When you look at the Jefferson Memorial, the numerous ionic columns support the giant marble dome, making it look strong and symmetrical. It is an impressive structure—the pillars are all needed in order to make it stand. Without each one of them, the structure would definitely be unstable and could fall.

An architectural structure such as this is a good metaphor for classroom management. The learning, the curriculum, and instruction are the dome. It is the most important part of the entire structure, but it cannot stand without the columns supporting it. Classroom management are the pillars; it supports the entire structure, and each part of it matters.

With 1:1 devices in the classroom, teachers have run across a new challenge that is also an old one. Too often, students come to class unprepared to use the device—most of the time it is not charged, and other times it may be left at home. These devices are critically important to learning. A teacher with a lesson planned on Google Classroom can't just run an extra copy if a student has a dead battery.

Demonstrating professionalism matters in education. It matters with parents, it matters with students, and it matters with colleagues. In fact, it matters in all contexts of our lives—and now that we are “plugged in” more than ever, it matters in new areas that we may not have previously considered.

Public education teachers are professionals. They see themselves as such, and rightly so. There is a great deal of training and education to become a teacher, and it is a position of respect in most communities. The role requires both customer service skills and technical know-how that surpasses average employees.

As it is a professional role, it matters if teachers are demonstrating professionalism on a daily basis. There are many reasons why it matters, but more than anything, it comes back to our attitude. Because what we are doing is so very important, we need to treat it as such.

A new year is a great time to look at our accomplishments from the year gone by. Traditionally, it is also the time when we seek out opportunities for growth as we look ahead. I thought I would share some areas in which I would like to grow in 2018. By sharing these with you, I hope that maybe you can be inspired to take on some new learning, grow as an individual and a teacher, and get out of your comfort zone to try something challenging.

As we turn the calendar once again, we find ourselves with a new year full of possibilities. But even with all these possibilities, we know that old habits die hard—this is why listing our New Year’s resolutions is a popular practice and can be very profound. The list either helps us to do something new that we have always wanted to try, or start doing something we have known for a while and need to pick up again.

So for 2018, I have developed my top list of things I would like to do, improve at, or focus on for the year. These resolutions are aimed at improving my knowledge of educational technology (and more!) and are in no particular order—and a few are a little tongue in cheek!

One of the roles I was least prepared for when I became a principal was that of “lead investigator” of the school. I quickly found out that hours and hours could be swallowed up by a simple restroom issue or playground problem. I had no idea what to do or how to do it when it came to questioning students—nor did I realize how much time it could take.

Over the years, I have developed some techniques to help make this process work better, both for myself and for the students. Some of these ideas increase efficiency, some increase effectiveness, and some are just general guidelines to help maintain rapport with both students and teachers.

Relationships can be hard. They are dynamic, there can be communication breakdowns and misunderstandings, and philosophies and beliefs don’t always align. There are also times when relationships are strained by outside factors that have little to do with the people involved.

As a teacher, it is critical to maintain positive relationships with others. When they get rocky or go downhill, there should be a quick attempt to turn it around and mend the relationship. Whether it is a student, parent, or colleague, broken relationships not only cause stress, they often waste time and drain energy. If you have a relationship that needs fixing, here are some guidelines to help you:

In the cult classic Office Space, the famous one-liner heard multiple times is, “So what would you say you do here?” It gets a lot of laughs because the high-level executives have no real clue what anyone in the office actually does. The truth of the matter is that in the world of education, teachers don't always know what other professionals actually do at their jobs, either. We know we can encourage students to become doctors, lawyers, welders, or accountants—some of these jobs we feel like we know well because we probably have experience with them. But when it comes to the field of engineering, I would guess that most teachers don’t really have a firm grasp on what the job actually entails.

Career growth in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and math) shows no sign of slowing down, so how do we ensure that today’s students are ready for the jobs of tomorrow? By incorporating STEM learning into the classroom, we can give our students the tools they need to succeed in the future—and spark interest in these fields.