Since we all come to education through the heart and vision of serving others, we sometimes fail to see the “end” of each year coming. So as the second semester is getting underway, get yourself a bright-colored folder and write “End of Year” on it.

You need several items in there: lists of items you have loaned to other teachers, books you have loaned out to students, cumulative attendance reports, how many more rulers you will need next year—anything you think you will need to remember come May. Also start keeping a list of things you want to do better next year, conferences you would like to attend, and books that will help grow your craft. Having all these items in one place will help make your end-of-year run more smoothly and will also help give you focus for the start of next school year.

Teachers can live moment to moment some weeks and can forget to see the bigger picture during the school year. We are worried about how each and every student is doing, how we are getting our appraisal paperwork in, and how we will find time to call parents each week.

So start with the end in mind. Find time to populate your “End of Year” folder.

(Tip provided by Kelly Tumy, director of English/language arts and social studies at the HCDE Teaching and Learning Center. To contact Tumy about professional learning opportunities, email ktumy@hcde-texas.org or call 713-696-1310.)

http://www.hcde-texas.org/who-we-are/divisions-and-leadership/teaching-and-learning-center/