Back-to-School Bloom’s Taxonomy for Teachers

Colleagues,

We are quickly approaching the end of those lazy, hazy summer days, and for teachers, this means school is almost back in session! But before you pack up your lawn chairs and put your campus polos back in your closet, consider some steps you can take now to power through the start of another school year.

Remember

Develop a plan to learn students’ names and how to pronounce them as soon as possible. This is a fundamental concept that most teachers do, and its importance should not be overlooked. It is one way to build a connection between you and your students from the onset of the school year. Sometimes students do not correct us because teachers have mispronounced their names since kindergarten. However, when you are the one teacher who gets it right, it develops a sense of trust and respect.

 Understand

After reviewing the curriculum and constructing your lessons for that critical first week of school, perform a quick run-through each day before you leave, using your presentations. This is an invaluable procedure I learned while student teaching. You might think to yourself, “I’ve read it, created the slides, and I know what I’m going to say.” However, as you rehearse the lesson, you’ll discover something you forgot, copies you need to make, edits you thought you finished, or changes you need to make because you misinterpreted something important. This is not something I do all year or with every lesson, but it is an essential step for me during the first week of school or when teaching something new.

 Apply

After sitting in copious professional development sessions and in-service trainings, don’t let all that time go to waste. Vow to at least try to implement two or three things that somewhat caught your attention or sparked your interest. Now, I know that sometimes much of the information we receive runs together or seems like more of the same material. Still, it’s all well-intentioned. When I was a new and mid-career educator, I did this all the time. However, as the years went by, I, like many of you, also became somewhat resistant. As a result, I would select one class to try out the strategies I learned during professional development. If they worked, I would then apply them to my other classes. Some even made it into my arsenal of instructional strategies!

 Analyze

At the beginning of the year, when we review our rosters and begin analyzing student data, let us remember that while formal data is an essential factor in determining students’ needs and helping teachers create strategies for improvement, informal data is equally important. Informal data refers to the information we collect daily in the classroom, including teacher observations during independent practice, small-group interactions, student learning styles, oral communication, and entrance and exit tickets. Often, my informal assessments have provided me with better insight into my specific group of students because there are other external factors that teachers might not be aware of that can affect students’ performance on test days. If this resonates with you, consider maintaining student folders or digital portfolios to document informal assessment data. Rest assured, they will come in handy during data meetings.

 Evaluate

Think about how you are going to address the biggest distractions to maximizing student achievement in your classes. At one point in my career, my most rambunctious classes were the before-lunch class because students were hungry, the after-lunch class because they were always coming back high-spirited, and the last class of the day, which meant they were either exhausted or eager to go home. My response was to adjust the lesson cycle to counteract these distractions. Instead of a group activity in the middle of the lesson, I started these classes with a group activity or an engaging discussion topic to sustain their stamina. In the case of my last period class, this change created enough enthusiasm to help us finish the day strong. Take a moment to reflect on one change you can make to improve student achievement for all your students this year.

Create

Create boundaries that promote self-care. If we do not take steps to recharge and replenish our energy, we cannot be our best selves for our family, friends, and students. What that looks like varies for each person. For me, it means getting out of town for at least one or two weekends a month, indulging in some retail therapy, and getting a mani-pedi. Sometimes, I find myself needing to refill my cup during the workday. This might mean a brisk walk around campus to get some fresh air. Get up early to meditate or go to bed early to read something other than textbooks or student work. Make a list now of everything that restores your drive, and turn to it when you experience those soul-sinking feelings that drain your spirit.

I hope the 2025-2026 school year is your best year yet!

Ms. WITT