​Happy New Year! As much as the end of the Christmas period may feel dull and deflating, you can turn this around and use it as your time to set your self some goals and become the best version of yourself. A fresh year brings a clean slate to reinvent yourself, your routine and your mindset.. use this to your advantage!

You could start off by setting some personal goals. Nothing over the top or out of reach, just some realistic goals that you can work towards to keep your mind going in the right direction. It might be reading a few more books, or professional milestones like learning new teaching strategies: anything that will keep you motivated and give you a sense of purpose. Once you have something to work towards, you wont be able to stop!

Another positive way to start off your year is prioritising self care and wellness. In a teaching environment, you will often put the needs of your students ahead of your own well being. This will be a perfect time to establish a routine that makes sure you have the energy and right mental state to be the best you can be. Looking after yourself is more important than anything. It might just be dedicating 15 minutes of your day to taking a walk or doing a bit of journaling: start your year as you mean to go on.

In the classroom, a positive way to begin the term is celebrating your students successes! Focusing on positive moments and achievements will boost morale and make your classroom feel a bit more motivated. You could create a success wall that highlights any achievements, whether they are big or small. This also links into the idea of strengthening relationships with your students and making it a goal to understand them more as people, not just pupils.

Being optimistic is always going to put you in a much better mindset, so try to avoid those negative thoughts creeping in before they take over. When you start to practise mindful thinking and wellness, that tired feeling that you are experiencing will turn into an excited, hopeful one. You'll find that you can achieve much more than you ever expected, you just need to believe it.

We hope you have a productive and successful year!