Opinion
Teaching Opinion

How Teachers Can Care for Their Students and Themselves This Year (Downloadable)

8 essential practices to benefit everyone in the classroom
By Justin Parmenter — January 15, 2025 1 min read
Education and Learning icons in the classroom or online. Idea knowledge of innovative technology, science, and mathematics.
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Welcome back, teachers! You and your students have just begun the often-challenging second half of the school year. I know. I’ve been a classroom teacher for 30 years.

Here, in downloadable form, are eight essential practices that can help ensure you are taking good care of your students and yourselves in 2025.

Download the Guide (PDF)

    Events

    This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
    Sponsor
    Artificial Intelligence Webinar
    Managing AI in Schools: Practical Strategies for Districts
    How should districts govern AI in schools? Learn practical strategies for policies, safety, transparency, and responsible adoption.
    Content provided by Lightspeed Systems
    This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
    Sponsor
    Student Absenteeism Webinar
    Removing Transportation and Attendance Barriers for Homeless Youth
    Join us to see how districts around the country are supporting vulnerable students, including those covered under the McKinney–Vento Act.
    Content provided by HopSkipDrive
    This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
    Sponsor
    Reading & Literacy Webinar
    Two Jobs, One Classroom: Strengthening Decoding While Teaching Grade-Level Text
    Discover practical, research-informed practices that drive real reading growth without sacrificing grade-level learning.
    Content provided by EPS Learning

    EdWeek Top School Jobs

    Teacher Jobs
    Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
    View Jobs
    Principal Jobs
    Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
    View Jobs
    Administrator Jobs
    Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
    View Jobs
    Support Staff Jobs
    Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
    View Jobs

    Read Next

    Teaching From Our Research Center Are Schools Assigning Less Homework? A New Survey Offers Answers
    The EdWeek Research Center looked at whether schools are giving more or fewer out-of-school assignments, and why.
    4 min read
    A 15-year-old student works on his homework with a school laptop in Los Angeles, on Sept. 9, 2023. The EdWeek Research Center found that 41% of teachers said homework has decreased, while 33% said it’s remained the same, and 3% said the rate of homework assignments has increased.
    A 15-year-old student does homework on a school laptop in Los Angeles on Sept. 9, 2023. Forty-one percent of teachers say the amount of homework they've assigned over the past two years has declined, 33% say it's remained the same and just 3% said it's increased.
    Jae C. Hong/AP
    Teaching What Lessons Did the Olympics Offer for Educators and Students?
    Educators have used the games to emphasize resilience and self-improvement, among other messages.
    2 min read
    United States players celebrate after beating Canada in overtime in the women's ice hockey gold medal game at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026.
    United States players celebrate after beating Canada in overtime in the women's ice hockey gold medal game at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. The Olympics have been used in schools as important lessons for educators and students.
    Carolyn Kaster/AP<br/>
    Teaching Opinion The World Seems Intent on Stripping Teaching of Its Sacredness. Don't Let It
    Christopher Emdin explains how to make school feel like a sanctuary in troubled times.
    6 min read
    Conceptual illustration of classroom conversations and fragmented education elements coming together to form a cohesive picture of a book of classroom knowledge.
    Sonia Pulido for Education Week
    Teaching Opinion How Can Educators Teach in These Turbulent Times?
    To quell the anxiety of the chaos, make your teaching more human, not more heroic.
    9 min read
    Conceptual illustration of classroom conversations and fragmented education elements coming together to form a cohesive picture of a book of classroom knowledge.
    Sonia Pulido for Education Week