Tweaking Your Classroom Vision Board
The beginning of the school year is
full of good intentions.
You buy the new planner. You organize
your classroom. You create beautiful bulletin boards. You promise yourself that
this will be the year you stay organized, leave school on time, keep
students engaged, and somehow still have a life outside the classroom.
Then fall arrives. And, it all goes
out the window!
The back-to-school excitement begins
to wear off. The students are comfortable—sometimes a little too comfortable.
(Well, mine are.) By this time, my carefully established classroom routines may
be getting shaky. Papers are piling up. Your teacher tray is getting heavier.
And that promise about not working all weekend? Well…I’ve stuck to that, but at
the cost of ungraded papers and student feedback that is lagging behind. (But,
I’m sticking to my guns on not grading over the weekend.)
That's exactly why fall is a wonderful
time to revisit your teacher vision board…if you did one at the first of
school. If you did not, now is a perfect time to do one.
I confess. I didn’t do mine the first
of school like I usually do. Instead, I just finished one last week…a few weeks
before Fall Break.
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A classroom or teacher vision board
shouldn't be something you create in August and forget about by October. It
should be a visual reminder of the kind of classroom—and life—you are trying to
create.
As a veteran teacher with more than 20
years in education, I've learned that sometimes you don't need a completely new
plan. You simply need to stop, look at where you are, and make a few
adjustments.
And, with our school’s Homecoming scheduled
for this week, I need a reset. My students need to refocus. So, it’s vision
board time! Time to revisit some goal and classroom expectations.
And, if you are doing a classroom
vision board, here are 10 fall goals to add to your teacher vision board. They
can help you improve your classroom management while also creating a healthier,
happier teacher life.
1. Strengthen One Classroom Routine
By fall, you know which classroom
routines are working and which ones aren't. Maybe students still aren't
entering the classroom the way you envisioned. Maybe transitions take too long.
Maybe you're repeating directions five times 🙋🏽.
Instead of trying to fix everything at once, choose one classroom routine to
improve.
Your vision board goal might say:
"Create calmer classroom
transitions."
Then decide what that looks like in
practice. You might establish a consistent bellringer, put directions on the
board before students arrive, use a timer during transitions, or reteach your
expectations.
Don't assume your students should
remember a routine simply because you taught it in August. Sometimes routines
need to be explicitly retaught…and, retaught.
Strong classroom routines can make classroom
management much easier because students know exactly what they're expected
to do.
Fall Vision Board Words:
Calm. Consistency. Routine.
2. Increase Student Engagement
One of the best fall goals for
teachers is to bring a little energy back into your lessons. By October and
November, the novelty of a new school year has disappeared for you and your students
too.
If your classroom feels flat or even chaotic,
ask yourself:
How can I get students doing more of
the thinking, talking, creating, and participating?
Add this goal to your teacher vision
board. It could look like:
"Create one highly engaging
lesson each week."
That doesn't mean every lesson needs
games, decorations, prizes, or hours of preparation. Most of the times, it’s
the simple lessons that do the best.
You might want to try classroom
discussions, gallery walks, partner activities, quick debates, student choice,
learning stations, movement activities, short competitions, or creative
projects. My students recently completed their own vision boards. And, we completed
a short gallery walk and worked on a grammar project.
The goal isn't entertainment. The goal
is getting students actively involved in learning.
3. Leave School Earlier
Put this one on the vision board in
BIG letters: GO HOME.
Teachers can always find one more
thing to do. There will always be another paper to grade…another lesson to
tweak…another bulletin board that could look better.
After more than two decades of
teaching, I've learned something important: the work will still be there
tomorrow…and the next day…and the next day.
Choose two or three days each week
when you leave school at a reasonable time.
Your vision board might include a
picture of your front porch, your favorite chair, your pet, a cup of coffee, or
anything else that reminds you that you have a life waiting for you outside the
classroom.
Leaving school doesn't mean you don't
care about your students. I can remember thinking those teachers that left work
behind the school buses were lazy. I thought they didn’t care about the job.
But, now, I know better. I was the one who was confused and not them.
Leaving work on time means you're
creating boundaries that can help you remain in the profession without allowing
teaching to consume your entire life.
