From One Educator to Another: Back-to-School Wisdom and Well-Wishes

“Remember why you chose to be a teacher, and carve out time for yourself.” 

“It’s too easy to lose the forest for the trees. Even without seeing immediate growth from students, you’re always ‘planting seeds’ that will sprout in the future. Often it’s the most trivial gestures that stick with students years from now. An authentically expressed comment can have a greater impact than the most carefully crafted curriculum.”

“Lean on and learn from your teacher friends—mine are forever my people. My best lessons (and conversations, and advice, and hugs) came from them. Also, you don’t need to buy more flair pens. Probably.”

“Take care of yourself and give yourself some grace! There is going to be a lot to take on with your students, families, and coworkers as you start the 2021–2022 school year. Take time to rest and renew, and know that everything you are doing is making a difference. Progress may be slow, but it is STILL progress!”

“Put on your oxygen mask before assisting others. Seriously, teachers can’t be the kind, caring, empathetic figures that our students need unless we make time for ourselves. Take the time to invest in developing your students as people, not just learners. Students who learn confidence, communication, and perseverance, will become more responsible adults. (Plus, reasonable people are easier to teach!)”

“Each school year is an opportunity to reset and start with a clean slate. Leverage instructional tools that support what you learn about your students and their worlds. True engagement means students are involved in driving the lesson, have a voice in the classroom (regardless of where that may be), and reflect on their own learning.”

“My advice is to prioritize sleep! When I recall my experience as a new teacher, I think of the countless hours spent prepping for class. I was always writing new lessons, or scouring the internet for materials that I could edit to fit my students’ needs. The process felt like it never ended. Now, in my content designer role, I keep that experience at the forefront of my mind. I’m motivated by the number of hours teachers spend crafting experiences that are just right for their students. At BrainPOP, we want to be a reliable resource that saves you precious time, so we hold our content to a high standard. We edit our work again and again (and again!) so that you don’t have to.”

“I would encourage educators to think about what worked in the past year and what was challenging. So many of my former colleagues have told me about silver linings—all the possibilities and connections made with their students like never before. Lean into where they are and build on the strength that comes from focusing on students’ social and emotional health.“

“When I began teaching over 30 (yikes!) years ago, there were almost as many approaches to teaching as there were students. ‘Use this strategy, not that one. Don’t assign grades, assign grades.’ Everyone had an opinion–and shared it. They wanted to tell me the ‘how’ of teaching, but I wish someone had told me to just listen to my students. Instead of focusing on the latest and greatest teaching strategy, I wish I’d taken the time to truly listen to their stories and understand who they were. It wasn’t the ‘how’ they needed from me as much as the ‘why.’ Once they understood my ‘why’—that they mattered to me, that I cared about them—we discovered a path forward together.”

“Going back to school is always an adjustment, and this year it is even more so. In times of stress and anxiety, remember the things that bring you joy. It could be a friend, a pet, a memory, or even a really great sandwich you ate once. Whatever that thing is, take a moment or two to breathe deeply and think about it. That feeling is just one small part of your joy. It lives in you and it’s always there when you need it. You can even share that joyful energy with others when they feel low to help boost them up. Joy is contagious.”