Changes to my teaching that made 2021 just a little easier

2021 has come and gone and boy was it a crazy year for everyone. Students and teachers were “pivoting” like crazy. We swapped desks for digital learning and back. While digital learning may not have been everyone’s cup of tea, there were some lessons learned and some changes I have made to my teaching since that I don’t see myself ever going back.

1. Digital Planning - I have always been such a lover of pen and paper planning. I still have a paper planner for my personal stuff but digital planning has made the planning process for teaching so much better. Not only can you copy and paste a lesson if you missed it one day but you can add hyperlinks to videos, websites, Google Slides and more. I know that making this change will make coming years even easier because I will now have a full stockpile of lessons that I can CTRL + C to the next year. I have been loving Planboard but I know that there are tons of other digital planners and Google Slides variations that are also amazing.

2. Ditching a teacher bag - Don’t get me wrong I’m a sucker for a stylish, cute, aesthetically pleasing bag but with all of the stuff we lug back and forth to school my shoulder was screaming for me to get something more practical this year. I have been obsessed with my Lululemon backpack this year. It has saved my shoulders and makes organization of things easier.

3. Digital Markbook - Having a digital markbook is a game changer. Not only do you never lose papers come reporting time but there are so many amazing features you can have in your digital markbook to make reporting a breeze. I love using Google Sheets for my Markbook!

4. Leaving after the bell - I have really made it a priority this year to not stay crazy late after school. I prefer getting things done before school or using my preps effectively. I’ve really tried to rely upon pre-made resources this year and not burn myself out by creating everything myself. There are so many great resources that exist! I joined a Facebook group in my province that posts free resources by local teachers and they are all amazing! If I stay at school I tend to overthink and overcomplicate things.

What are some changes you made in 2021 that made your year a little bit easier?