A new year is upon us, which means many of you will be making or renewing resolutions for self-improvement in 2018. Resolutions may include taking your health goals more seriously by eating better and exercising more, taking charge of your life by being direct in accomplishing certain goals, improving money management, or making a bigger impact on others around you.

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!

Let’s face it: The top 20 things teachers like to do over winter break might be filled with at least 10 days of a chance to sleep in, but we all know that most teachers are also caregivers, parents to children of all ages, or parents to fur kids—all of which have their own agenda. But teachers are people too, and we need to start a campaign to do something for ourselves to celebrate the time off we have each December.

The top 20 things I plan to do over winter break are:

Today’s classroom has many English Language Learners (ELL), once referred to as English as a Second Language (ESL) or Limited English Proficiency (LEP). There are over 4 million students in public education classified as ELL—and these numbers continue to rise. In the 1990s, there were 14 million immigrants who moved to the US, and there were 14 million more between 2000 and 2010. In fact, ELL students are the fastest-growing student population according to the National Council For Teacher Education (NCTE).

Considering the dynamic nature of the education industry and the practices followed, a teacher’s role today is quite multifaceted in comparison to how it used to be. For example, earlier curriculums and teaching methods were standardized and the teaching tools were common for all. However, with the introduction of technology, the options for teaching methods and tools have greatly increased.

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:

The turkey has been eaten and it's officially time for the holidays! Get your classroom and students in the holiday spirit with these festive learning packs—we have some great lessons and activities to inspire you all month long. 

Social-emotional learning (SEL) is critical in today’s classroom. Students need to be taught how to handle their emotions in order to be contributing members of society. Students don’t always come to school equipped with these skills, which makes our job of teaching them even more important.

Turkey, Students, and Summer Break!

I am already deciding which of my favorite foods and desserts I will be having this Thanksgiving. As far as I’m concerned, Thanksgiving isn’t complete without green bean casserole and a dark chocolate pecan pie!

Over the past few years, more research has been done on the effects of movement and exercise on the brain. In recent images of brain scans that have been taken during 20 minutes of sitting quietly and 20 minutes of walking, there is a much higher level of brain functionality following the walking. We know that blood flow helps brain waves and brain function, and body movement helps blood flow.