New Year’s Self-Reflection for Teachers: How to Close 2024 with Intention (and Start 2025 Off Right!)
Reflection isn’t just a backward-looking exercise — it’s the foundation for moving forward. And self-reflection for teachers (or former teachers) is one of the best things you can do during the New Year to finish the year strong.
As 2024 wraps up, let’s pause and reflect with intention before diving headfirst into new goals and resolutions for the year ahead.
By understanding where you are and what you’ve learned, you can be ready to start 2025 with alignment, growth, and purpose. In this blog post, you’ll be guided to unpack the year through self-reflection activities for teachers — before jumping into all the things you hope for in the new year.
Reflection is Where the Magic Happens
As teachers, we’re used to flying by the seat of our pants and doing the next thing on the to-do list. The bell is ringing, the next lesson/subject is calling, and there’s hardly any time to reflect on what’s working and what isn’t. But reflection is where the magic happens.
Reflection unlocks growth. Often we learn more from self-reflection than from the actual experience. In the moments we spend looking back, we can understand what we’ve learned and how to move forward intentionally. In reflecting, we honor our journey — the highs and the lows — everything from the milestones to the messy moments.
While it’s probably second nature to spend some time reflecting at the end of the school year, doing a mid-year reflection for teachers and educators can be even more powerful. Not only is a New Year the perfect time to embrace change and make big shifts, it also gives you the opportunity to make changes before another school year ends.
Maybe you’ve always wanted to move beyond the classroom or take on a leadership role within your school. With some reflection on your goals and priorities, you can start working toward that future right away — no need to wait until summer break!
Try These Self-Reflection Exercises for Teachers
Grab a notebook and pen (or you can type, if you prefer), and let’s carve out some space to think about 2024. Take about 10-15 minutes to try out each of these reflection exercises.
1. 2024 Snapshot
This is one of the simplest, but most powerful, self-reflection activities for teachers and others working in education.
Answer these questions to reflect on the year:
What words, images, or phrases come to mind when you think about 2024? Perhaps you think of what brought you joy, what challenges you faced, what you’re proud of, etc. You can consider the good, the challenging, and everything in between. Maybe it’s a feeling, a symbol, etc. Free write and/or sketch your thoughts.
What did you learn from this year? What did you learn about yourself? Maybe in 2024, you simply got through a tough time, or perhaps you accomplished a personal or professional goal. Keep in mind that the hardest moments often hold the greatest lessons. So when you think of the challenges you faced in 2024, honor the lessons you’ve learned through the hard times and celebrate your resilience.
2. 8 Life Categories
Next, rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 5 in the following 8 life categories. Think of this exercise as a self-assessment of where you’re at right now. It can give you clarity on where you’re thriving and where you’d like to grow.
Family
Friends
Finance
Health
Spiritual
Career
Hobbies
Personal Growth
As you complete this activity, jot down any ideas or insights that come up. Maybe you realize you’re doing great with family but want to focus more on health next year. Use this as a tool to identify where you’d like to create more balance or alignment.
3. Prioritize Before Moving Into 2025
The next step in your New Year’s self-reflection is to look at your 8 life categories and choose two or three areas to prioritize. These don’t have to be the areas where you rated yourself the lowest — they might be areas that feel exciting or meaningful to you right now.
For each area you plan to prioritize, start brainstorming how you could improve. Where is there room for growth? This is all about exploring ideas that might be a good fit for you and what progress in that area could look like for you. You might even consider daily or weekly habits that could support you.
For instance, if you’re a 3 in the friends category and want to improve, perhaps you could call a friend once a week or reach out to set up a lunch date.
This self-reflection exercise for teachers can be a springboard for eventual resolutions/goals to start 2025. So let these ideas marinate, and decide if this is an area/goal you actually want to devote your time and attention to. Think: What if this is my goal for January… Does it feel good?
Make sure your potential goals are really what you want to do... And give yourself permission to change your mind. You don’t have to be locked into what you write down. It’s all about finding what feels aligned and sustainable for you.
Getting Support on Your Journey
If you’d like support in making progress on your career goals, the Educator Forever team is here to help you reflect, grow, and create the career and life you want.
Join the Educator Forever Network, where you’ll find step-by-step career guidance, live group calls, and exclusive access to wellness, creativity, and co-working sessions to support your growth. Plus, our private jobs board connects you to exciting, new flexible job leads daily.
You’ll also have an incredible community of like-minded educators cheering you on as you expand your impact and income beyond the classroom. Sign up now!