by Nancy Motley

March is usually when I start my countdowns… 57 days left of school, 11 more Fridays, 5 more staff meetings, etc. I find myself focused on finishing, likely as a way to lower the stress that I feel during this time of year. In the midst of state testing, end-of-year meetings, and finalizing grades, professional growth gets lost. Unlike at the beginning of the school year, when I am energized to try new strategies and reflective about my practice, I am currently in survival mode.  

Here is the good news: Improvement can still happen during the countdown days! In his book, Atomic Habits, James Clear writes that all it takes is focusing on getting 1% better each day (2018). Generally speaking, we might think 1% is insignificant. A 1% increase in a test score, for example, doesn’t seem like much. If we remain focused on small and consistent improvements over time, however, the results can be staggering. Clear explains: “If you can get 1 percent better each day for one year, you’ll end up thirty-seven times better by the time you’re done.” (Clear, 2018, p.15). This sounds very appealing to me! Almost forty percent growth just by focusing on a teeny tiny change. Even in March countdown mode, this feels doable.

So what does 1% look like for us? While the ideas are endless, I’d like to offer a few concrete, small moves that are quick and low-to-no prep. Any one of them could be the 1% adjustment that, when implemented with consistency, can have a significant and positive impact on both you and your students. Most of these ideas come from my book, Small Moves, Big Gains.

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