3 Quick Wins 🎯 for Senior Teachers (and a Big Announcement 🎙)

Senior secondary CBC can feel like a mountain. Too many students, too many expectations, and never enough time to give every learner the leadership opportunities they deserve. But here’s the good news: small shifts can create big change.

💡 And while today’s strategies are framed with CBC teachers in mind, they’re truly applicable in any classroom. Whether you’re teaching in Kenya, Finland, or anywhere else in the world, these ideas can help you start the year with stronger student leadership and belonging.

This week at Rekla™, we’ve been exploring what leadership really looks like in schools and how it can shape not just classrooms, but whole communities. Today, I want to share three practical strategies you can try right away, no matter how crowded your classroom feels.

🎯 Quick Win #1: Student-Led Reflection Circles

Instead of ending lessons with the teacher summarizing, hand the closing reflection over to a student. Invite them to ask their peers one question about the learning. You’ll be surprised at how thoughtful—and sometimes profound—those moments become.

🎯 Quick Win #2: Rotating Leadership Roles (with Choice)

Instead of assigning roles, invite students to choose from a menu of options like debate moderator, project lead, or discussion guide. This way, they can step into a role they’re curious about, rather than one handed to them.

Rotating these roles ensures leadership is shared by many, not just the same few voices. And when students choose their roles, they step in with ownership, curiosity, and confidence.

🎯 Quick Win #3: Getting-to-Know-You Leadership Questions

In the first weeks of school, students are adjusting to new classes, schedules, and friendships. A simple way to build trust and belonging is to let students take turns leading a quick “curiosity question.”

It might be:

• “What’s one small thing that makes your day better?”

• “What’s one hobby most people don’t know you have?”

  
  

This low-pressure routine helps classmates connect, while giving students early practice leading discussions. It sets the tone for a positive, student-led classroom culture.

🎙 A Big Announcement: The Rekla Reflections Podcast

Is Here!

I’m so excited to share that the very first episode of the Rekla™ Reflections Podcast is live today. Episode 1, When Children Lead, Schools Change, dives into why student leadership is not an add-on, but the foundation of real learning.

👉 https://open.spotify.com/show/7Fm4Jc8DqevGbNt5gBQpZ1

If you’d rather listen on your commute, during marking, or with a cup of tea, this podcast will bring you weekly strategies rooted in Finnish pedagogy: practical, reflective, and encouraging.

📘 New Rekla™ Resources for Senior Teachers

Alongside today’s leadership theme, we’ve also released three powerful resources to support you as you prepare for the January 2026 transition:

• 🎓 CBC 10–12 Teacher Course — now open for enrollment. Get step-by-step training to bring agency, reflection, and leadership to senior classes.

• 🧰 Senior Teacher’s Toolkit — classroom-ready strategies, rubrics, and simulations. Available now in the Rekla Store.

• 🌍 Behavior & Belonging Collection (Gr. 1–12) — a full-school resource for building community, reflection, and responsibility.

  
  

Every course, toolkit, and bundle is also part of our Rekla Roots™ program because when you invest in your teaching, we want to invest in you too.

🌿 Final Reflection

Leadership isn’t about control. It’s about trust, voice, and belonging. When students are invited to lead, they don’t just participate—they thrive.

Rekla™ is here to make that shift possible, with the strategies, tools, and inspiration you need.

👉 If you’re curious about what it really means to become a Rekla™ classroom, where student leadership, reflection, and belonging are built into every lesson stay tuned. The Rekla Framework™ will be available in the Rekla Store next week.

🌱 When was the last time you saw a student step up as a leader in your classroom?

How did it change the moment or even the whole group?

Comment below so we can learn from each other!

Let’s re-imagine leadership together.