Teacher Tip Tuesday: Look Ahead. Set Goals.

“Good goals help you steward what you’ve been given well.” ~ Lara Casey

March is the time of the year when I proactively plan ahead. Maybe it’s because the closure of the school year is within view or because the hint of spring is revitalizing some energy in me. Whatever the case, I’m sharing this as our Teacher Tip Tuesday for today. Sometime this month, set aside a few minutes to look ahead and set goals for how you want to intentionally end this school year. This year may feel long and arduous. But trust me, the last few days and weeks of school will be here before you know it, and a part of you will miss the moment you are living in today, March 5, 2024. 

You have been given much this year. All of the students on your class list. All of the responsibilities of caring, nurturing, educating, counseling, and empowering. The memories - both joyful and painful. The lessons you’ve learned and taught. What you have been given has often felt overwhelming and more than you can carry. And maybe it was. But what if you created time to reflect on what you’ve been given through a lens of stewardship? What would it look like to take all of these things and spend the next few months doing everything you can to bring about growth and inspiration? To honor your calling.

Creating intentional goals is the first step toward this progress. It is not too late to set new intentions and envision how the school year might end. In fact, it’s the perfect time. Every morning when you wake up is the most valuable opportunity to decide how you want to approach the day, week, or month. Yes, you will have collapse-on-the-couch exhausted days. And you will give yourself grace knowing you did the best you could with what you had that day. Then the next morning, you will remember what you’ve been given. And you can decide to hold it as a burden or nurture it as a seed still under the soil, waiting for growth.