What made you choose to become a teacher? 

As experienced teachers, we know that the key to success is not just learning from mistakes but also from the process of iteration. Iteration involves reflecting on our experiences, taking feedback, and continuously improving our teaching methods.

So, if you could go back to your past self on your first day in the classroom as a teacher, what advice would you give yourself that would help you today? What would you say to that younger version of yourself that would help you to keep renewing your passion for teaching? What would you tell yourself to keep your energy at a healthy level all year round? Perhaps it would be to remind yourself to embrace the process of iteration, not to be afraid of mistakes, and always to seek feedback. Or maybe it would be to encourage yourself to keep renewing your passion for teaching by constantly learning and trying new things and to prioritise self-care to keep your energy levels high all year round.

That is how we want to continue our journey with you – to look at ways that help you keep your balance and to grow and develop as teachers. We are on this path with you!

To start us off, we have collected wise words from experienced teachers. They identified ten strategies that any teacher can use going forward.

1. Enjoyment – Find ways to make teaching fun again – reconnect with why you wanted to teach in the first place and bring that to life in the modern world.
2. Learning to iterate – Find ways to make learning fun for the children in your class. The first way is to do our online training! Project-based learning is a one-way ticket to getting learners engaged in the classroom. This could include bringing in some educational games such as leaderboards, quests and healthy competition. This kind of learning helps children to learn the value of iteration – something they will need to flourish in their working lives in the future.
3. Create and use opportunities to work with other teachers – this can also include teachers who are not at your school. This will help you to combine and share ideas (and learn from each other’s mistakes) and bring a fresh and renewed perspective. What’s great is that we make that even easier with our 👉 TeacherConnectcommunity platform! Be sure to sign up and join us today. 
4. Develop your own kind of interdependence at school – a buddy system of at least two but preferably three or four teachers who can be there for each other during the work day. Some work environments might not allow for that but perhaps yours does. 
5. Think about time differently – reflect and adjust. You only get 1440 minutes every day, and you can’t buy or bargain for more. That means that how you spend it will have an impact on the rest of your time. Respect your own time and how you choose to spend it. You have to spend some of it on some tasks that are essential or that can’t be avoided; driving to work, teaching, marking, cooking dinner, shopping, etc. What is left over is yours to spend, and you get to choose if you spend it on things, people, situations or activities that add value to your life.
6. The next step is to look at your schedule differently – Remember that if you say yes to one thing, you often have to say no to another. Look at your schedule like a seesaw and remember to balance it out by adding in the things that bring you more happiness!
7. Remember that there is so much more to explore outside of the classroom – Do an activity or spend time with people who are not connected to your school life. This might be baking, knitting, hiking, painting, fishing, or singing. Whatever it may be, go out and do something you enjoy that will help you find your flow.  
8. Find yourself a de-stress buddy – Everyone needs to have a safe space where they can talk about their work stresses or challenges (and learn from them) and have someone listen to them without judgement. Ideally, it is a two-way street, and either one of you can say, “I need to get this off my chest,” and the other will just listen and let it go. Find that teacher-to-teacher relationship so that you can decompress.
9. Get your endorphins active – Whether you go to the gym, do gardening, play some sport in the local park, or even just go for a walk, it’s so important to keep your body moving. Starting or ending the day with physical activity – and continuing this as a habit – will make all the difference in the world. Iteration is also key here, so keep experimenting until you find what works best for you and your schedule.
10. Surround yourself with positive inputs – Turn off the television, disconnect from social media, and listen to podcasts or audiobooks that nourish your spirit in some way – you can do this while walking, gardening, washing the dishes or driving. Read (or listen to) books and articles that make your world brighter, better and more fun. The process of finding positive inputs that work for you is an iterative one. Try something different until you find the one that resonates with you the most. Also, keep in mind that your interests and needs may change over time, so be open to exploring new sources of positivity and inspiration.  

There you have it! Your ten steps to learning, growing and thriving!  We look forward to sharing it with you! If you want to share your thoughts on the above, hop on over to 👉 TeacherConnectcommunity!