4. Create a Cozy Classroom Atmosphere
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Fall practically begs us to make
things cozy. (Be sure to check out my series, Cozy Fall Classroom…10 Cozy
Things Teachers can do this Fall.)
But a cozy classroom isn't just
about pumpkins, plaid blankets, warm colors, and cute decorations. Cozy can
also mean peaceful. It can mean nature walks…walks around your yard. It can be
grabbing your favorite cozy fall drink. It can mean a movie night with or
without the family in your favorite cozy pajamas.
Think about how your classroom feels.
Is it chaotic?
Is it cluttered?
Does everything feel rushed?
Your fall teacher vision board might
include:
"Create a classroom that feels
calm, welcoming, and organized."
You might declutter one area, create a
comfortable reading corner, display student work, organize supplies, soften
your lighting where appropriate, or add a few simple seasonal touches. You
don't have to spend hundreds of dollars. (Remember, we don’t make a lot of money
for what we do.) Sometimes, removing clutter does more for a classroom than
adding another decoration. Create a space where both you and your students can
breathe.
5. Protect Your Weekends
Here's one of the most important goals
for any teacher.
Stop giving school your entire
weekend. (Can I get an “Amen”?)
Of course, there may occasionally be a
Sunday afternoon when something needs to be finished. But working every
Saturday and Sunday shouldn't automatically become part of your teacher
routine. Stop it! Stop it!!!
Put something on your vision board
that represents your weekend life.
Maybe it's:
- Saturday morning coffee
- Church
- Family dinners
- Football games
- Fall festivals
- Reading
- Crafting
- Watching movies
- Doing absolutely nothing
Your weekends aren't just recovery
periods so you can return to work on Monday. They're part of your life.
6. Read Something That Has Nothing to
Do With School
Teachers spend a lot of time reading. Unfortunately,
much of it involves essays, emails, lesson plans, professional development, student
data, standards, and student work.
This fall, add reading for pleasure
to your vision board. Your goal could simply be:
"Read 15 minutes before
bed."
7. Simplify Your Grading
If your grading pile is controlling
your evenings, fall is a good time to reconsider your system. Not everything needs
to be graded! I had to learn this myself. (Check out my series on …grading
papers.)
Add this goal to your teacher vision
board:
"Give meaningful feedback without
grading everything."
8. Improve One Area of Classroom
Management
By fall, your students have shown you
exactly where the classroom management problems are. That's actually useful
information.
Instead of thinking, My classroom
management isn't working, get specific. What isn't working? Where are my
weak spots?
Choose one classroom management
goal and put it on your vision board.
"Reduce unnecessary interruptions
during instruction."
Then create two or three specific
strategies for addressing that problem.
And remember: changing your classroom
management approach in October doesn't mean you failed in August.
Good teachers adjust.
9. Enjoy Fall Outside of School
This might be one of the most
important goals on your entire vision board…Enjoy the season.
Teachers sometimes experience the
entire fall season from inside their classrooms. One minute you're decorating
for back-to-school, and the next minute someone is asking what you're doing for
Christmas break. Don't let the season disappear. (Again, check out my Cozy Fall
Season Series) Put a few personal fall goals on your vision board.
10. Choose Peace Over Perfection
Finally, make this your biggest fall
teacher goal: Stop trying to be the perfect teacher. The perfect
classroom doesn't exist. Neither does the perfect lesson. Some days your
students will be engaged, and other days you'll wonder whether anyone heard a
single word you said. That's teaching.
Your vision board isn't supposed to
pressure you into creating some impossible Pinterest-perfect teacher life. It's
supposed to remind you what matters.
Your Teacher Vision Board Should
Change With You
A classroom vision board
doesn't have to remain exactly the same throughout the school year. In fact, it
shouldn't. It should change and evolve with your classroom. Take 10–15 minutes
one afternoon and look at your original teacher vision board. Then, decide where
changes need to be made. Make them. Keep what is working. Now, move on. Most
importantly, the goal isn't simply to survive another semester. The goal is to
create a sustainable teaching life—one where you can care about your students,
improve your classroom, and still have enough energy left to enjoy your own
life.
Give yourself permission to make this
fall about progress, peace, and purpose—not perfection.
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