The Teacher Practice That Makes January Better Than September
Most teachers let the year just end and repeat the same patterns. Here's the 30-minute practice that makes next year different. Free worksheet included.
Before anything else: thank you. Thank you for being a dedicated educator who shows up for students every day. And thank you for being part of this community—for reading these emails, for caring about growing as a teacher, for refusing to just survive.
It's the last week of December. You're probably exhausted, relieved, or both.
Most teachers will let this year just end. They'll jump straight into January without looking back. But there's a better way.
Marcus Aurelius—the Roman emperor and Stoic philosopher—kept a daily journal of reflection. Not to relive the past. To learn from it.
Research backs this up: Teachers who complete yearly reviews report a clearer sense of purpose, better boundaries in the new year, less Sunday night dread, and a stronger connection to why they teach.
This is the "T" in the STRONG Framework: Thoughts & Takeaways. Continuous learning doesn't mean adding more to your plate. It means extracting wisdom from what you've already experienced.
I've created two things to help.
The Science-Backed Case for Yearly Reviews
I wrote this for teachers who (like me) need to understand WHY something works before doing it. It covers the neuroscience of reflection, how yearly reviews reduce burnout, the Stoic practice of "evening review" applied to the whole year, and why this matters more than any New Year's resolution.
Read it here: https://www.jeremyajorgensen.com/why-reflection-works-the-science-backed-case-for-teachers-completing-a-yearly-review/
The Why Edify Yearly Review
This is the actual tool I use every December. It includes monthly big events/moments (the story of your year), teaching wins and goal-setting, health wins and goal-setting, personal development wins and goal-setting, lessons learned, and things that made your year. Not overwhelming. Just the essential reflection prompts.
Available in PDF and Word format (so you can use pen and paper or keyboard).
Here's how to use it:
Set aside 30-60 minutes this week. Somewhere quiet. Coffee or tea optional.
Work through the worksheet. Don't overthink it. First thoughts are usually truest. Notice patterns. What energized you? What drained you? What aligned with your purpose? What didn't?
Then—and this is crucial—use this data to make ONE change in January. Not ten changes. One. That's Kaizen. That's sustainable.
Why this matters:
You're about to start a new calendar year. You could go in blind, hoping it's better. Or you could go in with actual data about what worked and what didn't.
The yearly review gives you clarity about the big moments that told your year's story, your teaching wins (what actually worked), your health wins (what you sustained), the lessons you learned, and what to carry forward into next year.
It's the difference between repeating the same exhausting patterns and making one intentional change that sticks.
You have one week left in 2024. Use it to close this chapter intentionally. Then open the next one with clarity.
If you complete the review, I'd genuinely love to hear what you learned. Just hit reply and tell me your biggest insight from 2024.
Here's to a year of growth,
Jeremy
P.S. — This yearly review practice is part of the STRONG Framework I teach inside The STRONG Teachers Lounge. If you want weekly practices like this (not just annual), the Lounge doors are open.
