The end of the year is a great moment to take stock of what happened in that year. Very often we don’t realise just how much we’ve accomplished as teachers. In this article we have 10 questions to help you reflect on your teaching experience this year. These questions will help you recall your achievements and they will also pinpoint areas that you still might need help with next year. 

So take a piece of paper, make yourself a nice drink and answer these questions in as much detail as you can. Writing the answers down will help you focus and really think about them.

Start with completing this sentence: "This year I’m grateful for…"

1. What achievements did you have? What can you congratulate yourself on?
2. Which groups or students were the toughest to teach? Why? What can I do to change it?
3. What groups did I enjoy teaching most? Why? What can I take away from this experience and how can I incorporate it into teaching all the other groups?
4. Were there any problems that I had consistently? Organisation, some language areas, maybe class management? What areas of my job do I need help with? Where can I find it?
5. What areas of English did I find most difficult to teach? Why? What can I do to make them easier to teach next year?
6. What training did I do this year? How did it help me be a better teacher?
7. How did the events of this year influence me as a teacher? 
8. Is there anything I regret? If I could travel in time, what would I tell myself in January last year?
9. What couldn't I find time for this year? Is it still important to me? How can I make time for it next year?
10. Looking into the future, what would I like to congratulate myself on next December?

Finish with completing this sentence: Next year I will be a teacher who...

We hope you have a wonderful year! And don’t forget to schedule time for breaks and relaxation!