your personality goes in times of stress. For example, I am an Enneagram Type 3 which means I am high achieving, high energy and highly motivated. However, in times of stress I go to an unhealthy and apathetic Type 9 where I become anxious, fearful and isolate myself from others and my responsibilities.
Having students understand their personality and where their personality type goes when it is stressed or unhealthy can help them to approach stress or conflict in the following year to achieve their goals.
VISION BOARDS
For those students who are more visual or creative, a vision board might be a good option.
This can be a physical poster board where they print images from the internet or cut out items from magazines, or it could be digital on Canva or another free software.
Either way, a vision board can help students visually make goals or identify areas of growth for the following year. Just like setting goals, I often had students identify areas of growth in school, FFA and interpersonally when completing this activity.
Although these are four ideas to start a new semester, they are certainly not the only ideas and these activities can be taken in countless directions. So take some time this week to focus you and your students’ attention on 2024 and how they can look towards their future in this course and in their life.
Starting a new quarter or semester-long course?
Check out the Escape the Back to School Blues and Setting Expectations on Day 1 blog posts to learn how I incorporated digital escape rooms into my course expectations and grab a copy of the syllabus I used when starting a new course.