I am sure that by now you have set, and most likely broken, a number of new year’s resolutions. Some of these resolutions may have been to eat fewer carbs, get into a daily routine, pick up a new habit or drop an old one. My resolutions have been quite varied this year; exercise each day, stretch, read and spend more quality time with my family. I made a conscious decision to keep it very simple!

Whatever the case for you, the beginning of a new (school) year is an exciting opportunity to reflect on what has been and to make changes or implement a new direction for the year. There is a new sense of optimism and a clean slate for what is to come.

As you know though, we have to be intentional about how we approach the year ahead. Before the barrage of emails, those meeting requests and then programming begins I encourage you to take a few moments to ask yourself what you want 2020 to be like.

Here are a few questions to provoke thought as you approach the new school year:

• What do you want to achieve professionally this year?
• How do you want your students to feel when they leave your classroom?
• How will you invest in your professional networks?
• How do you want to feel at the end of 2023?

Here are some great resources that I have used to help me plan for the year ahead:

Leo Babauta - Sacred Bow Challenge: Review Your Year & Set Intentions for 2020
Rohan Dredge - The Power of a Decade
Michael Hyatt - The Beginner’s Guide to Goal Setting

It is crucial that you take the time to think about what you want for 2023. As terrifying as it sounds the year will fly by and before we know it, we will be doing a 2023 review.

Remember, you are making a difference.
Mathew

Cheat sheet

✍️ One podcast I am listening to is Expert Hack: Why the best teachers actually learn from their students (The University of Melbourne)
🎓 One article I read this week. Why is School Connectedness so Important
👏 One hashtag that has my attention: #schoolleadersfollowloop from my good friend @mr.j.learning.space
🧭 One new thing that I am going to implement with my class: Using Google forms for student feedback