If you're anything like most teachers, then you are in constant catch-up mode. A teacher's work is never done - there is always more to do. And never enough time to do it all. That's why taking the time to ask yourself revealing teacher reflection questions is often overlooked.
But putting aside a little time to reflect on past school years so that you can adjust and make changes in the future can be a lifesaver.
That's why I created this Teacher Reflection and and Goal Setting for a Less Stressful School Year Resource. It walks you through a process to help you identify what's taking up time and causing you stress. Then, it helps you create a plan and goals that will minimize your frustrations and help you use your time more wisely.
You don't need this resource to ask yourself to ask yourself these example teacher reflection questions, though! Walk through the questions and steps below to think about changes you might like to make in your classroom.
Teacher Reflection Questions: Mid Year or End of Year
Read through the questions below, and then use them to help you do a "brain dump" - write down everything that comes to mind about this past school year.
Don't be too practical during this time - just let out all of your emotions, both the good and the bad. Sometimes simply writing down your frustrations can be cathartic.
- What are you most proud of from last school year?
- What are you most embarrassed by?
- What made you laugh?
- What made you cry?
- What drained you and weighed you down?
- What did spend too much time on?
- What did you spend too little time on?
- What classroom procedures were a constant annoyance to you?
- What time of day was the most frustrating to you?
- What annoyed you most about your students or your school day?
- How did teaching affect your home life?
- What happened during your favorite day of the school year?
- What happened on your least favorite day of the school year?
- What was constantly in the back of your mind, bugging you?
- What area of your classroom caused the most problems with students?
Example Reflection Questions Geared Towards Goal Setting
Now that you've let out all your frustrations, it's time to think about the things you want to change.
You can't change everything, so focus on the things that really weighed you down, frustrated you, or annoyed you last year.
However, a new plan shouldn't make your life more complicated! As you think about making changes for next year, consider these questions:
- Will this be easy to maintain?
- Will setting up a teacher morning routine or leaving the classroom routine help with this?
- Can I get a parent or student to help me with this?
- Will this make me happier or more stressed out?
- If I spend time on this, what other task will I have to let go of?
- What classroom procedures or systems can I set in place to help out with this?
- Is this really that important?
- Who does this really well that might be able to help or offer advice?
- Will this have a big impact, or should I focus on something else?
- Will this help create a culture of kindness in your classroom?
- Is there an easy change I can make to solve this frustration?
After considering these questions, take the time to write out 2 or 3 things you would like to change. Be specific - what will you change? What steps will you need to take? Write it all out.
Just taking the time to answer some of these teacher reflection questions should help you come up with goals for a less stressful school year. However, walking through this more in depth process with my Teacher Reflection and Goal Setting for a Less Stressful School Year Resource will offer a lot more clarity and help you prioritize what is most important.
Find more ideas to make this back to school season the best ever here.
And reflection is not just for teachers! These 17 end of day reflection questions are a great way to help students reflect.
Never Stress Over Sub Plans Again!
Make copies, find a fiction book, and you'll be ready for any emergency that comes your way!