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New Year, Fresh Start

© Deborah Jeter

How many times have we each felt as though a New Year really granted us a fresh start? I know that each time I have the idea that I will begin something new and fresh with my students that simply having the idea doesn't necessarily mean that the idea will materialize.

My thoughts may seem simplistic in this article and my purpose for that is that sometimes, I think it's important to regroup, simplify and re-evaluate what makes fresh starts valuable, and if they are necessary.

Many times, the initial idea of starting fresh with innovative ideas can really bog me down unless I lay a firm plan out for implementation. There is the catch. What do I want to accomplish, what do my students need from me and how much am I willing to see this idea to the finish?

Outlining the basics, or even discovering the basic need of trying something new must come first.

I'd like to propose a few simple ways to enable those of us with some fresh ideas to really make a difference. Sometimes the greatest difference to be made would not to change things at all, but to stay steady and on course with what we are already doing. A new year doesn't necessarily have to create in us the added pressure of feeling that we HAVE to do something new.

First: How are my students progressing with the path we are on now? Do we have a clearly defined path?

Second: Have I taken the time to know who my students are? Do they feel the need to try something new? If so, what is that? Have I asked them?

Third: Should we do something new just for the sake of doing something new?

These questions may help to clarify whether you and I are going to benefit by staying with the paths we've set for ourselves and our students or whether we might be in a slump and really need to check out our options.

Should the latter be the deciding point, then how should we proceed? Diverse learing is an open-ended world of what ifs and a never-ending story. It's a journey, with many paths. It's an adventure.

It might be interesting to discover that if we show enthusiasm about whatever it is we chose to teach that much of the time we will see that enthusiasm is catching. It works sort of like a smile, given at the right time in the right way.

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