Small Steps Every Day -- By Jennifer Mitchell

As a teacher, getting started for me this time of year gives me both excitement and anxiety.  I am excited to get my classroom set up and welcome my students back, but with those things comes a checklist a mile long.  I teach at a “looping school” so this year my apprehension is a little less because I will be welcoming back my students from last year.  Knowing the students and parents makes the start of a new year a little easier, but there is still a lot to accomplish before kids walk through the doors. I tend to be a list maker, and marking things off gives me satisfaction so that is where I usually start the process.  Right now I have had the motivation to get my room ready (thanks to the help of my daughters) but I haven’t started the list quite yet for the other tasks ahead of me. Getting the room ready does set the tone for how I want the year to proceed, so that is always a good place for me to start mentally.  After that, setting the daily schedule, and reaching out to parents (to welcome them) feels like the next right step to get me motivated for the year.  Small steps lead to the bigger picture of feeling like I've been successful in getting the year started on a good note. 

By Jennifer Mitchell 2nd/3rd grade looping teacher in the Kansas City area.