What should you focus on RIGHT NOW to best grow as a teacher? A seemingly simple question but one that’s not always easy to answer. With so many questions bouncing around in your head & so many challenges on your plate, it can be hard to figure out what to focus on next. That’s why we’ve developed the Teacher Success Roadmap.   Get all the links at www.teach4theheart.com/roadmap. ______________________________________________ The Teacher Success Roadmap This roadmap is meant as a guide – a clear path towards success that will show you step-by-step what areas you need to focus on as you seek to grow as a teacher. As well as the resources you need in each area. These steps are sequential. So take a look at each one in order. If you believe you’re doing pretty well with the first step, move on to the next – until you get to an area where you know there’s room to grow. And that – right there – is the perfect spot to focus next. Don’t worry too much about the rest of the roadmap. Just take the next step. Once you’ve mastered that, you can come back and continue on the road to success.   Step 1 | Walk with God Experience the power of a vibrant relationship with God as you spend time with Him and talk with Him throughout the day. If you try to teach in your own strength, you may be a great teacher – you may even make a difference in your students’ lives. But you won’t have a fraction of the impact that you could have if God is working through you. That’s why we must value our relationship with Him and make it a priority. We must realize that spending time with Him and talking to Him throughout the day is the most important work we can do – way more important than our never-ending to-do list. If you haven’t yet developed the habit of spending time with God each day, then that’s where you should start. Here’s some great resources that can help you get started: Summer Bible study for teachers: Grace Changes Everything with Bonnie Kathryn Hunter FREE daily devotionals: Our Daily Bread And if you don’t know God personally, I encourage you to start with this article here: How (and why) to Have a Relationship with God   Step 2 | Manage your classroom Create a classroom environment that is conducive to learning. It's tough to teach when your students aren't listening. That's why great classroom management is key to any successful classroom. Think of it as the foundation - it's not really exciting, and it's not the most fun piece of the house to work on, but without it, everything else you build will eventually come crashing down. If you're struggling with classroom management, this isn't something you can just ignore and hope it gets better. You have to make changes. You have to figure this out. The good news? We’re here to help! Free resources to get you started: Top Recommendation: Classroom Management MiniCourse: 3 Days to Regain Control Listen: Season 1 of the Teach 4 the Heart Podcast: Classroom Management Read: Classroom management articles Go straight to the all-in-one solution: Join Classroom Management 101   Step 3 | Plan & execute effective lessons Structure your lessons so your students truly understand and master key skills. Are your students struggling in your class? Are you seeing way too many D’s and F’s and getting way too many confused looks? Our default reaction is to blame the students for not trying, but the hard truth is that sometimes we’re not doing the best job explaining the concepts in a way students can actually understand. We owe it to our students to be continually improving our teaching methods – always looking for better ways to create more of those lightbulb moments. Need help planning & teaching effective lessons? Read: Blog posts on teaching effectively Cult of Pedagogy instructional articles   (My friend Jennifer Gonzalez at Cult of Pedagogy has a wealth of helpful advice on how to teach effectively. Please be aware, however, that her advice is NOT from a Biblical per