More than ever, we are aware of the interconnectedness of ourselves and the ecosystem of our classrooms. Research consistently shows that teacher well-being is directly linked to student success, classroom climate, and long-term sustainability in the profession. The U.S. Department of Education’s 2024 white paper, Approaches to Teacher Well-Being, affirms that educator wellness is not just a personal matter but a foundational element of effective teaching.
In short, when teachers experience well-being marked by job satisfaction, emotional resilience, and professional fulfillment, they are better able to create positive classroom climates, integrate social-emotional learning, and sustain the energy required for student-centered approaches such as Project Based Learning.
So what might it look like for you to pause, reflect, and connect in ways that build your well-being throughout the year?
Pause
In PBL, you’re guiding complex, student-driven learning experiences. Pausing helps you stay present, grounded, and ready to navigate the unexpected twists that make PBL so powerful. As you enter this next school year, consider how you might build in a moment to pause. What brings you joy and refuels you? How can this pause be a more intentional part of the beginning of the year, when things seem so especially hectic and constant?
- Is there a calming song that can help you reset? Or perhaps it is a grounding or breathing exercise that can boost your mood, whether you’re at your desk, the workroom, or the staff lounge? Just two2 minutes to pause during the chaos of the day can bring you the energy and centeredness that carries you through. In this quick video, Daniel Pink offers a few tips on how to take micro-breaks that make a significant impact on the day and your well-being.
- If possible, set the mood for the space by turning off or down the lights and using a favorite scent like lemon, eucalyptus, or lavender to clear your mind and encourage the intentional pause your nervous system needs.
A pause doesn’t need to be anything time intensive or materials heavy. The goal here is to be intentional with whatever brings you a moment of peace, reflection, and restoration. Whether you choose a quiet walk around outside, simple stretches, or a breathing exercise, we hope you are able to build in a pause that centers you and brings you energy.
Reflect
Reflection is central to PBL—for students and for us. Just as we build reflection into projects to deepen student learning, taking time to reflect on our own practice strengthens the authenticity and impact of our projects. What might you learn this year if you set an intentional focus on reflection?
- Start with joy. During graduate school, a professor I had encouraged us to start a “Happy File”—a folder with saved cards from students, sweet notes from colleagues and parents, and special pictures that made us smile. We were to pull out this file whenever we needed a reminder of how beautiful our work was. I still have my “Happy File” that I started back in 2008, and I still pull it out whenever I need it.
- Self-reflection. What do you want to start, stop, or continue from the previous years of work? What is something you learned this summer that you are excited to start this year?
- How can you build on last year’s successes in order to start this year off strong?
- What do you want to stop doing this year? What can you let go of?
- What do you want to continue from last year?
- What is working well? Is there an activity or strategy that you tried last year that you want to refine this year to more deeply engage or connect with learners?
- Student reflection. Ever found yourself wondering how to help students grow in their metacognitive skills? Consider how reflection might play a more intentional role in projects you implement this year. How can reflection practices help students set and monitor their own goals for success skills as well as content knowledge? Take a look at our Reflection Strategy Guide to help you find a strategy that is a good fit for your students.
Connect
Meaningful connections fuel authentic projects. Families, community partners, and colleagues can bring real-world expertise, resources, and perspectives that make projects more relevant and impactful. Connection drives the work we do. It can help us center students and colleagues, and it can provide inspiration and motivation. One simple way to start building relationships and meaningful connections is by sending out positive notes about each student to caregivers. How might you connect with families or the community as you begin this next year?
- How can you learn what matters to families, what they are interested in, or what expertise they might share?
- How can you let families know what projects students will be engaged in?
- What community partnerships might you create? Could you start with the families in your class and ask how they might support the project? Do they have resources, expertise, or a network that could help build the authenticity of a project? This recent article shares a strategy for engaging families and communities by inviting them to contribute their expertise to student learning.
- What professional connections support your work? Begin with the resources PBLWorks has to offer, like this curated selection of beginning-of-the-year resources!
- If you haven’t yet, subscribe to the PBLWorks blog. Favorite the resources you have loved on my.pblworks.org so you can find them easily during the year.
- Be sure and follow PBLWorks on your favorite social media platform (Instagram, X, Facebook, and LinkedIn) so that you can continue to grow your professional connections throughout this next year!
As you get ready to embark on yet another school year, we hope you can find time to pause, reflect deeply on your practice, and forge meaningful connections that sustain you and the work you do. The small moments of intentional pause, the quiet reflections on your growth and impact, and the authentic connections you build with students, families, and colleagues can be the foundation that carries you through both the challenging and triumphs ahead. Here's to a year filled with purpose, growth, and the deep satisfaction that comes from work that truly matters.
