Friday Afternoons

The view from my window at school.
I get to look out at my church all day :)

About two months ago, I read an article about some work habits and tips from CEOs of major corporations.  And--although I'm a beginning teacher, obviously not a CEO haha--some of the tips struck me as particularly good ideas for people working at any level and any job.

The two that I've adopted wholeheartedly are related to Friday afternoon routines.  I'm not sure about you, but Friday afternoons can sometimes be a little tough for me.  Either I'm really tired from a long, but hopefully productive, week, or I'm full of energy and antsy for the weekend to begin.  Once I got into the following two habits, though, I've found that Friday afternoons are one of my favorite times of the week.


1. Cultivate a Grateful Attitude--Write a Thank You Note

I'm the sort of person who relishes any opportunity to write a hand-written note or letter anyway, so I immediately jumped at this idea.  Friday afternoon, as I'm winding down my work week and getting ready to shut down my computer, I think back over the week.  Usually, there is at least one person who has helped me somehow, even if in a very small way.  Now every Friday, I take five minutes to write a thank you card for someone at the school who has made a difference in my week, and I slip it in his or her pigeon hole on my way out.

Sometimes I thank someone for giving me the opportunity to do something interesting like chaperone a field trip or help organize an outing for the foreign exchange students.  Sometimes I thank someone for brightening my day, letting me observe a lesson, giving me ideas for my own teaching, letting me borrow teaching materials, or motivating me at lunch.  Other times, they're deeper notes to one of my mentors, telling them how grateful I am for their support as I learn how to become a better teacher. Whatever it's for and whomever it's to, that note always brightens my afternoon.  And I've found that these tiny notes have dramatically improved my relationships with my colleagues; it's incredible how much a hand-written note can mean to someone in this digital age.


2. Cultivate a Positive Attitude--Write a Reflection

After I write a thank you note, I take another five minutes to record all the positives I can think of from the past week as well as all the things I wish had gone better or I hope to improve.  For example, today I realized I hadn't made enough of an effort to watch another teacher teach this week. (I try to observe at least two lessons a week; it helps my teaching so much!)  But I also remembered that this week had a lot of positives:

• I gave a lesson without using a Powerpoint for the first time this year.  (Sadly, that was a major accomplishment.  It's so easy to get comfortable with one way of teaching and forget that there are dozens of other methods to try.)
• I improved a grammar lesson the second time I gave it that had gone rather poorly when I tried it the first time. 
• I had the chance to watch some of my students sing in the year's first chorus concert.
• And finally, I was able to turn a baking disaster into a success. I have eleven girls in my homeroom, and I have promised to bake and bring in a treat for each of their birthdays.  (It's fun for them, and it gives me a chance to bake but not eat the whole batch myself...)  But sadly, I forgot the egg when making butterscotch brownies, and they turned out more like hard candy than brownies.  However, I cut them differently and called them butter candy instead, and the girls loved them so much that they asked for the recipe. That request made me smile...

Anyway, these two habits have dynamically transformed my Fridays and always leave me in a good mood for the start of the weekend.  Do you have any Friday afternoon routines?