It’s hard to believe that today is the last day of February. We were all happy to put 2020 behind us, and we are already entering the third month of the year.
Over time I’ve found that I can be hard on myself with not having done enough or worked hard enough. One way that I deal with this is periodically reflecting on what I’ve accomplished and how I’m feeling. I consider some different areas for reflection: teaching, professional development, other professional projects, my social life, and physical and mental health, things I wish I had done better or would like to do in the future. I’m going to share my thoughts in each of these areas, and perhaps doing so will help you reflect on your own situation.
Teaching
In January I had a full schedule of classes, and while I enjoy teaching all my students I feel like it put my close to burnout. February was much more relaxed with fewer hours, and the break from classes did me well.
I don’t think it was only me feeling burnt out. My students seemed less focused in January, and I think they were eager for a break in February even if they weren’t going on vacation. I did my best to incorporate English using games and helping them move towards their goals, but in a more relaxed way.
Teaching young children online has proven to be a huge challenge for me, and so I made the decision to stop teaching them. This was a huge weight off my shoulders, and it gives me some time to focus on making sure my other classes get the attention and planning that they deserve. It also gives me the option to devote some more time to other projects such as the podcast, blogging, and workshops.
Thinking about it, January was a reminder to keep my wellbeing in mind and be cognizant of the quality of my classes.
Professional development
I believe that professional development is an important part of my career, no matter how much experience I have. In January and February I attended four lesson jams which connected me with other teachers from all over the world. We shared our lesson ideas and gave each other feedback. I’ve become a regular since I started attending in November, and it’s always nice talking with other teachers. I also attended two webinars: one sharing 10 ideas to use in face to face, online, and hybrid classes and another one about teaching students with dyslexia. I got valuable ideas from both of them that I’m looking forward to trying out.
There is also a coaching course that I started taking through the California World Language Project. It started at the beginning of February, and with the time difference it’s every Wednesday night from 10 PM until 12:30 AM. It has been interesting learning about how coaching works, and I can see the direct application of it to teaching students one on one. I’ve also developed a strong bond with the others in the course as well as my coaching triad. It has been a challenge to manage my energy on Wednesdays and be sure that I can stay present and awake some days, but the course is well-planned with interaction and engagement.
Part of me felt that I haven’t done enough since I’ve received emails about articles related to ELT that I haven’t read and there are webinars that I signed up for but didn’t attend. I think part of me needed a break from being in front of the screen. The good thing is I can always watch a replay of the webinars and read the articles later.
Other professional projects
One thing that I love about teaching freelance is that I have the time to pursue other projects. I’m still enjoying the podcast, and the interviews as well as working with José Luis to help the ELT community has been very fulfilling. We completed two audio and two video episodes in January and February, and we are planning ahead for March.
I’ve also been blogging on a regular basis. My goal is to blog once a week for the entire year, and so far this year I’ve written 8 posts (not including this one). I’ve found that the ELT lesson jams that I attend every other week really force me to be mindful about my lesson planning, and sharing them also gives me great feedback from other teachers. Those lessons often become the topic for my blog posts, so it works out nicely. I employed the help of a coach to help me work through writer’s block for the last few months of 2020, and I’ve been able to maintain that momentum since then.
Another project that I’ve been working on is workshops for teachers. I haven’t always been consistent with it over the past few years, but I really feel like this is my year to put myself out there and recognize my skills and how I can help other teachers improve their teaching and go freelance. I’ve launched the workshop series about going freelance starting in March, and I have plans to revamp previous workshops as well as offer some new ones.
All in all, I’m satisfied with what I’ve accomplished in this area.
My social life
Like many people, my social life has happened almost completely online.
I have some friends that I connect with to catch up with on Tuesday evenings, and I play Catan with another group of friends on Thursday and Saturday evenings. In addition to that, I try to catch up with friends by chatting on Zoom from time to time.
I’ve met with teachers online that have previously attended my workshops, and I also celebrated my birthday online using Kumospace. It worked out nicely for people to be able to walk around and talk to people in different groups, and it felt almost like an in-person party.
Another event that was virtual was an online quiz show. It was hosted by Fluency MC, a teacher that has created all types of raps to help students learn English. He organized attendees into teams, and we answered questions and competed against four other teams. It was actually a lot of fun, and hopefully there will be more in the future.
I have met up with some people in person, but I’m still quite anxious about catching covid. I’ve had pizza with a friend sitting outside, and José Luis has come over a few times to help figure out technical difficulties with recording the podcast. (We’re still recording remotely).
I’d like to meet up with people in person in go for a walk or meet in a park, but I know that everyone’s comfort level is different. At the same time I also worry that people are letting their guard down now that it’s summer.
All things considered, I feel like I’ve managed my social life pretty well these past few months.
Physical and mental health
Of all the areas I’m reflecting on, I think this one is the one that is most challenging for me.
One of my goals for the year is to try out at least four different ways of exercising at home. I’ve found success with Just Dance. I created a playlist that I work through, and by the end of the 45 minutes I find myself in a good mood. In addition, during that time I think through how to handle things that have been on my mind. Overall I’ve lost 7 pounds so far this year, and it’s a good feeling.
As for my mental health, it has been good for the most part. Staying connected with people online has been beneficial, but not going outside has had an adverse affect on my mental health. Journaling, meditating, and focusing on gratitude have all been helpful, but as I take on new challenges it has been hard to refrain from getting frustrated, losing patience with myself, and being pessimistic about the future. Given the pandemic I’m anxious to go outside, and I feel like doing so has an adverse affect on my mental health. I’m trying to tell myself to be patient and that the pandemic isn’t forever.
Using Just Dance on a regular basis as well as staying connected to people online socially are the two highlights in this area, but I feel like I could be doing more.
What I wish I had done better and plans for the future
Overall, I’m pretty satisfied with this year so far. Despite that, there is still room for improvement. I have been neglecting taking my bike out for a ride, which is a form of exercise that I really enjoyed when I was living in the United States. I feel like it’s another way to help my physical and mental health that I could do in the future.
Another big area is reading in my free time. This year I’m doing Gretchen Rubin’s challenge of reading 21 minutes a day in 2021, and overall I’m reading more than I was last year. Despite that, I’m lacking in the consistency. In any case, having the calendar to check each day off and realizing that tomorrow is a new start are helping me reframe this from a failure to an area to make a change.
Conclusion
After writing this, I’m feeling good about what I’ve accomplished so far this year. Actually writing this down and sharing it with the world has been a powerful way of recognizing the good and seeing a way forward.
If you’re reading this, have you done anything like this before? Has it been helpful for you?
